Soul at War (11 page)

"I
stopped off for a coke and a sandwich." As we emptied the vessel,
the sky lit up in cobalt flashes. As I looked up a craft the shape
of a paper aeroplane and the colour of night itself scorched the
sky, it's flanks ablaze from a well placed rocket. Two others
followed but they appeared undamaged.

"Hurry
up," I urged the team. "We need to get inside, this thing's a
sitting target."

We
worked fast and with only the last two crates inside, Tekoa and me
ran back to the control room to seal the hatch once they'd brought
them in. But as the sky began to burn again, a single laser bolt
sliced the ship in half, setting the cockpit on fire. A gulf of
flame swept across the pad incinerating two of the team, another
was flung to the floor, his clothes alight.

The rest
of us ran forward as more beams of crimson light cut into the pad.
The gantry was severed at the magnetic buffer and sparks of molten
metal rained down on us as we fought the flames on the trooper's
back. We lifted him up onto our shoulders and made for the control
room, but the platform collapsed and we went down face first. The
world became a place of searing heat. I felt myself sliding
backwards, I realised I'd lost grip of the trooper and was free
falling. Then I suddenly jerked to a halt as someone grabbed my
chest rig.

"Grab
the rail!" shouted Tekoa. "I can't hold on." I looked down and saw
the ground below. It looked like a gateway to hell, a circle of
fire where the ship had fallen from the pad and slammed into the
field beneath it.

I
reached out and grabbed the ruptured pipe, pulling myself up. Tekoa
got to the top and held out a hand which I took, then he pulled me
the rest of the way and we dived into the control room just as the
gantry broke away and fell into the fire. Looking around I saw only
two others, the rest lost to the explosion.

"At
least they didn't die in vain," someone said, but I couldn't really
hear much more over the sound of rockets being launched into the
sky. My eyes stung from the heat, they felt dry like I had sand in
them. My hands were black, my hair scorched.

"Come
on, grab that crate," Tekoa said and pulled me to my feet. "They'll
need that."

We took
the lift to the top of the wall and emerged in the middle of a
chaotic firefight. Machine gun fire stuttered across the stone as
fighter craft swooped past and one of the security staff was
instantly maimed by the ferocity of it. On the top of one of the
University buildings the gigantic shape of Wulfgar stood as he
launched rocket after rocket into the skies, seemingly tiny
troopers reloading the launcher behind him. In the belfry of the
church streaks of brilliant white heat shot out from one of the
windows, definitely Brand with her trademark rifle.

"Open it
up!" Tekoa shouted as the two troopers lifted the lid on the huge
case. I got down and began helping him to assemble the long tube,
fitting the digital targeter into place. Seconds later we were
moving again, up onto the rampart and dropping the tripod. Tekoa
eased the first heat-seeking projectile into the mouth of the great
weapon and flipped open the trigger guard.

"Get the
hell out of the way," he yelled and the two troopers disappeared. I
opened my mouth and covered my ears as Tekoa expertly aimed the
stolen technology, waited for the precise moment and
released.

The
rocket went wide and the craft banked left, twisting away from us.
But the rocket was quick and began to turn leaving a white haze in
its wake. The craft jinked, turned and shot right across the church
only to hit the missile head on. The craft detonated in a brilliant
burst of radiant heat and came down in a mass of white hot metal
onto one of the evacuated farmlands.

The
final craft began to break off, realising that it was fighting a
losing battle. Wulfgar and Brand chased it with salvos, but it was
going too fast.

"If it
leaves, we're finished," I said, sliding another rocket into the
tube. Tekoa spun it round on its stand and took aim. "Make it a
good one," I said. The craft was almost over the horizon when the
rocket finally fled the launcher and it chased it with furious
resolve. We watched as both disappeared behind the tree line and
our breathing stopped for what seemed like an eternity.

"Jesus
Christ and all the disciples, did we get it?" He asked. Then he got
his answer. The sky lit up with a flame that engulfed our view, an
explosion of sound not far behind. A cheer went up from the troops
and weapons were being waved in the air.

"Not bad
for a beginner eh?" Tekoa said and collapsed onto the
floor.

CHAPTER 9

"We must
make this brief, gentlemen. Private Tekoa informs me that the ARC
forces are already mobile and heading towards us." We were in the
domed meeting room once more, Commander Frakes had relinquished his
seat at the head of the table and Lieutenant Burns had taken his
place. Everybody looked anxious and the feeling of despair was
tangible. "What was your estimation of strength of the enemy,
Tekoa?"

"Well
sir, after leaving the city yesterday I found the first signs of
ARC patrols, tracks in the forest of at least six units with eight
men a piece. I followed these tracks under the cover of darkness
for several hours, noting that it was a northerly direction away
from the city. As the tracks ended I came across a
clearing..."

"That
would be Webber's farm, the largest in our community," Frakes
interrupted.

"Well it
was obvious that the land was the main staging post for the enemy.
I made a complete circle of the site; over two square miles and
found in its centre a landing pad where munitions and vehicles had
been dropped. There were several fighter craft, some cargo vessels
and plenty of medium strength tanks."

"Troop
numbers?"

"Well in
excess of a thousand foot sloggers, several tank regiments but I
saw no artillery operators, sir. Looks like they want to take the
city in once piece. ARC use Atmospheric Lances as their main
artillery and they are visually distinctive. I found no evidence of
them amongst their equipment.”

“That's
a small bonus then. But it does seem odd.” said Burns.

“Perhaps
they weren't expecting a dug in presence here. ARC forces will be
stretched across this system as it is.” I added.

"Then
we're doomed anyway," sighed Frakes dropping his head into his
hands. "They intend to wipe us out."

"I'm
afraid that the Commander is correct in that assumption. Before I
was able to steal the weapons and make my escape, it was clear that
they were gathering into formation, ready to advance upon the
city," Tekoa spoke.

"Why so
many for such a small city?" Asked Phillips. "What's so
important?"

"If I
may sir, I believe that our earlier landing and our escape from ARC
troopers in the forest has given the impression that the city has
been supplied with reinforcements. They have responded accordingly
as best they could. They had arrived here on Sidon expecting an
easy conquest of colonists, not us."

Frakes
shot up from the table and charged out of the room, ranting wildly
about God abandoning them. Everybody seemed to be avoiding each
other’s eyes.

"In your
opinion, Tekoa. Do we stand a chance?" Asked Burns after a painful
silence.

"In
truth? No. We may hold out a day, two at the most if we fall back
to the church, but in the end I cannot see us surviving. We're
horrendously out numbered."

"Then we
make them work for it. By God we'll make them struggle and die for
every last inch of the city. We'll give them a fight they'll never
forget in a hurry," said Phillips, confidently.

“Well
Sargent we finally agree on something.” said Burns getting up from
his seat and taking out his wallet. “200 credits per tank
destroyed. 300 credits for every craft shot down. 50 credits for
each ARC soldier sent on his way to where ever he believes he is
going. You will be deducted 50 credits for every half kilometre
lost to the enemy. Sound like a deal?”

The
remaining members of Burns' squad laughed and in unison took the
bet.

“Okay
then. Get to your...”

Suddenly
the door burst open and a member of Frake's security staff charged
in, a box in his outstretched arms.

"Sir,
I've found a digi com amongst the ammunition Private Tekoa
retrieved. It's designed for short range orbital
communication!"

Tekoa
ran over to it and began looking at the controls. “Lieutenant – it
can encode the message. We've got a good chance of getting a decent
message to our ships with this.”

A grin
formed on Burns' face. "You have your orders. We make our stand. I
want the weapons distributed along the north wall, I want a path
cleared for fall back manoeuvres and I want every body that can't
fight for themselves in the church. Tekoa, get this radio up to the
spire, I want an emergency signal broadcast on all frequencies at
all times."

*

By mid
afternoon of the second day, the entire wall was as ready as it was
ever going to be. I was standing at the foremost section behind a
line of volunteers and security staff. The sun was over us now, an
advantage for any army but ARC forces had yet to show.

"Sir,
the tree line." I looked up and saw movement like a red tide
sweeping across the fields. It engulfed the horizon before us and I
heard the troops gasp in shock.

CHAPTER 10

The
enemy wasted no time in crossing the empty land between the forest
and Dothon. Lines of heavy tanks daubed in the black and red
colours of the ARC forces churned up the ground with their tracks,
providing cover for a line of troops following on foot. In the
trees I could see blossoms of fire reaching up to the sky. Long
range tank fire.

"DOWN!"
I shouted and flung myself forward. Seconds later the shells fell
into the farm land behind us, overshot. The volunteers were
screaming at each other as another barrage fell down around our
ears, demolishing the red brick houses like cards. "Stand fast!" I
bellowed. Over the wall, the line was rapidly crossing the field.
Soon the huge cannons mounted on the hulls of the demonic looking
war machines would be in range and already they were decreasing
their elevation as they approached.

I turned
to my right and Wulfgar, his naked torso covered in garish tattoos,
raised the rocket launcher Tekoa and me had struggled with onto his
shoulder. Three others across the ramparts down the length of the
north wall had done the same with similar weapons and were waiting
for the word to fire.

The
terrified men looked up just as Wulfgar filled his lungs and let
out a savage animalistic roar. In solid unison every launcher fired
and lances of heat and smoke struck the enemy lines, ARC troopers
crashing to the floor as they detonated. Some were blown apart or
vaporised, others were hit by the shrapnel as the tanks were split
open by well-aimed strikes. "Now get up and fight!"

The
north wall opened up with everything it had. Devastating hails of
machine gun fire poured down from the firing posts, killing the
bulk of the foot sloggers in a single wave. More rockets were let
loose from the ramparts, more tanks were splayed open like tin
cans. Those that weren't hit began to break away, turrets
swivelling round to fire on the move with a grinding of metal and
cogs.

"NORTH
WALL GET DOWN. INCOMING!" I yelled and the line collapsed behind
the stone. The wall shook beneath us as shells slammed into it, too
low to do any serious damage. Wulfgar roared again, throwing the
spent launcher to the ground and taking up another. Aiming low over
the wall he targeted the roving tanks and decimated one outright,
blowing the tracks off another. The crew began to climb out of its
hatches as an internal fire ravaged the machine, but they were
shredded by the line of troopers to my left who opened up as soon
as they saw them.

“It
looks like the Lieutenant owes you a few credits, Wulfgar.” I
said.

The tank
shells still thudded round after round into the farmland, but from
the pockmarked earth I could see their aim adjusting, drawing
nearer to the wall. I pressed the digi-com control on my
rig.

"Shap,
Burns. Shap, Burns."

"Burns
receiving." Burns was on the south wall directing the anti-air
defenses.

"Sir, we
have long range tanks closing in. Location forest north, two clicks
at best."

"Received. Mortar crew inbound. ETA three
minutes."

I
imagined Brand in her vantage point itching to take out a few of
the survivors who were running back towards the forest. Most lay
dead or dying on the field and the whole northern front was awash
with smoke from burning wreckage.

"Ease
down boys. Let's enjoy the respite while it lasts," I said and
began to walk the wall. As I reached the first rampart, Wulfgar
stood lugging crates of fresh rockets into position. The two
loaders were sweating franticly, trying to keep up with the giant.
"He's keeping you busy then?" I said to them. They just nodded and
heaved the next box up to him.