The War for Profit Series Omnibus (87 page)

Northern
Republic Marine Colonel Joseph Lane stood in front of his lightly armored, open-topped, four wheeled command car and watched the last vehicles of his Brigade as they left the western end of the canyon. He got back in his vehicle commander’s seat and told his driver, “I don’t care what you have to do, get me in front of this convoy.”

The driver sped along the left lane, swerved onto the left shoulder when necessary to avoid hitting oncoming traffic. They were catching up to the midpoint of the convoy when
Colonel Lane heard voice traffic from the advance party, a company of light tanks sent to scout ahead. “We have enemy forces staged in Peebles, a village twenty five klicks northeast of Hillsboro.”

Colonel Lane checked his battle map screen. His main force could reach Peebles in less than half an hour. He keyed his comms and spoke, “Captain Walker, this is
Colonel Lane. What are you looking at?”

“It’s a battalion of tanks. Some medium and some light. A little infantry.”

“And what are you going to do, Captain?”

“We’re outnumbered, sir.”

The Colonel smiled and said, “What do Marines do when they’re outnumbered?”

“They attack until they aren’t outnumbered.”

“Roger. I’m coming to help you out, be there in half an hour.”

***

Captain Walker lined his light tank company up in a wedge with his own tank at the point. Then he led the charge into Peebles, right straight down the main street. They surprised the Batistian soldiers. Parked vehicles, enemy crews scrambling to get back inside their tanks. The Marines mowed down soldiers, easy targets for their cupola and coaxial machine guns. The light tank’s main guns, slug throwers that used liquid propellant, caught medium tanks in the flank and destroyed them. Light tanks as well as light skinned vehicles, and buildings along the street, the Marine tankers shot at all of it. They blew through the town and turned around to run through again, down another street a block to the west.

Captain Walker stood high in his cupola and looked left and right. Two of his own tanks down so far, not bad at all. He led the charge for the second thunder run and sprayed machine gun fire at anything that didn’t look like a Marine. The Batistian soldiers fled the town and assembled behind a low hill to the northeast.

General Theil rallied his soldiers behind the hill and assessed the situation and realized it was just a company of light tanks. He led two companies of medium tanks in a counterattack, a slow and deliberate move, engaging the Marines at standoff range. That put an end to their running rampant though the town. Theil’s gunner identified the Marine light tank with the most commo gear on its outside and carefully aimed and put a round square in the base of its turret.

Captain
Walker was ejected, his tank destroyed. After he was on the ground he stood and fired at the Batistian tanks with his side arm, then was knocked down by a burst of machine gun fire. His driver crawled over and dragged him to cover, lifted him onto his shoulders and ran back into the relative safety of a construction yard. The four remaining Marine tanks moved into the yard and set up a defense.

Colonel Lane approached Peebles from the south, eight assault guns right behind his command car. He stood up on his seat and yelled at the nearest gun chief, “Hey, you want to stop here and do some indirect fire?”

The gun chief yelled back, “Hell no! I like to see what I’m killing!”

Colonel Lane waved his right hand forward, the signal for the assault guns to go ahead of him. Infantry carriers were next and
Colonel Lane ordered them to catch up to the guns and dismount and provide infantry support. He then stopped and halted a battalion of medium tanks and climbed up the glacis plate of the first one.

He told the tank commander, “You and your battalion are going past this town on the left side and past the hill beyond and you are going to go behind that hill and start killing. Then get up on top of that hill facing the town. You understand me?”

“Hoorah!”

Colonel Lane jumped off the tank and rolled onto his shoulder and stood and sprinted to his car and jumped back in his seat. He studied the battle map and smiled. “Get us in close, driver. Get me inside the Light Tank Company’s position in that construction yard.”

The driver sped down the main street and veered right to avoid hitting an assault gun and swerved to miss hitting a dismount and slid sideways, coming to a stop right next to a light tank. Colonel Lane dismounted and yelled, “Where’s Captain Walker?”

A Marine ran up to him and said, “Over here,” and jogged away. Colonel Lane followed and was shown the body of the Captain, who had just died moments before. The battle raged on for another twenty minutes. The Bastian force was soundly beaten, a mere four vehicles able to speed away to the northwest. One was a medium tank. General Theil sat low in its cupola, hatch closed, gritting his teeth. The gunner pressed a dressing tight against the three closely-spaced bullet wounds in the left side of his chest.

Colonel Lane stood at the edge of town and yelled at the dust trail left by the retreating vehicles. “When you see a Marine you better run or it’ll be the last thing you ever see!”

His driver brought his command car to his side and
Colonel Lane sat and looked at reports. He then keyed comms and said, “Leaders, Major and above, come see me.” They came running, an assembled group of fourteen field grade officers. Colonel Lane looked around, looked into faces. “Gentlemen, that’s how it’s done. But I lost a close and dear friend today and it really hurt my feelings. Give these civilians thirty minutes to get out of my town. Then we’re burning it to the ground because I’m sure there are a few Bastard soldiers hiding here, waiting for us to leave so they can go crying back to their mommas. We don’t have time to mop up properly; I want to break the siege on Hillsboro today.”

The officers answered in unison, “Hoorah!” and jogged off to their respective commands. The marines got their dead and wounded sorted out and loaded up. A line of refugees left Peebles, headed east with what few possessions they could carry in their hands. The Marine brigade assembled west of the town and the assault guns laid a pattern of incendiary rounds over the town and it burned with yellow and orange flames feeding a thick column of black smoke. The Marines then moved toward
Hillsboro to break the siege.

Sevin entered the command center to relieve Spike. “Anything interesting happen while I was off shift?”

Spike said, “Check this out.”

Sevin looked at the main status screen. The image from a sensor mast showed a column of dark smoke in the distance. “Where’s that?”

“It’s what’s left of a village, about twenty five klicks northeast of here.” Spike searched, found time-stamped video feed from a probe circling high above that area. “I really need to pay closer attention. There was battle there, one that lasted less than an hour. The
Northern Republic relief forces smashed Theil’s battalion when they found it camped out in that town.” Spike replayed the highlights of the battle, as viewed from above.

Sevin said, “I like their style.”

Spike said, “They’re moving to break the siege, looks like they want to come in from the south.”

“Have you called them?”

Spike shook his head ‘no.’ “I don’t want to use comms too soon, might give the Bastards a hint that something’s up.”

Sevin said, “Yep. But the south? I need to ask the Republic Marines why they’re doing that. Coming in from the north would be much better.”

A Sergeant said, “Sir, I’ve isolated their command channel and busted their encryption. You can talk to them now.”

“Thank you.” Sevin keyed comms and said, “
Colonel Lane, this is Sevin. You read me?”

“Hey Sevin, good to hear from you again. Just sit tight and we’ll have you liberated in no time.”

Sevin said, “If you don’t mind me asking, don’t you think another angle of attack might be better?”

“No. It’s always better to attack from the south.”

“Why is that?” Sevin scratched his head.

“Because,” said
Colonel Lane, “when you orient your map to the terrain, it’s still right side up!”

“I gotcha. Be advised, this channel is probably not secure. My guy cracked it in less than a minute.”

Colonel Lane said, “That’s all right, let ‘em listen. While they’re standing around trying to analyze what I said, I’ll be giving them a swift kick in the ass.”

“Makes sense. And thanks again for coming to help me out.”

“It’s my pleasure. Lane out.”

Sevin switched off comms. “Spike, you need some rest?”

Spike shrugged. “Not really. I took a nap a couple hours ago.”

“Good. Take a couple of companies of Hercules tanks and prepare to coordinate with Lane’s attack. Help him break through and see if he wants to link up after that.”

“Gotcha.” Spike nodded and then left the command center.

Spike climbed aboard his tank and put on his combat suit, ordered his crew to do the same. He then called the Hercules tank battalion commander and briefed him on the situation. Spike had the battalion commander release two companies from the battalion to serve directly under his command.

They formed up near the center of town and Spike moved them south, had them maneuver amongst the buildings as close to the perimeter as they could manage without drawing fire from the Bastards outside the city.

***

Galen was slumped over, head down on the table in the S-3 track extension. Tad shook his shoulder and pointed at the main status screen. It showed a live overhead feed of the battle area, the southern half of Hillsboro. “It’s happening.”

Galen rubbed his eyes and looked. “Those Marines are crazy, Sevin is crazy. Those Bastards are in for a really bad day.”

Tad said, “This fight will be over before sunrise.”

“I hope so. I’m escorting the ambassador into the capitol after breakfast.” Galen put his head back down. “Bastards don’t know when to give up.”

***

Colonel Lane sighted his laser range finder on a battery of Batistian flak guns and sent the grid to his assault gun battery. “Hey redleg, blow that shit up.”

The assault guns stopped, fired eighteen klicks. The battery of flack guns fired defensively at the incoming artillery rounds. Then a round got through, destroyed a flack gun. Then another. After three minutes the defensive capability of the flack guns was degraded to the point they no longer hit incoming rounds. The air defense battery was destroyed, the vehicles burning. Colonel Lane surveyed the target area. A handful of soldiers still moved, dragging injured comrades away from the dangers around them.

The assault gun commander called back, “We have no air assets inbound. Why’d we blow up their air defense?”

“Because now they think we do have air assets inbound. Why are you questioning my orders?”

“Do it first, ask questions later.”

“Hoorah! You’re all right in my book, redleg.”

“Hoorah!”

Colonel Lane called his medium tank battalion commander. “I see two companies of enemy tanks right in front of you about five klicks, dug in facing away from you. You have the opportunity to rip them a new ass. Nothing’s stopping you.”

The Medium tank battalion commander said, “Err!”

The Marine medium tanks charged ahead and despite taking fire from dug-in Bastard tanks, they held their fire. When they were within five hundred meters the lead tank hit a mine, kept rolling to hit two more. Before the ejected crew had floated to the ground, another tank rammed into the back of the disabled tank and pushed it across the mine field, setting off mines as it went. Then no more mines. One company of tanks stopped on line and lit up targets. Couldn’t miss at that range. The other two companies charged through the mine field, following the tracks of the tanks that had already gone through.

Soon they were beyond the defenders. The two lead tank companies faced right and began rolling up the flank of the defenders. The company that had been providing supporting fire came through the mine field path and faced left to prevent a counterattack from that direction. The Batistian left flank was then attacked by Spike and his two companies of Hercules tanks.

Colonel Lane called a halt and the tanks stopped, took occasional shots at targets of opportunity. But that fight was over. “Button up, Marines. I want their red leg to drop a few rounds on you, to give away their position. Then you can haul ass back out of there.”

“Hoorah!”

Colonel Lane had his light infantry prepared to move on their skimmers, prepared to close with and destroy the Bastian artillery as soon as it showed itself. But that didn’t happen. General Rea called him on the unsecure ULF channel.

“
Colonel Lane, this is General Rea. Cease fire and we will withdraw.”

Colonel Lane said, “Ground you gear and I’ll let you walk out of here. You can keep your gun belts and side arms if you want.”

“Fair enough.”

“March your boys off to
Batista City if you would, please, General.”

“Will comply. General Rea out.”

Colonel Lane ordered a general cease fire. Spike went along with it and moved his heavy tanks back to the center of Hillsboro.

Sevin called Lane and said, “What the hell was that? You must have taken more than twenty percent casualties.”

Colonel Lane said, “That’s how it’s done, Junior. A few minutes ago those Bastards were nothing but civilians with war gear. Now they’re just civilians.”

Sevin said, “Their equipment has to be secured before some kids decide to play on it and get themselves killed.”

Lane said, “All right, Sevin. You just sit tight and I’ll take care of it. I’ll police up all their wounded and dead too.”

“Right. I can’t thank you enough.”

“I know that. Colonel Lane out.”

***

Galen stood, looked at the status screen. Shook his head, left the S-3 track extension and took a shower and put on a clean uniform. He sat at a table by the chuck wagon and waited for the Northern Republic ambassador. They would ride together into Batista City.