I turned back, "Killings! What's the damage?" He replied, "It went straight through the flesh Sir, just get me one of those pain shots and I'll be alright. Hurts like heck Sir, but the wound doesn't bleed."
At the next cross hall I decided to take charge. Instead of peeking around the corner I ran hard and dove, sliding on my belly to the other side. Two laser bolts went just over my head. I held up my hand to the others, "Got two about 6 meters down that hall on your side. Was hard to see but I think they were behind a crate or a box of some kind."
"If you roll one down there make sure it’s on my side of the hall." Private David Patterson was the youngest member of the squad at 46 years old. The others had constantly teased him about being the squirt or the kid. He was a dozen years my senior but rock solid in his physique. He stepped up, "I got this one Boss!" The grenade rolled out perfectly.
Booom!
Shrapnel from the grenade dug a hundred small holes in the surrounding walls. The aliens fell silent. He stepped around the corner and dropped to his knees with his AK raised, "Hall is clear!" Patterson stood and then spit a wad of Omega root towards the dead aliens, "Chew on that you horse pukes!" In the tense and stressful situation of combat, Patterson had offered up a bit of comic relief. He smiled as he continued to chew on the black root.
At the end of the hallway was a bulkhead door. Patterson stepped forward to check the handle, it was unlocked. The bottom of the bulkhead door stood 30 centimeters up from the floor. Patterson lay down on his side and signaled for us to move out of any possible line of fire. He then reached up with the butt of his AK and flipped the door handle to open. As it swung free he laid flat on his back on the floor.
The laser bolts came in multitudes, singeing the hallway walls above him and the floor down the hall in front of us. Patterson then yelled out as he flipped two grenades into the room, "Whooop! Come and get 'em boys!"
Booom! Booom!
Screams of pain could be heard from within. Patterson rolled over with the barrel of his AK pointed into the room.
Ak-ak-ak! Ak-ak-ak! Ak-ak-ak!
After several seconds of silence Patterson yelled back to us, "Room is clear!" Patterson stood as we ran up from behind. "Check that out! Shrapnel cut two of them pony boys clean in two!" He turned back towards me, "I do love these weapons Boss! Makes work fun!"
I replied, "Nice work Patterson. How about you take up the rear for a bit until that adrenaline drops a notch or two." Patterson replied, "Awe, just trying to rally the troops Sir. Sometimes that stuff helps to break you out of a thought pattern that is consuming your good judgment. All part of the Colonel's training Sir!"
We moved through two more rooms while taking heavy fire. The Colonel's men were near unstoppable. After a fierce firefight we entered another hall. A biped alien then bolted into the hallway running away from us. I raised my AK and fired a single shot, striking it in the leg. The alien fell to the floor screaming.
Private Druker then passed me by in a sprint, grabbing the unarmed alien by his uniform collar. With a single heavy grunt he jerked on the alien and began pulling him back down the hall and into the room we had just come from. I stepped over and held up my hand as Druker raised his AK.
I spoke, "I got this one Druker. He's unarmed." The alien was in pain and gripping his leg, blood seeped through his fingers onto the floor. I squatted down and looked him in the eyes, "You have a translator?" The alien was quiet for a moment before he spoke, "Yes." I turned to our medic, "Wellman, get over here. See if you can patch this one up!"
The alien spoke, "Why are you attacking us?" I was a little taken aback by the comment as I replied, "Who are you and what is this station?" The alien responded, "I am Gotar and this station is the birthing center." I jerked my head back slightly in response, "The birthing center… for your species or the Milgari?"
The alien replied, "For the Milgari of course. Our numbers are too few to require a station of this size. Who are you and why are you attacking us?" I replied, "We will ask the questions. What species are you and what of the four legged creatures out there?"
The alien winced in pain as Wellman bandaged his leg, "I am of the Frok, our workers are of the Bleffy." I replied, "How many of you are there and are there other ships like this?" The alien sighed as the pain meds kicked in, "There are about 400 of my people on this vessel, I don’t know of any others as my entire existence has been here, birthing Milgari pups. There are probably two to three thousand Bleffy that assist us. To my knowledge, this is the only birthing ship there is. All Milgari are created here and then passed on for training elsewhere. We birth nearly 2,000 per day."
I thought for a moment before I continued, "Can you get your people to drop their weapons? They will not be harmed. In fact, we could transport you all out of here if you are willing. Otherwise, this station is going to be destroyed so either go with us or die."
The alien reached out and grabbed my forearm, "You would take us with you? Away from our taskmasters?" I replied, "Yes, we can do that if you halt all aggression. The alien pointed at the wall by the doorway, "Kindly hand me the mic by that radio and depress the blue button."
I grabbed the mic and passed it to the alien, I again looked him in the eyes suspiciously, I did not see any animosity or anger. I pressed the blue button. The alien began to talk, "Fellow citizens, lay down your arms and follow the orders of the invaders, they are not here to fight us, but to assist us. Our time for freedom has come."
I checked for status from the other squads, all reported an end to hostilities; I called out to our spare transport hiding nearby and ordered it in to board the Frok and the Bleffy. They would be given their freedom from the Milgari and the Torrians. The birthing center was coming to an end.
As the alien tenders were evacuated I took the time to see what a birthing center was. I entered a large room with test-tubes lining table after table on a giant conveyer. A clear liquid was first injected followed by a fertilized egg. The tube was corked and moved further down the line.
I moved on to another room where the Milgari embryos were growing and then to another room where they were transferred to a larger tube. I was soon in a chamber where embryos would be removed from much larger tubes and placed in a bin where a feed line was then attached. The process ended when the live screaming Milgari infant, only three months old, was placed into a container for shipping to a training facility. The time from conception to a full-fledged Milgari warrior would take only five years. It was an endless supply of an enemy that could not be reasoned with.
When the last of the Frok and Bleffy were aboard the transport I stepped into the breaching tube and looked back at the hallway of the station. I contemplated what an end to the Milgari would mean for the war. We would likely be fighting for years to come, but the Milgari threat would be coming to an end.
The raid on the system was going better than expected. The Milgari were unprepared for an attack so deep into their territory. We had lucked upon the birthing place of the species that had chased us for a thousand years. I rode in the Swift and along with the other Defenders, the Raiders and the 50 Hawks, we began to carve the birthing station into a million tiny pieces.
The process took two hours of continuous fire before the station’s power core was breached. The resulting explosion was both spectacular and gratifying. This was a permanent solution. The Torrians would not be able to recreate the station that had been the beginnings of millions of Milgari over the past thousand years. The Milgari assaults would… be… finished.
We then moved our small attack fleet to a rally point where we were joined up with another such group. It was then off to the next target. I had orders to take out three Milgari battleships before attacking a space based factory.
When we arrived at the system the 122 Milgari warships that were parked in the system were once again poorly prepared. They fought with all the ferocity of every Milgari, but they were outgunned, outflanked and out of luck.
After carving up one of the orbiting structures with our cannon Frig did a deep scan of the debris, "Sir, I believe that particular structure was a training facility for the young Milgari. The scan shows thousands of Milgari bodies, but they are all about half the normal size. I believe we just destroyed six ship factories and two training facilities, it has been a good day Sir, a fine day."
It was rare to see a Gambit smile, but Frig was displaying his best. Our deep raids into the Torrian territory were yielding results that we had not anticipated. I began to wonder if things could get any better.
At the next rally point the word came in from the other attack fleets. Our casualties had been low and our results better than expected. We grouped together for raids on the final two systems. We would be attacking a system with two planets. Our fleet would consist of 1400 Hawks, 108 Raiders, our eight Defenders and three ground assault transports that each held 20,000 Marines.
The Milgari ships numbered 600 with 230 being battleships and cruisers. We had a superior force. When the assault began I decelerated with a battleship directly in our sites, Frig fired a negative bolt, taking out the battleship’s port cannon. I flipped up and came down along the starboard side of the ship, approaching in tight from aft. A second precision shot by Frig made the battleship a floating waste of resources.
I pulled back on the stick, circling up and over the battleship and coming back around behind it. Another well placed shot by Frig brought the Milgari warship to a halt. I then turned and set out for the next on my list.
After 38 minutes of intense fighting the last of the Milgari ships in the sector met its fate. We moved on to the business of destroying everything that remained in orbit around the two planets. The transports with their ground assault Marines were making steady progress at eliminating the Milgari garrisons on the ground. I dove down through the atmosphere and offered cover fire from above, further solidifying our eventual victory over our enemies.
Twelve hours after our raids had begun our mission was complete. We returned to the rally point for our eventual journey home. When the second half of our invading force did not return on time I sent a scout to the system they had been assigned to attack. The scout returned the following morning with the bad news.
From the scans they were able to do and from the lone ship that was damaged and still broadcasting, it appeared that our ships and their crews had been lost. The scout had registered more than 2,000 Milgari warships along with 300 Durian ships. Our crews had been caught by a superior force and annihilated. My heart sank at the thoughts of those who had been lost.
The Colonel and the Slaughter had been with our group and were safe, the Admiral’s ship was missing and presumed destroyed. We had lost 160,000 Marines and thousands of our ships crews. The raiding fleet had taken 240 Raiders, 2,000 Hawks and seven ground assault transports. None had returned.
With the threat of Durian ships in the sector it was decided to turn towards home. The excitement of our great victory had been taken away by the Admiral’s utter defeat. The ride home to the Suppressor was long and quiet.
Upon our return I stood in my office looking down at the beautiful blue planet below. High billowy clouds floated like so many soft pillows. It was normally a site of comfort, a site that drove me forward. But our losses in the Delvin sector had been far greater than any time before. I wondered if it would not be better to just convince those on the Grid to fire up the gravity drive and just move away. If anything, that would buy us ten more years of peace.
The Colonel entered my office, "Grange. That was one bad turn for us out there, but such is war. The scuttlebutt is that you are sulking. I can tell you personally that is not a good thing. As a leader, you have to take the bad with the good and to keep moving forward. Every day we sit and lick our wounds puts us a day farther away from victory. So, you need to get your ass out there and rally our troops behind you. March onward Grange, or you let the enemy win."
As I turned to respond an aide came in with news, "Sir, it’s the Admiral! He has 230 ships with him and should be landing shortly. He survived Sir! I thought you might want to be there to greet him!"
I turned to the Colonel. Somehow everything suddenly seemed different, "Thanks Tom. I was in need of a talk like that. This leadership thing is tough. You can’t let down for a minute without it affecting others. I can now see why it is so easy for so many to fail at it. The pressure is constant and the need to always do better, to always be better, is like a thousand pound weight on your shoulders. I’m just glad I have men like you there to help me stay on the path." I reached out and shook his hand with a firm handshake.
The Admiral’s return was great news. I was standing on the deck when his transport landed. The Admiral stepped out with a solemn look on his face. He spoke as we walked, "We got our asses handed to us back there. We were heavily committed to battle when those Durian ships uncloaked. It was a massacre Don. Our boys didn’t stand a chance."
"If the Durians have a fleet of those ships we will be hard pressed to overcome them. Our scanners counted 19 kills of Durian ships for our boys, but we were losing hundreds. It was like being thrown into a pit of Verracid lizzards. Like a feeding frenzy with you being the meal."
"I had to make the call and abandon our ground troops down on the planet. I’m sure they exacted their toll in Milgari flesh before they died. But that is one heavy burden to carry with you Don... one heavy burden." The Admiral shook his head as he walked. I could tell his heart was heavy.
"Sir... it’s war Sir. All we can do is do our best. Men will die. Men that we know will give their lives for what we sometimes think is our cause. Well, it's their cause too Sir. And they chose to risk their lives for their cause. It's a hard thing to deal with Sir, and believe me when I say that I was struggling with this very issue only a half hour ago. But the Colonel said something to me that clicked. If you don't keep marching forward, no matter what is before you, any victory is just that much farther away.
The Admiral stopped and looked at me, "Hmm, that hits home Don. I told almost that exact thing to Tom Harper about ten years ago when he returned from a fight where nearly half of his unit had been killed. Ever forward. That was advice given to me by your father." The Admiral placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed as we walked, "Try to keep me on the path Grange, and I'll try to do the same for you."
After the Admiral had a chance to catch his breath I called a council meeting, "We have been given the location of the Durian home-world. Do we risk an incursion into their space or do we continue our war with the Milgari?" It was a direct question to start the meeting, but I wanted feedback on whatever direction we would take next. It was obvious the Durians were fully allied with the Torrians and the Milgari.
The Admiral spoke, "I don't think we can handle the losses from going up against the Durians. And I still don't think they are fully allied with the Torrians. I believe the game they are playing is to pit each of us against each other while they get rich and we all get weak. I can only guess that the Torrians called in a marker for their assistance against us. Whatever the reason it cost us dearly."
The Colonel then stood and spoke, "Well, what we do know is there will be no new Milgari hordes coming after us. My take is we keep picking around the edges of their supply lines to keep them busy while we try to enlist the Prassi and the Dakar, and we build more ships. I think the Hawk strategy was extremely effective against them if you take the Durians out of the equation."
After a lengthy discussion it was decided that the Colonel's idea held the most promise. We were not prepared to take on the Durians in any meaningful way, but we could change the playing field and potentially force them to drop their support of the Torrians. It was reasoned that if they saw their stooges were losing they might give up their support of them. Either way, our choices were limited.
The Admiral took on the task of visiting the Prassi to enlist their support. I would be riding out with the Swift and the Helix with Milly and the Frost accompanying the Humphrey as a companion ship. We would again attempt to bring the Dakar back to the table. I had hopes that with the Milgari numbers now being limited they would see the light and join us.
The Colonel would be making a trip back to the Grid in an attempt to recruit new soldiers. The annual release of Marines from their military contracts had just happened. Just over 100,000 newly released Marines would be available for recruitment. The guise for their recruitment would be for security purposes for Martool mining. Most would want to stay for patriotic reasons after the true nature of the job was revealed. Any others who objected could always be convinced with pay.
We lifted off on a Tuesday morning as I sat in the mess hall on the Helix with Jarrod and Frig. Jarrod spoke, "Do you really think the Dakar are going to change their minds? From their view, if they just sit back, they might be able to pass this war by. Especially if we fight the Milgari down to the bone, that only makes their position stronger."
I sipped my steaming coffee and replied, "We just have to convince them that it is in their best interest. The latest reports say the Milgari recently confiscated another of their worlds and has raised their tax amount by three percent above the agreed upon amount. That in and of itself should be enough, but the Dakar are schemers and they will only be interested in solutions that favor their goals."
"I believe we have to lure them in with the promise of power and wealth. I plan to convince them that we are going to lure the Milgari fleet away with the promise of a grand battle and when that battle does not materialize we will strike Torrus itself. With the Prassi and the Dakar we might actually have a chance at breaking through their wall of defenses."
"I don't have any intention of carrying out that attack at this time; I just want to get the Dakar involved. If the Torrians think they are a threat they will keep their fleets spread out to protect their holdings. Spread out means we can hit pockets of the fleet where we actually have a chance of winning handily. As I said before, you don't eat the elephant all at once, you carve out a piece at a time until there is nothing left."
Jarrod leaned back and smiled, "I do like it when there is a plan. Are we meeting up with that same guy you dealt with before?" Frig answered, "Yes, Feta Lunge and the Paswari. If the Dakar are as predictable as we believe he can be found in his usual grid location, sitting in the bridge of his ship alone. I don't understand one's ability to be completely isolated for a year or years at a time and think of it as normal, but the Dakar pilots have no issue with doing so."
I took another sip, "Well, he does have his little robot friend. And I am able to tolerate the long travel times with only you as a companion. I don't see that as much different." Frig returned a gaze with his eyes slightly squinted." He then replied, "Sir, if you are attempting to imply that I have the personality of a robot then I should be flattered. Especially when that remark has come from a Human with such a sloped forehead."
Jarrod shook his head, "You two have definitely been in space too long. You both need to work on your material and its delivery. I think I will go do a status check on my ship and crew. I'm sure it will be more entertaining... gentlemen." Jarrod stood and left the room.
Frig and I returned to our prior discussion about the Dakar. I had two weeks to refine my speech if I was to convince the Dakar to join the fight. Frig would be all too happy to correct me where he thought there would be an issue. I was happy to be corrected.
The Admiral had arrived in the Prassi system and began his own sales speech. If we were able to convince the Prassi to engage the Milgari in minor skirmishes it would give us a fair shot at succeeding with our strategy. We would spread the enormous Milgari fleet out so that pockets could be attacked.
After a week of negotiations the Admiral returned with an agreement. The Prassi would help if the Dakar could be convinced. It was now up to me to deliver my speech to Feta Lunge.
We located the Paswari in the grid, just as we had predicted. I hailed Feta, "Mr. Lunge, this is Don Grange on the Defiant ship Helix, I would like to discuss a proposal with you." Feta Lunge replied, "Welcome Mr. Grange. I look forward to our discussions. Since the armistice, my work out here has been anything but eventful. I welcome the peace, but it comes with a price."
I boarded the Swift and made the transfer to the Paswari. When I stepped out on the docking bay deck Feta Lunge was waiting, "Welcome my friend. It is good to see you are well. Please follow me to the bridge where we can begin our discussions. I had Passi fetch your chair so you should be quite comfortable."