The Landfall Campaign (The Nameless War) (23 page)

“
Give the order to fix bayonets. The line is already too close to the silos. We have to push people back away from them,
”
he ordered a harassed looking colonel.

“
Yes sir. The second battalion is starting to move but it going to be another half-hour before they reach us.
”

“
Tell them to expedite their movements,
”
Chevalier replied.
“
Damn it! The line is starting to push in over there again! Send more men!
”

The tent city was now two kilometres as the crow flies from the shelter entrance. Not far, but smack between the two were the four great silos of missile defence. From these would emerge the missiles that would target orbiting starships. The power needed to lift these weapons aloft was immense, as was the backwash. Despite the blast shields and raised earthen banks, any unprotected human within five hundred metres of a launching missile would be killed.

“
Sir, call from Four C,
”
a lieutenant called out.
“
On radio band D, sir.
”

“
Understood. Admiral, are you receiving me?
”

“
Yes, Sebastian, Hampton Roads is gone. What is the status of the evacuation?
”

“
We
’
re getting about twenty thousand an hour back underground.
”

“
Sebastian, there are nearly five hundred thousand up there. That isn
’
t fast enough. In three hours the Nameless arrive. At that rate we
’
re going to have nearly four hundred thousand people up there!
”

“
Alfred, I can
’
t give you a better offer. We are already running risks up here. If there is a panic, there will be a stampede. If there
’
s a stampede we will lose hundreds of people.
”

There was pause on the line.

“
Is that likely?
”
Eulenburg asked eventually.

“
Getting more likely by the second, sir. We have to dog-leg the line round the missile silos. I have hundreds of thousands of people trying to straighten the line and less than two thousand marines trying to keep them far enough away from the silos.
”

“
Is there anything I can do?
”

“
Tell me we aren
’
t going to need the missiles.
”

“
I can
’
t do that Sebastian.
”

“
I know.
”

There was a silence between them, broken only by the hiss of the radio carrier wave.

“
Sir, is there anything else?
”
Chevalier asked after a few moments.

“
No, no. This is Four C over and out.
”
The connection went dead.

Chevalier
’
s brow furrowed with worry. He didn
’
t like the almost naked fear he heard in his friend
’
s voice and found himself wondering whether he had made a desperate mistake in leaving Four C. They
’
d been friends for a long time, but standing there on the low hill looking out across this sprawling mass of humanity, for the first time he found himself doubting his friend. If the time came, could Eulenburg be counted on to make the hard decision?

“
Get me a scout car,
”
he snapped.
“
I
’
m going down there myself.
”

___________________________

The truck crackled and popped as flames lapped over it and the cherished personal belongings it contained. Blue smoke billowed out from the centre of the flames, marking the spot where Lieutenant Avedon had thrown the white phosphorus grenade. The owner, a young man in his mid-thirties, cursed and swore at the lieutenant as he struggled with the two marines holding him. His wife wailed as their belongings went up in smoke, while her child, a cute looking little girl, clung to her leg.

The family had turned up ten minutes before in their vehicle laden with personal effects, which the man expected to load onto the plane. Avedon had taken one look and told him not a chance. The man argued the point and after a few minutes the Lieutenant
’
s patience visibly snapped and the grenade was expertly thrown.

“
Get them onto the plane!
”
Avedon roared.
“
Beat him unconscious if you have to!
”
he added pointing at the man.

“
Lieutenant,
”
came another voice. It was from the plane
’
s pilot leaning out of the aircraft
’
s rear hatch.
“
Four minutes!
”

There was a cough and splutter from one of the engines as the starter motor turned it over. Then the prop started to spin. One after another the four engines spun up to idling speed. Avedon strode back and forth, glancing towards the road into the airfield.

Seventy-two people had returned to New Lexington. Only thirty of those seventy were now in the plane. The atmosphere was panicky. Those who had arrived weren
’
t all complete families. At least one husband was missing and the marines were on edge. Half of them were in the plane keeping order and looked more like prison guards than rescuers.

Alice was close enough to the Lieutenant to hear him mutter to himself.

“
That
’
s it. We
’
re out of here. Sergeant! Pack up. We
’
re going!
”

Along with the rest of the marines, Alice piled onto the plane. She threw herself into a spare seat, sandwiched between two colonists. Even as the ramp came up, the plane started rolling.

“
What are you doing?
”
The speaker was Wyman, on his feet trying to push his way through to the Lieutenant. A pair of marines roughly shoved him back down.
“
There
’
s only half of us here!
”
he pleaded.
“
We can
’
t go!
”

“
Our time
’
s up, we
’
re taking off.
”
Avedon snapped back as he pushed and shoved his way down the fuselage.

“
You coward! You
’
re all cowards!
”
Wyman screamed.
“
You want to run and hide!
”

Avedon stopped dead in his tracks. He turned on his heels towards Wyman, his expression murderous. With two steps he closed on the civilian, his hand clamped around Wyman
’
s throat and half lifted, half dragged him out of his seat.

“
You were safe at Douglas!
”
the Lieutenant screamed back at him.
“
You chose to leave! Just coming here has already risked my men. We have no escort, we are sitting fucking ducks out here!
”
As he was speaking the Lieutenant dragged Wyman towards a side access hatch and pushed it open.

“
Your choice: sit down and shut up, or get out! Well?
”

A trembling Wyman backed away from the hatch, Avedon slammed it closed and headed for the cockpit.

The plane reached the end of the taxiway and turned onto the runway. The tone of the engines dropped for a moment as they lined up. Then with a roar they accelerated down the runway.

Alice glanced out through the small port that was slightly below her shoulder and caught a glimpse of a truck racing through the airfield gateway. She opened her mouth, and then closed it without speaking. Alice was no pilot but she could tell they were already committed. With a final couple of bumps the Cleveland was up and away. 

___________________________

“
Both groups will achieve high orbit in fifteen minutes, sir.
”

Eulenburg nodded without speaking. He, Captain Gillum and Helen Reynolds all stood in Four C
’
s command booth watching the main holographic display.

The two groups of Nameless ships had continued to separate and were now positioned to enter orbital tracks that would put them on opposite sides of the planet.

“
Sir, the control tower at New Lexington is still transmitting,
”
reported another officer.
“
They
’
re asking for evacuation. Begging, sir.
”

Eulenburg and Captain Gillum exchanged grim looks.

“
Keep ordering them to shut down and get clear of the settlement,
”
Eulenburg replied heavily.

“
Yes sir.
”

“
Admiral, do you believe we
’
ll be able to rescue those people later?
”
Reynolds asked quietly.

“
Only if the Nameless withdraw completely,
”
Eulenburg replied flatly,
“
and don
’
t think New Lexington is worth bothering with. Something that is less and less likely if they keep transmitting.
”

Reynolds, blessedly, made no reply.

Four C was almost silent. Eulenburg could never remember it being so quiet.

“
Contact separation! They
’
re firing.
”

“
Target?
”
Eulenburg snapped.

There was a pause.

“
They
’
re targeting satellites, sir. No particular group, just anything that gets close. We
’
ve lost one of the orbital passive arrays.

“
To be expected,
”
Eulenburg murmured to Reynolds.
“
That
’
s going to affect our communications with the other shelters.
”

“
After what the Home Fleet did to them sir, they might well be leery about mines,
”
Gillum added.

“
Possibly Captain.
”

“
Command, the closest group is shifting orbital track
…
sir, they
’
re lining up on New Lexington.
”

“
Shit
,
”
Gillum muttered.

“
Sensors, confirm that please,
”
Eulenburg asked quietly.

“
That
’
s confirmed sir. The enemy taskforce is now on correct orbital track to pass directly over New Lexington, in
…
seven minutes, sir.
”

“
Well, that
’
s that,
”
Gillum said.

“
Yes,
”
Eulenburg replied.

Reynolds stared at them both.

“
You don
’
t know that they
’
re going to
…
do anything, they could be just looking from orbit.
”

Gillum gave a faint but derisive snort.

“
You don
’
t need to go directly over the top of somewhere to get a good look from orbit, or to fire for that matter. It does make the firing solution easier though.
”

“
Is there nothing you can do?
”
Reynolds demanded

“
No. The fighters can
’
t rearm in time. They
’
d be hopelessly vulnerable as they tried to break atmosphere. It was a mistake to support Hampton Roads, we should have held them back,
”
Eulenburg replied without taking his eyes off the display.
“
All we can do is watch and learn what we can.
”