Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 5) (23 page)

“Our sector is
clear,” reported Lieutenant Guthrie.

“No sign of
any conscripts,” reported Sergeant Katy Lewis.

The reports
continued and all were the same. If there were any conscripts, they were inside
the large Kleese compound.

“Captain
Nelson, I’m sending a drone over the compound to see what’s there,” said
Captain Morris. Most of the hover tanks had one or two small drones they could
deploy to scan the enemy’s positions.

There were a
few minutes of silence as the Marines moved away from the drop ships and headed
cautiously toward the compound. From the cargo drop ships, hover tanks floated
out and took up covering positions behind the advancing Marines. Marines in
Type Three battlesuits appeared and spread out around the tanks.

“Damn,”
muttered Captain Morris over the command channel. “There must be a thousand
civilians in that compound. I had the drone fly directly over and it’s full of
civilians.”

“The Kleese
are using them for cover,” commented Ryan, as he looked at all the friendly
green icons on his HUD screen. “We’ll have to do this the hard way.” It didn’t
surprise him that the Kleese were using this tactic. The deaths of innocent
civilians meant nothing to them.

There were a
few moments of silence and then Captain Morris spoke again. “I’ll hit them from
the west with my Marines. Captain Nelson, you will hit them from the north with
yours. Move out and we’ll make a coordinated attack in twelve minutes.”

Ryan took a
deep breath. They had landed nine hundred Marines with most of them in Type
Four battlesuits. There was one Marine platoon from each ship in the larger and
bulkier Type Threes. They were responsible for the security of the hover tanks.

“Move out,”
ordered Ryan over the command channel that connected him to Lieutenant Guthrie
and the platoon sergeants. “Look out for popups, there are bound to be some.”

-

“Damn popups,”
muttered Corporal Parker. “Why are there always popups?”

“Because these
are Kleese and they always deploy popups,” Lauren answered. “Just stay out of
sight so they won’t target your big ass.”

Alexander
didn’t respond because his suit was the exact same size as Lauren’s. All Type
Fours were exactly the same with the only difference being whether the Marine
was carrying an RG rifle or a portable energy cannon.

-

The Marines
slowly moved up toward the Kleese compound. Sure enough, when they got within
two hundred meters of it, popup weapons emerged from the blastcrete that
surrounded the compound and opened fire. Several Marines instantly fell to the
ground, their green icons turning amber and then red.

“Everyone halt
and take cover!” Ryan ordered. “Sergeant McElroy, have the hover tanks place a
series of explosive rounds between us and that compound. I want those popups
blown apart!” Ryan wasn’t going to risk any more of his Marines now that he knew
where the weapons were.

-

Sergeant
McElroy stepped over to the nearest hover tank and rapped on the hull with his
armor encased hand after receiving the captain’s orders. He had eight tanks
under his command. For this attack, several other assault cruisers had sent
their Marines and hover tanks down to reinforce Captain Nelson. With a wolfish
smile, McElroy looked at the eight tanks now waiting in a staggered line for
his orders. There were also four full platoons of Type Three battlesuits to
protect them.

“I want
explosive rounds beginning at fifty meters in front of our Marines and then
subsequent rounds dropped every ten meters until they reach the outer wall of
the Kleese compound,” he ordered the eight tank commanders.

McElroy
watched as the small tubes on the back of the tanks elevated themselves and
then heard a whooshing noise as the tanks began firing. McElroy knew the tanks
were capable of firing several rounds per second from their tubes and the
blasts from these explosive rounds were ten times more powerful than a grenade.
Each tank had two of the explosive round tubes on them and both were firing.
That was thirty-two rounds per second that were going to drop on the popups and
the area directly in front of the Kleese compound. They would make quick work
of the popups and anything else that might be in that area.

-

Ryan was
standing behind a small stone wall when the first rounds struck. Pieces of
blastcrete were hurled high into the air, and the ground seemed to shake from
each detonation. Whenever a popup was hit, there would be a bright flash of
light, fire, and then billowing gray smoke rising up into the air.

“That’s
cutting them down to size,” Lieutenant Guthrie commented from her advanced
position. Some of the rounds were hitting within thirty meters of her position,
causing her to hunker down. Some of the debris from the blasts was even raining
down on her battlesuit.

“I hate
popups,” muttered Alexander over the comm channel. “I just love to see them
blown to pieces like this.”

As the explosions
continued and steadily marched toward the walls of the Kleese compound, Lauren
added her own comment. “As near as I can tell, all of the popups in my area
have been eliminated.”

Over the next
few minutes, all the different platoons reported the same. Ryan was also aware
of explosive rounds going off in front of Captain Morris’s Marines as well.
Then it suddenly became quiet as the rounds ceased falling.

“Advance,”
ordered Ryan. “Sergeant McElroy, I need two of your hover tanks. I want some
holes blown in the wall that surrounds the Kleese compound.”

“On their
way,” McElroy responded.

Ryan stood up
and used his neural implant to connect to the sensors in his command suit.
Looking toward the Kleese compound, he directed his sensors toward it. The
compound consisted of six tall ten-story buildings with a large courtyard
surrounding them. There were a good one hundred meters between the buildings
and the wall that surrounded the compound. The wall itself was only five meters
tall with two large metal gates allowing entrance. Both of the gates were
currently shut.

The two hover
tanks arrived and Ryan stepped over to speak with the corporal in charge of the
nearest.

“Captain,” the
corporal spoke with respect in his voice. He was standing with his upper chest,
shoulders, and head sticking out of the open metal hatch. “You called for two
hover tanks?”

“Yes,” Ryan
answered and pointed toward the compound. “See that large metal gate in the
center of that wall? I need you to knock it down.”

The corporal
stared at the gate for a moment and then nodded. “No problem.”

“I also need
areas of that wall knocked down for our Marines to go through.” The Type Four
battlesuits were capable of limited flight with their repeller units but that
also made the Marines easy targets.

“Can do,” the
corporal answered as he quickly communicated the order to the other tank
commander.

Ryan watched
as the tank’s energy cannon swiveled around until it was lined up with the
gate. Stepping back, Ryan turned his attention toward the Kleese compound. He
flinched slightly as a white beam of concentrated energy suddenly leaped out
and struck the center of the metal gate. The gate exploded into a thousand
pieces. At the same time, the RG canons on the two tanks began hammering away
at the wall. Large sections seemed to simply disintegrate, sending plumes of
dust into the air. The walls were made of blastcrete, but even a wall as strong
as this one couldn’t stand up to the deadly rounds and the kinetic energy they
released upon impact.

“Advance,”
ordered Ryan as he began moving toward the openings. “I want civilian
casualties held to a minimum.”

The Marines
moved quickly toward the gate and the crumbled sections of the wall.

“I have
movement,” reported Sergeant Lewis.

“Same here,”
added Sergeant Reinhardt. “I can see a lot of conscripts in Type Two
battlesuits moving through the civilians and toward the openings in the wall.”

“Same thing on
our side,” Captain Morris said. “I think they’re coming out.”

-

From the
Kleese compound, hundreds of conscripts in Type Two battlesuits came swarming
through the crumbled walls. The hover tanks opened up, sending streams of RG
rounds into the charging conscripts. Dozens fell only to be replaced by more.
More tanks advanced and additional RG rounds slammed into the conscripts,
dropping even more of them.

“There’s too
many,” Sergeant Hunter said over the command channel. “There must be over a
thousand of them!”

“All Marines,
prepare to engage,” ordered Ryan as he clicked off the safety on his RG rifle.

“Sergeant
Dewey and Lewis, it looks as if your area’s going to be hit first. Hold your
ground,” ordered Lieutenant Guthrie.

-

Casey aimed
her RG rifle at the nearest conscript, now less than thirty meters away, and
began firing. Around her, the other Marines with her began doing the same. RG
rounds, energy beams, and occasional explosive rounds hit the conscripts,
dropping many of them. But still they came on. She heard a scream and on her
HUD saw a green icon turn amber and then red. With shock, she saw it was
Private Jasmine Hopper.

Jasmine had
operated the sensor console on the assault ship they escaped on when they fled
to Delton. More icons turned from green to amber. Suddenly, energy beams began
to hit her Marines. Using her suit sensors she saw a number of Type Three
battlesuits suddenly emerge from the compound and join the conscripts. Looking
at the new threat icons, she saw there were nearly one hundred of them.

“Be warned,”
Ryan’s voice came over the command channel. “It looks as if the Kleese have
joined the battle; they’re the ones in the Type Three suits. Sergeant McElroy,
I want all of your Marines up here now. We’re going to need everyone.”

“Kleese!”
roared Alexander over the regular comm channel. “I’m glad they came out; now we
can kill them!”

“Be careful,
Alexander,” Lauren’s concerned voice sounded over the comm. “Those are Type
Three suits and impervious to our Energy Lances.”

-

The conscripts
and the Kleese were suddenly upon the Marines. Casey drew her Energy Lance and
activated it. Instantly a shimmering rod of energy one meter long appeared. It
could cut through almost anything. Swinging it at the nearest conscript, the
lance cut completely through the battlesuit, cleaving the suit in two.

Around Casey,
other Marines had drawn their lances and were engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
Others were using their RG rifles, trying to take out the Kleese who were mixed
in with the conscripts. The intensity of the battle suddenly ratcheted up as
the two sides became intermixed. Casey saw with trepidation that several of the
Kleese were brandishing Energy Lances. The Kleese would soon realize the armor
of the Type Four suits was impervious to the lances. Nevertheless, it was a
fearsome sight to see the Kleese this way.

On the HUD in
Casey’s suit more green icons turned amber and then red. Marines were dying; a
lot of them. Suddenly another familiar green icon turned from green, to amber,
to red. With a chill, Casey saw Private Cameron Swen had been killed. Cameron
had been with the platoon for a long time. Swinging her lance, she decapitated
a conscript who had come too close. “That one’s for Cameron,” she said in
anger.

-

“Watch it,
Lauren!” yelled Alexander as he saw a Kleese aiming an energy cannon at
Lauren’s back. With a flying leap and using his boot repellers, he slammed into
the Kleese just as he fired his weapon. The two rolled and Alexander stumbled
back to his feet. At point blank range he fired half a dozen RG rounds into the
faceplate of the Type Three battlesuit, watching it shatter then pulverizing
the triangular shaped head of the Kleese inside.

With a sigh of
relief, Alexander turned back toward Lauren to see her lying on her back,
unmoving. He hurried over and bent down looking for any signs of an injury. In
her side were the ugly burns from an energy cannon. It looked as if it had
penetrated her suit.

“Lauren?”
asked Alexander, looking for any signs of life.

“Alexander?”
Lauren’s voice came back in barely a whisper. “I guess I forgot to duck.”

“How badly are
you hit?” Alexander asked. Around him, the fighting continued but he was
oblivious to it.

“Bad,” Lauren
said with a moan. “I’ve activated the emergency medical nanites, but I don’t
know if that’s going to be good enough.” Lauren coughed several times before
she spoke again. “Alexander, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”
Alexander replied not sure what Lauren meant. Looking quickly around, he saw
Privates Hatterson, Richards, and a few other Marines were standing close by
keeping the conscripts occupied.

“For being so
mean to you,” Lauren said. “I really do care for you.” With those words,
Lauren’s voice faded away.

“Lauren!”
screamed Alexander. “Don’t you dare leave me!”

“Alexander,
get Lauren back to the drop ship and up to the
Deliverance
!” Casey
ordered over the comm. “Mary, I want you and Camden to go with them. We have
other wounded also being evacuated.”

-

Casey watched
as Alexander effortlessly picked up Lauren’s prone suit and began jogging back
toward the drop ship with the other two Marines acting as guards in case any
conscripts attempted to interfere. Casey felt numb as she looked at Lauren’s
icon, which was still amber but in danger of turning red at any second.

Taking a deep
breath, she got back into the fight. There were still a lot of conscripts that
needed to be eliminated as well as the battling Kleese. She was determined not
to lose any more of her friends.

-

Ryan was
inside the Kleese compound with a number of Marines. The battle was winding
down with nearly all the conscripts wiped out and the majority of the Kleese.
The Kleese were being killed one by one and none were offering to surrender. It
was just as well; Ryan was of the firm opinion the Kleese were a scourge that
needed to be wiped out. No mercy was asked for and none was being given.