Resilience (Warner's World Book 6) (53 page)

“You’ve been a busy boy” hailed back Ron.

“Not as busy as these base engineers have been. Just look at all those shelters.”

“Pity they’re not lined up in a row.”

“Gonna need four I reckon. Uploading plan now.”

Ron perused the four strike tasks Nick had already setup. As per their SOPs he automatically checked off against the asset and munitions assigned. He confirmed the target type had been set to hardened and checked to ensure the BZs area would all be within the effective range of the assigned ordnance. It took Ron a couple of minutes to do this. Nick waited patiently. It was a well-worn routine.

“Bravo 2 this is Whiskey 3” hailed 2
^nd
Lt Lex Hamilton, “exfil window closes in five.”

“Yeah I hear you” hailed Nick “We need more time.”

“Negative Bravo 2, you know the drill.”

“We won’t be long. Just wait. Out.”

“Bravo 2 Actual this is Bravo 2 Bravo” hailed Feris. There was a tone of some anxiety in Feris’ voice. 

“Bravo this is Actual, what’s wrong?”

“We’ve got nasties on patrol heading our way. Need to hightail it real soon. Can we hurry up?”

“Wait” replied Nick. “Ron, you done!”

Ron was on the last task. He quickly finished his check and replied “Am now.” Ron immediately started moving his team back off the rise towards where they originally halted.

Nick switched to the Bravo 2 wide channel. “Light ‘em up and commit now.” Nick already had their mobile sensor array deployed on its little tripod. He activated the sensor array. It was pre-set to conduct an active radar sweep of the designated arc. The results were immediately fed into Nick’s suit AI. It either confirmed the target locs that Nick had entered manually or it updated them. The AI then bundled the fire plan and request into an encrypted data package and sent the package off to the Audacity. While it was doing its sweep the array was active and detectable and detected it was.

The alarm in Nick’s helmet went off and the alert warning of enemy ground based radar sweeping them sent a shiver down Nick’s spine.

“Fuck. Give us a hand Locky” asked Nick.

“What’s that?” asked Locky as he ensured the array was now secure in Nick’s bumpack.

“Company by the looks of it. Fuck we gotta move.” Nick handed Locky back his rifle and they both started off in a jog down to the rest of the team.  “Ron get a move on we’ve got company….one AFV and a truck by the look of it.”

“Oscar Mike” hailed back Ron.

“Whisky 3 we need exfil now.”

“About time. We’re ready” hailed Lex.

“We’re not going to get to you in time. Come pick us up.”

“Negative we’ll be spotted for sure.”

“And we’ll be dead for sure if you don’t. Just get the fuck down here now.”

“Alright. Turn on your tracker.”

“It’s on” hailed Nick as he ran.

“Gotcha!” said Lex as he spotted their trackers on his screen. “We’re coming in low and fast. I won’t be transmitting. Get in fast.” The pilot engaged cloak and warned his gunner, Cpl Freddie Dumais, to stay buttoned down but to be ready to pop up and fire on his command.

Nick glanced back and could see the low silhouetted shape of a rogan AFV tearing across the open area not more than two clicks away. Cross country the AFV was only making 12 kph but even with his legs pumping Nick and Locky were barely managing 6 kph. But the AFV only had to close to within 500m before it could open up with its beam weapon. Nick knew they had less than ten minutes or they were toast.

Whiskey 3 lifted off the ground from its hidey-hole five clicks away. It rose no more than 10m and was now moving at over 100kph.

Three minutes later, Lex reversed the thrusters and banked to land the craft about two hundred metres from the onrushing commandoes.  The craft decelerated rapidly as the pilot reversed thrusters. He opened the hatch and turned on the single hatch light as a beacon for the troops. Through his thermals he could identify two groups. The first batch of green shapes was nearly there but the last two figures were still a good three hundred metres behind.

As Ron and the bulk of his team clambered in Lex ID’d the rogan AFV on his passive scanner. He knew there was no way those remaining commandoes would get to him before that AFV was in range. He could run and leave them and pray he wasn’t eyeballed but he doubted that with the AFV headed straight towards them that they would escape detection. Besides it went against his gut reaction.

“Freddie, hose that AFV” commanded Lex.

Freddie’s turret popped up in a second and the 30 Pulse cannon railed on auto. The shots went right by Nick as he was running causing him to momentarily baulk. Locky ran into his back knocking him over.

“For fuck sake” exclaimed Nick as he got to his feet with Locky’s helping hand. Neither looked back as they raced for the warthog. They heard the explosion though and for the first time that night Nick smiled. Another explosion followed in quick succession as the pulse cannon ripped into the following truck.

Ron provided the welcoming assist that pulled Nick in and Locky fastened the hatch. “Go” hailed Ron loudly.

“Down Freddie” ordered Lex. “Reengaging cloak.” He tapped the verticals to rise a few metres and then gunned the main thrusters, keeping low as he headed away. His sensors picked up the two fighters now taxing on the runway behind them. “Oh hell” he exclaimed. He knew he could not outrun the fighters, nor have any hope in defeating them. There only hope was evasion.

But then the alert fired on his screen warning that they had just been pinged by ladar. Evasion was now out of the question. ‘Or is it’ thought Lex as he spotted the speckled flecks at the bottom of his visor. “Enemy fighters taking off” he broadcast into the main cabin. “I’m putting her down. Brace.” He reversed the main thrusters and was willing the craft to decelerate enough so he could put her down just in front of the tree line up ahead. It did skid a good twenty metres but Lex let out a sigh when the craft stopped short of the trees. “Everyone OK back there?” he asked.

“Yeah we’re good” hailed Nick. “So we lie doggo and hope they miss us?”

“That’s the idea but we better pray that the strike’s effective or we’re going to have an interesting time come dawn.”

Chapter 6. Audacity over Slenthsl 0228, 29 October

“Do it” directed Dave from his chair in the command centre.

“Committed” confirmed Toyah. “Bombers away, fighters launching.”

The stream of craft now heading cloaked towards the planet would take five minutes to reach their 30K waypoint where they would loiter.

“Missiles strikes in five” confirmed Mandy.

“Any news on Whiskey 3 or Bravo 2?” asked Dave.

Gordon shook his head.

“My money’s on them lying doggo” contributed Chase. “We detected no missiles fired.”

Dave knew that that didn’t mean they weren’t brought down by other means. He knew that if they were lying doggo then they couldn’t transmit for fear of revealing themselves. “Well Gordon, looks like you will have to do without Whiskey 3 for the first lift. How’s the loading going?”

“It’s taking a little time for our tall friends to fit into the shuttles” advised Gordon “and I’m still waiting on Whiskey 1 and 2 to return. Should all be set for 0300.”

“One minute to strike folks” announced Crystal. “Prepare to decloak.”

“Package one away” announced Mandy and the Audacity fired off 120 missiles in twelve separate strikes, four to each designated fighter base. Dave didn’t have much hope that these would actually reach their targets. But he did hope they would force the enemy missiles units to engage and when they did they would be detected and targeted by his marauders. From 30K the javelins would only require three minutes to reach their target and that should be soon enough to catch those mobile launchers before they scooted away.

“Package 2 ready for your command” advised Mandy. Dave gave her a nod.

“We have ground based missiles fired” announced Felix. He waited a few more seconds before announcing “looks like 300 fired from…6 locations.”

“Transmitting locs” advised Chase.

“Mikes 1 to 6 committed” advised Toyah. “Javelins away. Impact in three.” Each marauder flight of four craft would fire their loadout of 12 javelins at one of the enemy missile launching locations. So there was now almost another 300 missiles headed for the planet

“More enemy missiles fired” announced Felix “I think we’ve got em. 300 from 6 different locs.”

“Locs transmitted” said Chase.

“Mikes 7 to 12 committed” said Toyah. “Javelins away. Follow up Mikes 13 to 15 committed. Javelins away.” The latter marauder strikes were aimed at the fighter bases and their javelins were armed with bunker buster munitions. It was these that Dave was relying on to take out the enemy fighter bases.

“Mikes 1 to 15 RTB (returning to base)” added Toyah.

“Enemy fighters taking off” announced Mandy. “15 so far. There not as quick off the blocks this time. Twenty two now. Our ship missiles have taken a pasting. Only 11 are still running.”

“Enemy fighter missiles launched” announced Felix “60 so far, defensive at our missiles.”

“More enemy fighters launched, another ten, make that 12. At this rate we won’t catch any on the deck.”

“Don’t worry about that” said Crystal. “What’s important is that we take out their shelters this round. They’ll be easy meat then.”

Felix and Mandy played tag team reporting the outcomes of the missile exchanges. The end result was summed up by Mandy when she said “We’ve nailed ‘em - 90% of the launchers and 80% of the shelters destroyed, but probably less than 30% of their fighters. Most are returning to the deck now.” Dave nodded. “Second package?” asked Mandy.

“Let’s give them five minutes to all get down” directed Dave.

“I’ve still got 12 mikes with bunker busters. Do you want to take out those remaining shelters?” asked Toyah.

“Wait till after the second package. Good work everyone.” Dave checked the time. It was 0243. “Gordon, SITREP.”

“We’re not going to make 0300. More like 0310. But we could go with those that will be ready. That’s probably 80% of them anyway.”

“No that will mean the stragglers go in unescorted.”

“I think we should” chipped in Aubrey “otherwise we won’t get a second lift before dawn.”

“Alright but I want a squadron of limas on loose CAP down at 30K” said Dave.

“We can do that” said Toyah.

“OK do it” said Dave.

“Second package away” announced Mandy a couple of minutes later as Dave was rubbing his tired eyes. 120 torads were now streaking down to the surfacer destined to deliver death and destruction to the enemy air bases. This time, their munitions would not be designed to bust hardened shelters but rather to destroy targets exposed on the surface.

The enemy managed to fire off a dozen or so missiles from its remaining launchers but these were not enough to prevent the second package from wiping out the enemy fighter force. Three flights of marauders worked over the remaining shelters just for good measure and another flight hunted down the remaining launchers.

“We’re a go” said Dave at 0300. Most of the ship’s light and heavy shuttles descended to the planet carrying 40% of the 1
^st
Sleth Bde. A few more took off in dribs and drabs over the next ten minutes.

Satisfied that the lift had got off OK and that Whiskey 3 was indeed OK and now returning, Dave let the back of his chair recline, closed his eyes and managed to fall asleep, despite the ongoing conversations around him. He began snoring before the first lift landed at their DZ.

“How does he do that?” asked Mandy to Rihan.

Rihan smiled. “Because he knows things are in capable hands.”

“Years of practice” added Art with a grin and Gordon added his own chuckle having spent years catching sleep when he could.

“And he doesn’t know he snores” contributed Aubrey with a smile.

“Or he doesn’t care” said Chase.

“Too harsh Chase. He cares a lot” said Rihan.

“Must be ignorance then” said Chase with a cheeky grin.

“I heard that” said Dave without opening his eyes and everyone laughed.

Chapter 7. Whiskey 7 over Slenthsl 1640, 1 November

Dave had sent Art down to be his liaison officer with the Sleth force battling for Nenrit. It was a jubilant Art who hailed Dave an hour earlier with the words “she’s ours.” Now Dave was sitting in the back of Whiskey 7 as it banked and headed for the designated DZ.

Obri had a big grin on his face as he stepped out after Dave. He was welcomed with a hug from his old academy buddy Elinth. There was a fair bit of destruction around. The Audacity’s fighters had not held back in supporting the final assault into the ship building facility in the north of the city.

After brief introductions Elinth led the way. A collection of his staff officers tagged along and they made a bit of a procession as Elinth pointed out things of note, like the guard house at the main entrance. Elinth needed to point out the fact because all it looked like now was a crater in the ground. The javelin that destroyed it left only part of one wall. Smouldering smoke, pungent from a mix of burning plastics, wafted across their path. Dave’s nose objected and he sneezed. “Excuse me” he managed to get out before another sneeze.

“Not used to the fresh air” quipped Art.

“There’s nothing fresh about this air” countered Dave and he sneezed again. He was grateful when Elinth changed direction and they left the burning rubble behind. Dave was struggling to keep up with Elinth’s big strides. Elinth held his tall sleth body upright like he was on a parade ground and seemed intent to step out like he was on actual parade. Even Art, who was a couple of centimetres taller than Dave was having to skip a little to keep in touch.

“Slow down” said Obri to Elinth “our friends are struggling.”

“Of course, forgive me” said Elinth with a sincere smile as he turned back to Dave. Elinth deliberately shortened his pace.

Dave could see that Elinth was in a very buoyant mood. “This victory means a lot to you?” asked Dave.