Dawn of the Mad (12 page)

The colonel leaned in closer, with Matthias standing to his right. “Who hired you? How many will this force consist of?”

“I don’t know. Only the commander had contact with the client. We were assembled only a week ago before convoying here. The reaction force likely will be another merc force; a small one, most likely, given the objective and the expected resistance. They will arrive by air. With the scarcity of aircraft and personnel in this sector, it can’t be that large.”

The colonel leaned back in his folding metal chair; apparently satisfied with the answers. He lit a black cigar he had liberated from the dead commander’s body. The smoke gave off a peculiar odor, reminiscent of sweaty socks. “Indeed. This is getting more interesting.” He turned to Matthias. “I want a report from Scotts on how much combat equipment we can salvage. We have a few hours before sundown. I want an accurate report on food, ammunition, and water,” he said as Captain Cruwell saluted and exited the room.

Michaels looked at the colonel with a hint of recognition, perhaps from some long-ago campaign, or perhaps only from a photo reproduction. Michaels had read many a battle report in which this legendary officer had come away victorious under seemingly overwhelming odds. Some had even speculated that he was a creation of the enemy’s propaganda machine, created to instill fear. His eyes narrowed, focusing more intently on the colonel, trying to place him, and with more curiosity. “Were you present on Alsace Sigma? That was my first platoon command when I served in the cluster militia. The regiment was routed even though we had superior numbers and equipment.”

The colonel smiled and sat back, slightly amused. “I was there. Your commanders made many foolish decisions. It was easy to anticipate their movements.”

“How did you escape the pincer envelopment? Your forces from your previous counterattack were stretched very thin. We thought we had you for sure.” Michaels questioned the colonel much as an eager student might question a respected professor.

The two men conversed about military history and strategies as the preparations were made outside, becoming more urgent as darkness took hold outside.

“What do we have, Corporal?” Matthias asked Scotts, who was supervising his troopers at the end of a corridor as they brought equipment and supplies up from within the bunker. They had tried their best to clear a path down the hallways; however, blood and brains remained splattered on the walls and floor, and the occasional small body part had been missed by the cleanup crews. The bodies had been cleared and placed in adjacent rooms.

Matthias turned to address his superior. “Sarge, we have seventeen thermite and six frag grenades. We have six power packs remaining for the plasma cannon. Food and water are sufficient; this bunker was adequately stocked probably for at least the next three months. The troopers have one to two cells left for their EMR’s, and maybe one magazine each.”

“We will make do with what we have,” Matthias said.

The defensive lines were reoccupied and the troopers re- suited in full armor. The drop pod LZ was nearly overgrown with vegetation, leaving no evidence it was used earlier. The knocked out mercenary vehicles on the trail leading up to the plateau might give away the trap, but Matthias determined that it was worth the risk. Michaels stated that his group of mercenaries had been ordered to observe strict radio silence, so that the new force may not have been alerted. This almost seemed to be too easy.

Matthias roamed among his troopers in the defensive line around the perimeter of the bunker. As darkness descended, the sergeant and his men found themselves frequently looking into the dense forest, trying to identify strange sounds from within it. The distant approach of engines could be heard getting louder and louder as the ship approached. It appeared that Michaels had been honest, and an attack force was approaching. He confirmed a delta shaped shuttle craft descending from the clouds visually. Matthias dared not use his radio for fear of interception. He grabbed a trooper next to him and sent him into the bunker to report to the colonel.

“Tell the colonel we have a space craft approaching. It is too far away to tell the class. ETA possibly five to ten minutes.” The trooper hurried inside the bunker, where he ran headlong into the colonel and Scotts. Seeing the two apparently in important conversation, he didn’t speak right away.

Corporal Scotts monitored the approaching craft. The colonel was behind him, staring intently at the data displayed on the overhead monitor. “What am I looking at Corporal?”

“Sir, I am downloading the bunkers’ transmissions from the last 72 hours. Anyone they were in contact with, we will know and maybe we can find out who sent in the merc force.

“Good work,” the colonel said. Seeing the trooper standing in the doorway of the bunker he asked, “What is it troop?”

“Shuttle approaching sir!” the trooper said.

The colonel turned to Scotts and said, “Have our captured merc meet them outside. Hopefully we can take this shuttle without firing a shot.

Scotts nodded in agreement. He exited the security room and walked back towards the genetics lab. The surviving remnants of the mercenary force were sitting against the wall under the watchful eye of a lone trooper.

Scotts spotted Michaels kneeling down, tending to his wounded comrades. Michaels stood up, straightened his uniform, and looked at Scotts as he approached.

“I don’t think you are telling us everything about your contract,” Scotts stated matter-of-factly. “I think you know more about this bunker than you are letting on.”

“What I told your colonel is the truth.” Michaels looked Scotts directly in the eye as he spoke. “I will say one thing. When the client approached the commander and me with the contract, I had heard other firms turned him down. It was rumored the man was an Auger-Seer from Hellenheim.”

“An Auger-Seer? That is absurd,” replied Scotts.

“Is it? When was the last time you were in fringe space? Your Auger- Seers are everywhere, working out their own plans as they see fit.” Michaels sat down on the concrete floor, his back against the wall. “Anyway, I just said it was a rumor. It was a large contract, one that could set us up for awhile. We didn’t question who he worked for.”

The colonel had been listening for the past few minutes. “Whatever was on that shuttle wasn’t meant to be found by us,” he said.

Scotts and the colonel locked eyes briefly, both of them thinking the same thought. Maybe it was en route to the highest bidder, whoever that may be.

The colonel and the Scotts both headed to the surface, with Michaels and the lone trooper trailing them. Matthias met them just inside the door of the bunker. Matthias nudged Michaels towards the LZ with the barrel of his slug thrower as four troopers followed closely behind. Michaels looked up and waved to the approaching craft as if everything was just fine

“I see the ground forces, preparing to set down.” The pilot began the landing sequence, and within minutes, the craft had touched down, throwing up a huge cloud of sand and burnt vegetation. Michaels stood alone in front of the lead craft, shielding his eyes from the debris with one hand.

After the pilots shut off the engines, Michaels dropped his arm. The ramp to the rear of the craft opened. The craft’s pilot and copilot were followed by a twelve-man security squad, armed with submachine guns. Four scientific personnel wearing white overalls followed them out. The squad leader approached Michaels with a puzzled look on his face.

“Are those your casualties on the road? Where is the rest of your unit?” Michaels casually eyed the squad leader. “I am the last of my unit. I implore you to drop your weapons. You are surrounded.”

The squad leader looked around, bewildered as he noticed heavily armed troopers aiming the rifles at them. He quickly realized the situation and unslung his submachine gun placing it on the ground, then motioned for his squad to follow suit.

“Wise move.” Michaels said.

“The shuttle is secure,” Matthias said. All the personnel that had exited were kneeling on the ground with their hands up. The rest of the troopers from the perimeter had made it to the LZ.

“Sergeant,” the colonel ordered, “prepare for an immediate evac. No sense on waiting for Raus to give us a ride.”

The colonel approached Michaels, who leaned against the hull of the shuttle, two troopers guarding him. The colonel relit the stub of his strange- smelling cigar.

“I cannot take you with me. You and your wounded comrades are on your own.” He gestured to the security squad from the shuttle, “They will accompany us for interrogation.” Michaels nodded, straightened out his uniform, and smartly saluted the colonel. “There are enough provisions for you to hold out for some time.”

“Yes sir. It has been an honor and a privilege.”

The colonel returned the salute. “Good luck to you.” The colonel walked to the rear of the last shuttle. All of the troopers had loaded up, Scotts was behind the controls with Matthias in the co-pilots seat even though he had no clue what he was doing.

With one last look at the bunker, the colonel climbed the shuttle’s ramp and disappeared inside, the ramp closing after him.

Michaels, from the safety of the bunker entrance, watched the shuttle turn into a tiny speck in the atmosphere, marveling that he was still alive. He made a promise to himself that if he ever made it home, he would quit the merc life and open a bar on some remote planet.

CHAPTER 9

“This is Colonel Chuikova’s commandeered shuttle requesting landing clearance,” Scotts said into his headset. He watched as the rendezvous coordinates came up on the computer screen almost immediately.

As the shuttle began its approach to Admiral Raus’s flagship ship, the colonel emerged from the cargo hold.

“We have you in our grid,” Scotts heard the reply in his headset. “We will take care of the rest. Welcome back and please relay to the colonel his presence is wanted upon the bridge upon arrival.” Scotts surrendered control as the craft headed toward the flagship.