Treason, page 16
part #2 of The Descendants War Series
"Can it!" Gunny barked. "We don't need a lesson! Get these guys!"
How many can there possibly be? Tiller had no idea how so many came out of the woodwork but then, he couldn't get an accurate count. When he shot another one with a black blotch on his chest, he realized he might be counting some of the force more than once. They're getting back up.
A few broke for the trees. One of their own went down behind him... Johnson, he thought.
"Where the hell are the Prytins?" Alon shouted. "I thought we had more backup coming!"
"Niva!" Gunny's gruff shout distorted in their ears. "We thought you were sending us some help! Where are they?"
"Triss?" Niva asked. "You got anything?"
"They dropped off communication contact shortly after I deployed them," Triss said. "Sorry, but Andrews and I have been hunting down the source of the jamming. We might be on to it right now. If we are, we can hit it hard. Do a strafing run... maybe get ourselves an accurate count of the enemy forces."
"Do it," Niva said. "ASAP. I've taken the VIPs well away from the combat zone, awaiting instructions from Griel. Sorry, Gunny. You're on your own for now."
"Just what I wanted to hear!" Gunny replied. "You heard her, people! Let's push these sons of bitches back to wherever they came from!" As the enemy faltered, he called for a general charge. "Press them hard! Take them out! We don't want them going around for a second shot at us!"
Tiller exchanged a glance with Vesper. "Stay close to me," he said. "I'm too pretty to get hit." He stood from his position, charging out gun blazing.
"God, I hate you sometimes." Vesper kept pace with him as they took their side with Alon. The enemy forces in their path broke, turning to run for the trees. Some exchanged fire, blasting back over their shoulders. Many of them were covered with blast marks, grazes mostly. It looked like they'd taken a real beating prior to the attack.
What're they even doing? Why bother to come after us?
Another of their people went down... Tibbits that time. Tiller didn't know how many others took hits, but they reached the trees with only two of the enemy managing to cover deeper in the woods. Gunny held up his hand for them to stop. "Hold here." He turned to Pless. "Where's this go?"
"This whole area is wilderness," Pless replied. "There's nothing out here. The dig site uncovered ruins or it would've been marked for harvesting later."
"Got it." Gunny paced away. "You guys keep your eyes peeled in case these idiots come back on us. Andrews, you got that jammer yet? We had two get away from us."
"Yeah, we think we do. We're going in on it now. I'll keep you informed."
At least we're making some progress here, Tiller thought. Got the VIP, killed the bad guys... not exactly a bad day. He glanced back at their own wounded... or even dead. The ones taken during the charge. Maybe even before. He couldn't tell. Okay, it was for some of us. He returned his focus to the trees. Gotta stay alert. This might turn ugly again.
They had no idea if there were only two or twenty out there. It seemed like they weren't going anywhere until they took care of it all either.
Might be a long night. Too bad these dumbasses didn't surrender.
***
Andrews left the tech stuff to Triss. She at least had some clue of what they were trying to accomplish. His ship provided her some kind of data. He just followed the course she set and continued moving in the proper direction. It required more patience than he thought he had, especially after they'd been flying for several minutes.
I feel like we should be supporting the troops. But that was an irrational feeling. Their sensors weren't picking up any people, making friendly fire a good possibility. I get what we're doing. It's frustrating. He struggled with the all too human desire to be constantly making noticeable progress.
Flying around with the scanners blazing didn't feel like proper action... whatever that meant.
"You sure we're close?" Andrews watched the scanner. A red light flashed on the thing at a steady interval, the same as it had over the last several minutes. "I don't see any difference in the instruments is all."
"Yes, we're quite close," Triss said "In fact... check your... hmm. I don't know the word. Ah. I'll ping it on your scanner."
A green blip appeared on the HUD, indicating something at one o'clock. Andrews leaned to look, tilting his wing to make it easier. Sunlight glinted off metal on the ground, a reflection that made him perk up. "You sure that isn't... I dunno... something left here by the colonists?"
"I've been here before," Triss replied. "There's nothing out this way. The settlement is large enough for the space station though much of the planet has not been touched. That's technology down there. I would already recommend an attack pattern but I'm trying to ascertain the exact nature of the equipment."
Probably nothing we want to leave around, Andrews thought. He had his doubts that the enemy erected a structure of any kind though the thing he saw had to be at least half as big as a ship. Covered in trees and other debris to keep it hidden. That wouldn't have been a simple one to catch.
"How'd you even see it?"
"That's where our signal's coming from." Triss hummed. "I'm going down for a closer look. Stay up here in case they have those plasma attacks again. Be ready to maneuver. In fact..." A screen appeared on his HUD, a frontal view straight from her vessel. "That will let you see what I do."
"How did you do that?"
"Ah, you haven't fully explored the new tech yet. If you'd like, we can go over those things when we dock again. I'll provide a full explanation. But right now... let's take a look at what we've got."
Andrews kept a sharp eye out for flashes of light while continually glancing back at the camera shot. Lots of trees spread out on the screen with a decent view of the object Triss raced toward. As she drew closer, he made out some details. Black specs all over the place like chunks of metal or debris.
The closer she got, the more he made out. Those bits weren't uniform. Each one had a distinct shape, twisted and contorted. He frowned, squinting to get a better look. "Can we zoom this thing in? I have no idea what those things are. Do you think they're some kind of... I don't know... mine? To protect the object, I mean."
"They aren't mines," Triss practically whispered. Her change of tone gave him a chill. "You can zoom in and out with your console. Tap the image there and use the cursors on the side. I'm not sure what they'll look like specifically for you."
Andrews did as instructed, squinting again.
Appendages. His mind didn't want to comprehend but once that word popped into his head, he got the rest. They were bodies. Arms askew, legs bent. Some of them had been dragged into a line while others remained scattered about. A quick count indicated more than twenty.
"What the..." Andrews's mouth went dry. "What happened down there? That looks like some kind of atrocity. A war crime."
"Or just a way to put the bodies in one place," Triss said. "With images, my computer has confirmed that some of those are Prytin. Our reinforcements. And those from the station as well. All dead." She sighed. "They must've had quite the force down here. Where are they all?" She passed by, looping around.
Andrews called out, "Did you see that?" He swore she passed something big, the metal glinting in the sun revealed. That had to be a ship! He fiddled with the controls to find the rewind button. Fortunately, it had been recording. As he cued it back, he found the frame, pausing it there.
"Yes! There's a cockpit! We found a vessel."
"I see it," Triss said, "it doesn't look like it's in the best of shape. Yes, I definitely see some damage. More importantly though, that's where the jamming signal's coming from. I'm taking it out."
"Want some support on that?"
"No, stay up there for cover. If you see anything, let me know right away." Triss hit her afterburners, the sonic boom resonating for miles. He watched her gain some distance before circling around. As she came back, she laid down a heavy strafing run, tearing up the makeshift graveyard right along with the starship.
Oh God... all those people! "You... we should've..."
"I know what you're going to say," Triss said. She pulled up, buying some altitude before zooming around for a second pass. "Considering we don't know how many additional troops are out here, we can't be sentimental. Many of them were unlikely to be in a state anyone wanted to see anyway. Believe me... the Kahl are animals like that."
I'll have to trust you. Andrews swallowed hard. He'd been a soldier long enough to know there were certain codes you lived by, constants you attempted to cling to. Getting a man home for proper treatment of his remains... that was elementary. If there aren't any more out there, we're going to feel like shit.
The first pass didn't take the starship out. That surprised him. Stationary, without defenses as far as he knew... how did it weather a strike? He wondered if they had some kind of system in place to keep it safe. Perhaps the jamming signal also created a shield. Whatever it was, the second pass would prove if they had enough firepower to blow it away.
Trees all around it burned, revealing the vessel as Triss performed a more surgical approach. She tore into the top of the vessel, slowing down to give herself a little more time with the thing. This time, pieces of it burst off. One of the thrusters exploded. When that happened, Triss pulled up and climbed sharply.
The resulting flash made Andrews look away. The cockpit dimmed to counter the flash but not fast enough. He blinked several times to fend off the white lights fused in his eyes. The computer began to speak.
"Interference lifted. Scan technology restored. Performing system-wide scan immediately."
"That did it!" Andrews shouted. "Hey... um... shouldn't we have tried to take that stuff? To find out how they did it?"
"Probably," Triss replied. "Hopefully, we can pick something out of the rubble. Right now, we're in combat though and I want to ensure my people and yours get home." She paused. "As many of them that can at least."
Andrews wondered about Volman. Did he make it to the surface? Did he crash or land safely? They hadn't heard from him on the comm in a while. He was about to reach out when a dozen blips appeared on the scanner; enemy life signs scattered about the area including the space where his people were.
"Gunny," Andrews spoke quickly, "interference is offline. You've got a dozen more enemies in the area. Looks like... nine in the woods near the ship we just destroyed and two more back in the cave. Are your HUDs back online? Can you see what I'm talking about or do you need us to coordinate?"
"We've got it," Gunny said, "we'll get them. I'm pinging a rendezvous point so you can pick us up. Try to provide some aerial cover. Your turrets should have the accuracy for this one."
"Roger that." Andrews altered course, heading back toward the soldiers. "Triss, did you hear that?"
"I did." Triss joined him on the right. "I'll assist as I can. Scans aren't fully online yet, but they should be momentarily. I'll be the eyes in the sky. You take it low."
"Sounds good." Andrews tipped the stick, pushing the ship into a dive. He'd be on the scene in less than two minutes. Plenty of time for them to get into position. Then we wrap this fight up for good. We'd better have picked up what we came for. All those lives... there will be hell to pay.
***
Chapter 10
Vesper pressed herself against a tree watching the advance of the enemy force on her HUD. Both sides had access to all their tools at that point, meaning their opponents knew they were walking into a battle. Two others, the stragglers in the cave, remained behind. They'd be for mop up later... potential prisoners, Alon said.
At a hundred yards, she felt like they should be visible. The foliage proved too thick, trees and bushes cutting off their view. She leaned out to look anyway, scanning the entire area. Wind rustled the branches, startling her back to her cover. Her heart raced, making her chuckle.
Get a grip, woman.
"You okay?" Tiller asked. "I haven't seen you jump like that in a long time."
"I'm good," Vesper said. "Just... overthinking."
"Stop it," Alon cut in. "And drop the chatter. These guys are practically on top of us. I want everyone to remain focused throughout the next few minutes."
"Get ready!" Gunny whispered, but from a guy like him it may as well have been a shout.
The HUD put the enemy at sixty yards. Some of them stopped, likely taking cover behind taller trees. The shuttles finally showed up, too late to bombard the enemy as they advanced. That would've been convenient. Vesper had no idea what they'd do up there but make a whole lot of noise.
I guess they can keep the enemy from running. If anyone broke from the battle this time, the ships would get them. Vesper wondered why the people chose to have a final confrontation or to fight at all. They were out of options. None of them would escape that place. Surrender was the only logical option.
I'll be studying the Kahl more when we get back to the ship. That's for sure.
"There they are!" Gunny belted out, "open fire!"
It was like the enemy followed his orders, blasting off their weapons at their cover instantly. Vesper slid down the tree until she was crouched, wincing away from the left side as a shot caught the trunk. Pieces of wood burst out, clacking against her armor. A tiny fire broke out where the bark superheated.
Tiller popped off half a dozen rounds before shouting, "Fire in the hole!" His grenade soared through the air. He took cover a moment before it burst. That explosion signified a great opportunity to get some shots in. The HUD showed it forced at least three of their rank to withdraw, falling back to the thicker trees.
According to her scanner, no one went down in the first pass. The shooting paused temporarily. Vesper pressed herself against the tree, waiting for orders.
Alon stood roughly ten feet away, crouched behind a particularly massive trunk. He nodded to her before speaking.
"We're fine. Just stick to your cover, we'll get through this."
"No one got hit," Tiller said. "That's embarrassing!'
"Stow it!" Gunny shouted. "Everyone stick to your positions. Grenades on the count of three." He performed the countdown. Vesper drew out one of her three charges, arming it. When he reached one, she hurled it toward the enemy, giving it some hip to buy a little more distance.
She swore she heard them land, the ping of metal against hard dirt. Another two seconds passed before they went off, a staccato set of pops that went on seemingly forever. Before they finished, Gunny ordered them to start firing again, laying down suppressive shots at the enemy's position.
Hans spoke up, "I thought these assholes liked to charge. If they're going to sit over there waiting for someone to screw up, we'll be here all night."
"I'll go," Tiller volunteered. "We gotta flank em. Flush them out of their position. Make them move, right? I'll go for the eastern side."
"Just hold on!" Gunny barked. "No one's giving those orders so just keep your fire on those trees!"
Vesper noted they'd caught much of the opposite side ablaze. She had a vision of what happened on the last planet... of how they basically destroyed thousands of acres of forest due to what amounted to a relatively small firefight. At least there are people here who can put it out, I guess, but Christ, we're destructive.
"Alright," Gunny spoke again, "hold your fire. Give them a moment."
He wants them to bolt. Vesper aimed in the general direction of two blips. Smoke rose from the various fires, creating a gray-black barrier. Her helmet switched to filter it out, providing a light thermal view. It specifically focused on the body temperatures, somehow filtering out natural light. Prytin tech is incredible.
Wood crackled in the flames as the heat built up as well. The armor protected her from the first emanation of warmth but if it kept growing, that wouldn't be the case. A temperature gauge on her HUD showed when she'd start to notice, which was probably about the time the flames caught to the next trees.
Then the wind picked up, threatening to spread the blaze much faster. Gunny called for them to continue holding though, to not get frisky.
"You do know what a wildfire can do, right?" Tiller asked. "Because we won't have much time to get out of here if this goes out of control."
"Shut the hell up!" Alon growled. "I swear to God, Corporal. One more outburst, and you'll regret it."
The enemy moved before they could continue the argument. Charging from their position, they shouted as they ran, firing their weapons in sweeping patterns from left to right. Vesper tagged one in the head, moving to another with a quick shoulder strike. One blast grazed her arm. She managed not to jerk away, moving to another opponent.
With three landed shots, she felt more confident of herself, over the situation at large. Blips on the HUD winked out. It wasn't one sided though. A couple green blips went out as well, indicating friendlies down. That doesn't necessarily mean they're dead, Vesper thought. Just unconscious or with low vitals.
"No!" Tiller shouted. "Get down!" A heavy blow hit Vesper on the side, bringing her to the ground. A couple energy bolts whizzed by, possibly where her head had been a moment before.
As her companion rose, she opened her mouth to thank him... when he took a shot to the side of the head. His blip disappeared as he collapsed, crumpling as if the lights had been shut off.
"Martin!" Vesper felt an urge to rush to his side, to help him out. She couldn't do it. Not if someone had a lock on her position. Remaining on her back, she tilted to the side, peering across the dirt at the various enemies shooting at them through the smoke.
She took aim, blasting one in the groin. As he bent, she got him in the chest and face. No one else appeared to be in range. She rolled on her stomach, crawling to Martin. "Hey!" She shouted. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?" She ran a scan over him, letting out a sigh of relief when it came back that he was still alive.
Only barely though. Tiller's vitals were dangerously low. He needed immediate medical attention if he was going to live. "I need a medic over here right now!" She turned, firing at the first movement she saw out in the open.
