The Ninth: Invasion (41 page)

The days started to blend into one another as they pressed forward.  Once in a while, Brent would spot a Harbinger spying on them in between training sessions, but overall, the Harbingers had completely washed their hands of the rogue squad.  By the end of the week, they had successfully completed every invasion scenario the 3P repository had to offer.  Without any formal 3Ps to use, the squad tried to cover all the basics.  Mr. Springate and Penny demonstrated advanced stealth techniques when they ran out of the basics.  Owen went through basic first aid.  Marie explained proper weapons care and basic repairs.

They had all the offerings of an academy without the droning morning lectures.  Even Humphrey got into the sprit and decided to show the rest how to pull off accurate artillery strikes.  Humphrey stood off to the side of the artillery piece as Rhea calibrated it.

“A little more to the right,” Humphrey mumbled.

“Like this?” Rhea asked, her frustration evident.

“Almost.”

He walked around the artillery piece and stood behind her.  Humphrey moved his arms around her and rested his hands on hers, moving them for her.  There was a slight blush on her face as she tried to pay attention.

“See that little red light?” Humphrey asked Rhea, who could only nod back.  “You want to line it up with the green one over there.  So move your right hand like this . . . that’s it.  A little more . . . you got it.  Let her rip.”

Rhea took a deep breath before entering the command.  Humphrey took a step back and watched as the projectile arced through the sky.

“Come on!” Erin shouted.  “Make it!”

“It’s not going to make it,” Doug said, leaning in the direction he wanted the projectile to head.

“Wait until it starts to fall before you count her out,” Cain said with a grin.

“It looks good,” Humphrey mumbled with a taint of pride.

“Really?” Rhea asked in surprise.

“Almost!”  Liz was urging the projectile on.  “Just a bit more . . . come on!”

In the distance a small puff of sand and smoke erupted from the impact point.

“Right on target!”  Hiroko grabbed Owen’s hand and started a merry dance.

“Guess that means we win,” Cassandra said with smirk.

“Don’t rub it in.”  Cain started chuckling.  “You missed so badly we’re still looking for where it landed.”

“I told you it was a bad idea to let Cain make this into a game,” Sanderson said with a sigh.

“Do you honestly think we could have stopped him?”  Kindra smiled at him.

“Not a chance.”  Dante started laughing.

“So what where the terms again?” Ronald asked hesitantly.

“Boys versus girls,” Cain said.  “The team with the most misses pays for lunch.”

“Those had better be A rations too; don’t try to cheap out,” Tyra said with a smile.

“Twenty A rations?”  Doug folded his arms.  “I knew we shouldn’t have agreed.”

“What are you talking about?” Mr. Springate shouted.  “
You
were the one who gave him the idea in the first place!”

“That’s right!”  Owen nudged Doug.  “Maybe we should make him pay double for suggesting this in the first place.”

“Hey!  That’s not fair!  . . . I don’t see why artillery practice is important, anyway,” Doug said, grumbling.

“Don’t be a sore loser,” Dante said as he patted him on the shoulder.  “We gave it our all.  Isn’t that right, sir?”

“We sure did,” Brent said.  “I think we
all
did quite well.  We’ve certainly improved since our first try.”

“He’s got a point.”  Cain nudged Cassandra.  “The first time you tried this you almost killed us all.”

“It’s only a 3P; we couldn’t have really died . . .” Cassandra kicked at the ground.

“So what do you all want?” Ronald asked.  “The sooner we pick up lunch the sooner we can get back to training.”

“Always to the point,” Tyra said with a smile.  “Okay, I want . . .”

Before she could continue, the ground started to blur.  The details of the surroundings were starting to fade as well.  Solid matter started decomposing into a multicolored fog.  A moment later, they were all back in the 3P repository.

“That was weird . . .” Humphrey mumbled.

“Who turned off the 3P?” Sanderson asked, looking for Tyra.

“Don’t ask me, I didn’t do it.”  She picked up the 3P and started studying it.

A loud tone sounded, warning them they were about to be addressed.

“This is Admiral Shen to all personnel.  The battle group is about to close in on Reloas.  All hands report to battle stations,” Shen’s voice shouted over the P.A.  “Secure all nonessential material.  Troopers report for deployment.  This is
not
a drill.”

“Showtime,” Mahoney said, with a pleased smirk.

Tyra’s squad bolted down the corridors.  The normally vacant hallways were now filled with Navy personnel in white uniforms with blue trim who calmly but quickly attended to their duties.  The Harbingers were already waiting when Tyra’s group reached them.  Harper was shouting like a madman as he guided his forces through the ship.  His shouting didn’t end or waver as they reached their destination.  At first glance it looked like a typical docking bay, but under closer inspection it was clear the individual ports were far too small to be for docking ships.  Crewmembers in white had been eagerly awaiting their arrival and quickly handed out the beach balls Brent recognized as combat suits.

Tyra’s squad tossed their white spheres into the air and let them land squarely on their heads.  It was a cute trick Doug had inadvertently figured out while juggling his suit.  Instead of opening the spheres and struggling to get the contents out, he found that by tossing them into the air they would crack open when they landed on his head.  Once cracked open, the contents would quickly wrap over the trooper below.  After some slight hissing, the suit would adapt to the shape of the trooper and be ready for use.  By the time Harper’s troopers had an arm encased in the protective shell, Tyra’s group was ready for action.

“As much as I hate to say it, this is a CI job.  We’re just support,” Harper shouted.  “Nevertheless, we have a job to do, so let’s show those CI boys how this is
really
done.”

“From the looks of things, the Union has been ready for this fight for a long time.”  Chelsea shouted the mission briefing to the troopers.  “The entire northern hemisphere is a no fly zone.  Any ship that attempts to enter orbit won’t be coming back.  A direct assault on their main headquarters is doomed to failure.”

“What about smaller targets?” a Harbinger asked.

“That’s no good either.  The defense net isn’t just powerful enough to take down a capital ship; it’s also accurate enough to deal easily with tiny targets, too.  So, a rapid deployment combat drop is out too.”

“So, how are we getting in?”

“We’re not.  CI has decided to ignore the northern hemisphere and is deploying to the relatively undefended southern hemisphere.  Once we’ve established a foothold, we’ll force our way to the Union headquarters on the surface.”

“That’s going to take a while,” Harper grumbled.

“Too long, in fact,” Chelsea agreed.  “While we are securing a foothold, CI technicians are going to be disabling the navigation network over Reloas.  Without that information, the Union can’t jump in reinforcements.”

“Is that going to be enough?” Ronald asked.

“I doubt it,” Harper said flatly.  “The Union won’t give up so easily.  Plus, a full-scale ground invasion could take months, if not longer.  By the time we get to their headquarters, the Union will probably control a fair share of the Commonwealth.”

“Core Industries knows what it is doing,” Cain said with a grin.

“Easy for you to say.”  Chelsea sighed.  “Our orders are simple.  We will be part of the first wave.  CI has picked a great spot for their invasion.  There is a large civilian city center inside a mountain range.  Only two access points in or out.  We’ll be securing the eastern access point while the CI secures the northern one and sweeps the city for resistance.”

“Once the city is secure, the CI will bring down the bulk of their forces, and we’ll start clearing a path to the Union’s front doorstep,” Harper said with a smirk.

“So, when do we get started?” a Harbinger asked.

“Combat deployment will commence once we clear the Wall,” a crewmember in white said, handing out the last combat suit.  “The Harbinger will draw their fire, so don’t mess up.  We won’t be able to provide you any support until you secure the landing zone.”

“You Navy boys just stick to the flying; we’ll do the heavy lifting,” another Harbinger said with a chortle.

“Try not to trip over your own egos,” the white crewmember said as he departed.

Brent wondered if the reason he hadn’t seen any Navy personnel until now was because of some friction between the different military branches.  As Harper started shouting at one of his men, he wondered if maybe the reason was much simpler.

“This is the real thing,” Tyra said.  “Are you all ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Doug said, with a mixture of excitement and anxiety in his voice.

“We’ll do fine; just be careful.”  Angela put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Attention all personnel, the Harbinger is now commencing the final jump.”  The voice on the P.A. was attempting to sound calm.  “Core industries has already engaged ITU forces, so this will be a combat jump.  Secure all remaining material and prepare for battle.”

The Harbingers of the Abyss immediately began to line up behind the small docking ports.  With a final check of his equipment, Brent took his position with the rest of Tyra’s squad.  A low tone sounded inside his helmet.

“Can you all hear me?” Cain asked in a slightly distorted voice.

“Of course I can!” Doug said aloud.  “You’re standing right next to me.  I’m not deaf.”

“Moron, use your suit’s com link.”  Marie’s voice was equally distorted.

“What’s up?” Ronald asked, gesturing for everyone to switch to their suits’ private internal communications link.

“There is a slight change in the narrative,” Cain said.  “Harper and his men will be securing the access point, but we have a different mission.”

“And you’re telling us this
now
?” Tyra asked.

“Couldn’t be helped.  Dad didn’t want Admiral Shen to know.”

“Know what?” Dante asked.

“Our goal isn’t to carve a path to the ITU headquarters.  That’s just a bluff, and we needed Shen to believe so he’d be convincing.  If the ITU gets even a hint of our true objective, the whole thing could flop.”

“Then what is our mission?” Tyra asked.

“We’re invading this city because it has one of the largest power generation sites on the southern hemisphere.  While the ITU is distracted, we’ll seize control of it.”

“I apologize, Cain,” Rhea said in awe.  “I never realized you and your father were so cunning.”

“Mind filling the rest of us in?” Ronald asked.  “What’s so important about getting control over a single power plant?”

“The northern defense net is impregnable, but has
huge
power demands,” Rhea explained.  “So large in fact it depends on the entire planet to work efficiently.  Every power generator on the planet is linked.  If Core Industries gets their hands on a key one, they can gain control over the rest remotely.  It was supposed to be a company secret.”

“That is, if we can do it without the ITU noticing.”  Cain sighed.  “If they realize what we are up to, they can sever the power network before we have control.”

“That’s where Shen comes in,” Dante said, understanding.  “His forces go in and overwhelm the light garrisons.  The ITU leaders panic and mobilize their forces to deal with the threat of invasion.  While the ITU forces head south, CI sneaks in and cuts off the power.”

“And once the power is down,” Cain said proudly, “those big orbital cannons go silent, clearing the way for us to land behind the ITU forces and take the capital.”

“Checkmate,” Mahoney added.

“Wait a minute,” Erin said.  “Won’t Harper notice something when we fail to land with his forces?”

“Of course he will, but we are
recruits,
remember?”  Humphrey mumbled.  “He’ll happily accept the idea we messed up under pressure.  I’m sure he already expects us to do something similar.”

The forward edge of the compartment was disappearing into the Wall.  The troopers all tensed for the combat drop.  The anticipation made the Wall seem to be moving at a hideously slow pace.  Brent knew it was approaching at the same rate it always did, but knowing and feeling were two different things.  As soon as the Wall passed over the compartment, blaring alarms sounded.  Red lights flashed as the docking hatches started to open.  There was a mild tugging sensation as all the air left in the sealed compartment rushed out the hatches.  Whips of fire lashed intermittently around the open hatches.

“The Abyss awaits!” Harper shouted over the communications link.

After hearing their battle cry, the Harbingers started diving out the hatches.  With a nod from Tyra, her squad followed suit.  The underbelly of the ship was covered in blazing flames as it scraped the edge of the atmosphere.  Brent wondered if something so huge could escape the planet’s pull after jumping in so close.  A blot of screeching light reminded him he had more pressing concerns to worry about.  The defensive network on the planet’s surface was giving its all.  A constant barrage of small beams of light was futilely attempting to track the quickly moving troopers.  Their suits easily evaded the incoming fire as they skirted around the sky.

A large flash of light on the surface heralded the heavier ordinance.  Billowing plumes of smoke etched through the sky as they propelled their cinders of death.  The weapons systems on the Harbinger thundered to life as they launched their own salvos, attempting to destroy the incoming missiles.  Massive explosions of fire and smoke erupted mid-air as the salvos hit their marks.  The force of the explosions batted the troopers around as their suits tried to compensate.  Brent tried to steady his suit as it bounced around.  After being shaken like a rag doll, he managed to regain control.

As he fell farther from the Harbinger, he could start to see the other ships in orbit.  Dozens of CI ships were exchanging fire with the surface as countless white specks flittered out from their cargo bays.  Brent knew each white speck was another person like himself, plummeting to the ground below.  One of the ground-based missiles impacted a CI ship, igniting the entire right half of the ship in flame.  A terrible wail assaulted his ears.  The ship sounded like an ancient beast letting out its final, agonized cry.  The white specks stopped falling from it’s underbelly as the CI ship tried to gain altitude and leave the atmosphere.

Looking around, he quickly found the other members of Tyra’s squad all vectoring along a path just slightly different from the one being used by Harper and his men.  Liz, Penny, and Sanderson were using their sniper rifles to harass the ground forces below.  Without the powerful magnification of their scopes, Brent couldn’t be sure if they were hitting anything or not.  As the troopers got closer to the surface, the intensity of the weapons fire from below increased dramatically.  The ground forces didn’t even seem to be aiming anymore, just firing randomly, hoping to hit something.  Missiles arced through the sky as they rocketed past the troopers.  The sound of steady thunder behind them let the troopers know the Harbinger was still fighting alongside them.

As the ground rapidly approached, he could start to make out details with the naked eye.  A thin crescent was the mountain range that surrounded the city.  Impossibly tiny boxes were the houses and offices of the civilian population.  A warning tone sounded three times in his helmet.  Brent quickly steadied his rifle and started calibrating the scope.  He and the rest of the non-snipers were nearing weapons range.  He could make out streets and some bridges as the warning tone sounded twice.  Pointing his rifle toward the densest spot of resistance, he waited.  As the warning tone sounded a final time, Brent opened fire.

With the considerable distances involved, it took a while before the shots reached their mark.  This meant hitting moving targets was nearly impossible, but the ITU gave him more than enough stationary targets.  The troopers in the sky started exchanging fire with the defenders on the ground.  Countless flashes of light ripped through the sky.  One of the primary missile launchers was struck by a salvo from the Harbinger.  With his current distance, Brent could see the shockwave ripple through the ground as windows shattered and ground defenders were knocked over.

A huge plume of dust and smoke erupted from the remains of the weapons facility, covering the city like a blanket.  Through the dark cover, firing accurately was impossible.  Returning his rifle to its holster, Brent focused on avoiding the debris sent airborne from the explosion.  As he penetrated the cloud, its blackish brown fog replaced the scenic vista of the world below.  Without being able to see the ground, he had to rely on the readouts given to him by the suit.  A series of dotted lines created a grid work on his helmet showing him where the ground should be and the descent path he needed to follow.  Fortunately, the ground forces were just as blind as he was, so he could focus on landing without worry.

With a sudden jerk and a loud roar, the suit started slowing its descent to safe speeds.  With a sudden flash of light, Brent had penetrated the dust and smoke.  The ground was right where it needed to be, and the grid work faded from his view.  Brent prepared for the landing like he had learned in the 3Ps.  Curling up into a ball, he let the suit absorb the brunt of the impact as he rolled along the ground.  When most of the momentum had dissipated, he sprung out of the curled position and landed with his rifle out and ready for combat.  After quickly scanning the area for hostile forces, he took cover and waited for the others to land.

“What happened?” Harper’s voice shouted inside his helmet.  “You are
way
off course.  Don’t tell me you
recruits
blew it.”