The Great Betrayal (22 page)

“Watch out!” cried Wictred, upon spotting the arm moving back for the Sergeant.

The man moved quickly but not quickly enough. The metal arm struck his armor and sent him staggering. Sensing victory, the machine leaned to the left and took aim with the arm-mounted weapon. Wictred saw it and released the drone’s shield to grab at it. It was a fleeting moment, but Jack still couldn’t get the shot.

“Stay back!” called out a female voice.

Then there was a great clanging sound, and a triple hole appeared just below the machine's chest. It staggered back and fell to one knee. Wictred and the Sergeant dropped back, and all hell broke loose. Dozens of carbine and rifles opened up on the unfortunate machine, and in seconds it was nothing but a smoking ruin. A small group of marines arrived, this time marked out with the red helmets of Captain Carter’s personal guard.

“Good work, marines,” he said, surveying the ruined machine and the many Animosh bodies, “Your Lieutenant has been injured trying to take the transport hub, and all my people are busy defending against a push on the left flank.”

He looked to Sergeant Stone.

“I’ll handle the defense from here. Your people are the closest. I need you to get across the street out there.”

He pointed to the breach in the tower.

“In less than three minutes, they will have more troops here, and the hub will be cut off. Take this squad and four Rams to reinforce the platoon at the hub. Once inside, you’ll be on your own. The good news is that it is only vulnerable on the two sides facing us. There’s nothing but solid rock on the other two. After you’re in, I can have my boys put down fire from the upper levels.”

He pointed above his head.

“I have heavy weapons on top. Give me the word when you’re ready, and we’ll clear the street for you. Just remember, you need to stop the flow of underground traffic in there. I’ll keep reinforcements off your back up here.”

Sergeant Stone saluted smartly.

“Sir.”

Carter was gone as quickly as he had arrived, but one of his junior officers stayed behind to assist with the defenses. Sergeant Stone wiped off some of the dust from his chest armor as he scanned the dust filled tower.

“You heard the man. We have a hub that needs securing. We take it, and we stop the Animosh from moving troops and supplies underground to fight the rebels. Get on the line!”

He moved past the collapsed machines, simultaneously checking the schematics for the hub. Directly beneath it were two major links for six road and rail lines. The other marines from his platoon were already filing into the damaged tower. He glanced out through the breach. He wanted to check on the Lieutenant but that was for later, right now he had a job to do. He threw a quick glance at his unit and turned back to the breach.

“Check your weapons, marines.”

Outside were a dozen burning vehicles and countless bodies. Tracer fired arced back and forth from both sides of the street. Off to the left was the large dome shape of the transport hub, and around it were even more burning vehicles. He looked over his shoulder to check the rest of the marines were with him. Wictred and Jack were closest, with the others right behind them. More marines sent over by Carter were already taking their recently vacated positions on the wall.

“Okay, we get across the street and fast. When we’re inside, I want a secure perimeter. The rest of us will join up with those on the lower level. We’re taking this place and giving the rebels the chance they need to finish this. You got that?”

The marines cried out in unison.

“Good. Now, let’s do this!”

Carthago is still considered to be one of the great melting posts of the Centauri Alliance. A place valued on the quality of its military recruits but also hated for its violence, crime, and political infighting; billions of citizens, many of whom were exiles generations ago after the Great War. Poverty and discrimination were problems that started well before that violent war, however, and it would take the great scouring that came with the exposure to the Orion Nebula that would force the people of Carthago to unite in ways never seen before.

The Old World meets the Newer World

Lieutenant Colonel Diego Koerner and Colonel Gun watched the final wave of Maulers and Hammerheads streak down from the Alliance warship. The Hammerheads were tiny in comparison to the large landing craft, yet both left almost identical trails as they descended through the rich atmosphere of Helios. The craft were the cutting edge in new equipment for the Marine Corps, and although the orbital assault was similar to the actions of the Uprising, the craft themselves represented a paradigm shift for the Corps. Between these two craft, entire companies of marines with the full support of wheeled Bulldogs, armored Vanguards, and Jötnar could be landed directly into a combat zone. Both marine officers were now wearing their combat armor, with Gun in the JAS heavy armor unit and Colonel Koerner in the standard issue PDS armor. Only Colonel Brünner of the 4
^th
Battalion continued to wear his dress uniform; his scowl remained as he watched the other two.

“Is that all of them?” Gun asked.

Colonel Koerner almost grimaced as he answered.

“Yes, even the support troops are on their way now. We are fully committed to the ground operation.”

He’d counted out each and every wave of craft leaving for the frontline, mentally checking them off as they broke from formation. The last batch was taking down supplies and equipment for those already fighting on the ground, but even they flew with a large escort of fighters. Admiral Lewis was clearly taking no chances, and both of them were grateful for that.

“That’s not entirely true,” said Colonel Brünner, “My entire battalion is still shipboard. I have as much combat power with my heavy units. I still feel they should be deployed with the rest of the regiment.”

Gun glanced at him but said nothing. He was starting to get a little bored with this particular officer, and the fact he had access to so many of his countrymen was proving hard to bear.

“You don’t have much time,” General Lewis said, “You need to join them.”

Both marines turned back to the tactical display where the General waited. They were all still in the tactical room, along with General Daniels while dozens of video feeds continued to bring in the latest information from the ground. A small number of junior officers moved about, managing the myriad of details required to coordinate such a major action on the ground. The situation had changed substantially as more troops had been landed and sent into battle.

“Colonel Koerner, your forces are in position?”

“Affirmative,” he replied, finally dragging his eyes away from the massive display that recreated the effect of a glass window looking out into space. They were much further away from Helios than when they’d started the combat drop, and he was feeling increasingly isolated from his marines.

“Colonel Gun has secured strong forward positions and in record time.”

Gun nodded politely at this compliment.

“Our first wave of Maulers landed ahead of schedule and dropped in support of the Infantry Carrier Bulldogs. They are already on the frontline and preparing for the operation. We’ve experienced minimal disruptions on the landing and have prepared the three marine columns with full support, exactly as planned. They will be ready to leave in less than thirty minutes.”

“Good...good,” said General Daniels.

He was curious to see how the newly formed Bulldog units would perform. The initial models had been simple eight-wheeled armored transports, but due to its early successes, the model had been expanded into a full family that included the standard Bulldog Infantry Carrier as well as the Command Vehicle and Mobile Gun System, each providing specialized services to the Marine Corps. Though they had all been used to varying degrees, this was the first time such a large number had been in action. He turned his attention to Gun.

“Admiral Lewis is moving the fleet out to block these ships. I will need you on the ground earlier than planned. The Admiral has altered course. Give it another twenty minutes, and we’ll be too far out for landing craft. He can’t give me any more time than that, unless we’re happy to keep a single ship in orbit over Helios. A bad idea, in my opinion.”

He then turned his attention to Colonel Koerner who looked as if he was overheating while listening to his words. Both officers were keen to get off the ship, and even as he finished speaking to Gun, it was clear the two wanted to move.

“Same for you, too, Colonel. I need you with your marines.”

“We have a Mauler ready to go with escort,” he answered, “My guards unit is on standby.”

“Very well. As explained in the briefing, you will share command of this operation, with Gun taking overall control of the general campaign on Helios. Colonel Koerner, your mission is to demonstrate along a wide corridor all the way to the Animosh precinct, just as planned.”

Colonel Koerner nodded quickly, as though he was impatient to hear the rest.

“Now, make it clear and obvious that you intend on striking right into the heart of their territory. If we do this right, it will strip their forces away from the rebels along the wide front.”

He rubbed his jaw for a moment and then pointed at the diagram on the display.

“You both know the plan as well as I do, but there is one thing above all to remember. This has to be a win for the rebels, not for us. A poor victory for them is better than a perfect victory for us. When this is over, we need the civilians to see us as their friends, not occupiers.”

Gun lowered his head slightly in acknowledgement. The only person radiating any great emotion was Colonel Brünner. He looked at his two equals before moving his glare to General Daniels.

“And quite what am I supposed to do with my reserve forces if the fleet is moving out of orbit? In a few more minutes, we’ll be trapped on the ships. In my opinion, splitting our forces isn’t a sensible plan.”

General Daniels pointed to the screen where the formation of ships had closed the distance to Helios by almost fifty percent from when they had first been spotted.

“Colonel, they are only two hours away from the orbit of Helios. We will provide the Admiral with boarding contingents if and when he needs them. I want you to ensure every ship has at least one experienced combat platoon in reserve to assist the marines already on board. The remaining forces will stay on standby for boarding operations.”

He was sure he spotted a grin from Gun, but when he turned his attention on the old warrior, he could see nothing but his calm and dispassionate face.

Gun, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes!

He looked back to the disgruntled Colonel Brünner who spluttered out his complaint before he could explain any further.

“My forces are the best equipped in the fleet. I have over two thousand Jötnar and Vanguards.”

“Exactly, just what I need if this gets rough. There’s nothing better in shipboard combat than a platoon of Jötnar at your back.”

He moved his eyes to Gun.

“Isn’t that so?”

Gun’s lip lifted up into a snarl, but Daniels knew it was a smile, even if Colonel Brünner had no idea.

“In front, side, or behind, my Jötnar will always get the job done.”

Colonel Brünner shook his head in disgust and spat on the floor. Gun could take much but not this. He reached over and stopped with his hand directly in front of his neck.

“Watch your mouth, Colonel. My brethren don’t take kindly to insults.”

He walked closer, his massive frame dwarfing the Colonel. Admiral Lewis tensed slightly as Gun approached the man. The possibility of some kind of violent confrontation was the last thing he needed. It would also require him to come down on them hard. It would be better all round if they could resolve it without him having to get involved either privately or officially. Gun pressed his face up close to Colonel Brünner so that there were just centimeters between them.

“And neither do I,” he said with a tone he hadn’t heard in a very long time.

Colonel Brünner stared at the monstrous form of Gun and looked for a second as though he might say something. Instead, he looked away and toward Admiral Lewis.

“We have work to do.” He then stepped away from Gun; the situation seemingly defused.

* * *