Audacity (Warner's World Book 5) (40 page)

“And where do you see yourself making that contribution now?”

“Oh my mother has plans for me in politics. But I have some of my own. I must be off now - my shuttle’s leaving. Once again, thank you.” Charles stood up and extended his hand.

Dave shook it. “Good luck Charles.”

Chapter 28. Resolute over Chelora 1045, 24 August

Dave and his command staff filed into the officers’ mess for a late morning brew mentally drained. They had been looking at different ways to take out the enemy space station over Checklin since 0800. The detailed data they had downloaded, if anything, had made it look even harder.

Dave kept hearing Chase’s words just before they adjourned for lunch. ‘70% droids, 33% marines’. These were the likely casualties with the best course of action (COA). They were even higher with the other COA. Dave wasn’t worried so much about the droids. That was what they were for, to take the heat and save human lives. But 33% meant  80 marines would either be killed or wounded from the two assaulting companies.

Dave spotted Jim sitting on his own. He pulled up a chair next to him and plonked his mug of coffee down. Jim gave him a weak smile and Dave knew all too well what was going through Jim’s mind. They both sipped their coffee in silence for a bit. Finally Jim spoke in a low voice “You know Sir I’m not one to grumble.” Dave nodded. “But this is a shit assignment. Why can’t one of the other units take the heat on this for a change? We’ve been leading the charge since Beta Phi. We’re churning through these young’uns so fast I barely get to know their names.”

Dave nodded and then added “Only a stealth ship will be able to achieve the surprise we need to take her out. We’ll have the marines from the frigates.”

“Even so I’m going to lose another forty or so. We just lost 26 on Q2. It’s having a bad effect on morale and this will knock us for six.” Jim looked deadly earnest, never more so.

Julian came in looking for Dave, saw him and walked up to the table. He leaned his lanky form over to get his head down to their seated level. “Excuse me Sir. Can I have a word.”

“Can it wait?” asked Dave.

“Well it’s just that I’ve been thinking about our problem…”

“Which one?” interrupted Dave. He was a little annoyed at being interrupted himself.

“The mission Sir. How to take out the space station.”

“OK what is it?” asked Dave indicating for Julian to sit down.

“Well the biggest issue is the casualty rates on our marines, right?” Dave and Jim both nodded. “Well this is occurring because we operate the droids and the marines independently. They each have their own routes to clear through the station. Well I reckon we could reduce the marine cas if we integrated. The smallest droid unit that can operate from its pod is a platoon. So if we divide the force up into a series of integrated companies, each with a mix of droid and marine platoons then we could have droids leading on each of the routes through the station. I would like to work up a simulation and run a batch of tests to see what the results are likely to be.”

Dave looked to Jim. Jim shrugged his shoulders as if to say why not. “How long do you need?”

“Do we have a day?”

“No I’m supposed to be reporting back to the Admiral at 1330.”

“Can you delay that?”

“I can ask, when to?”

“1630?”

“I can try. But you know there’s still the issue of getting enough operators. We’ll have what six companies, so we’ll need six operators.”

“We’ve got a month before D day” said Julian with a smile.

“I like your optimism Julian. Jim can you get everyone back in to the briefing room and spend half an hour on coming up with some workable estabs for this new look force while I have a talk to the Admiral.”

“Sure” said Jim feeling a little hope lifting his spirits.

Chapter 29. Rollinium 1100, 24 August

Art and Sue were inspecting the shuttle that had flown in earlier in the morning. Rentra was deep in discussion with the pilot up front. The side panel had been removed in the main cabin. Art wore a worried look.

“What do you think?” he asked. “There’s not much spare space.”

“I was OK. What about you?”

“I felt like a sardine but if it’s only for a short while I think it will serve.” He leaned over and shone the torch down into the cavity. “We can store our weapons and kit there.” Sue nodded.

“Should we try this with our suits on?” she asked.

“Nah! Shouldn’t be a need to. I doubt if I could squeeze in then.”

“What about storing two oxy packs along with the kit, just in case.”

“OK” said Art. “I’m more worried about ensuring we have a way of getting out in case something prevents the crew from releasing us.”

They discussed this with Rentra and she tasked one of her staff to take care of it. She talked with the staff member as they walked to the hatch, saw him leave and came back to where Sue and Art were seated. “The riskiest thing in all this” she said “is convincing the authorities in Dyritka that we’re genuine refugees. They will thoroughly check our IDs and give us a real grilling. I will definitely be on their watch list. So I cannot accompany you. I have asked Lt Hoanna to accompany and support you.”

She introduced the young female rogan officer. Her first name was Beela. She looked to be barely old enough to fight let alone to be an officer but in the course of their discussions Art detected a hard edge in her voice. She had confidence to burn but was not cocky or arrogant. He liked that and knew that it was the product of experience in combat. Later Rentra told them that Beela had been with her from the start of the uprising and was her best platoon commander. In addition to Art, Sue and Beela there would be the pilot and ten others from Beela’s platoon plus a number of volunteer civilians to make it look genuine.

Art was not happy about this part of the arrangements but Rentra assured him that without them they stood little chance of being believed.

“I will have everyone, who is going, here this afternoon. We will rehearse then and you will leave tomorrow morning” said Rentra.

Sue and Art caught up with John and Chad at lunch inside the terminal.

“I must admit Sir” said young Chad to Art after swallowing a good mouthful “I have no idea what I’m eating but it’s light years better than our hard rations.”

Art laughed. “No argument there Chad but that’s not really much of a challenge.”

“True” said the young man. “What do you think the chances are of the enemy hitting us before the fleet arrives?”

“Not much” said Art. “Look at it from their perspective. This planet’s doomed within the year. The only reason they were here was to stop the truth getting out about that device and that’s already out there now. Nah can’t see it really.”

“But they may see it a bit different if they see it from our perspective” chipped in John. “They will realise that this place gives us a springboard to attack their home worlds.”

“Maybe” conceded Art. “But I reckon these Imperialists are an arrogant lot and probably would dismiss this as a viable course of action. You also have to remember that they have been expanding for the last thirty years. That puts you in a certain frame of mind.”

“But they got their head handed to them over Polaris Sir” said Chad. “That’d make me stop and think.”

Art smiled warmly. “Words of wisdom for sure. So we need to be vigilant but my money is on them leaving us alone for now.”

“What about you Maam” asked Chad.

His question broke Sue’s pattern of thought which was on tomorrow’s operation and not on the merits or not of the enemy coming back here. “Sorry” she excused herself. “What did my husband say?” Art rolled his eyes. Chad explained that Art didn’t think the enemy would come back here. “Oh in that case they definitely will” she said provocatively with a cheeky grin.

“And that” said Art “is married life for you.”

Chapter 30. Slidwon 1200, 24 August

Jebna entered Angina’s office. He wasn’t agitated like he was yesterday. No, his face was a mixture of resentment and determination. “Here” and he placed an ePaper on Angina’s desk.

Angina glanced up at him and then at the ePaper. She kept swiping as she scanned the details. “Comprehensive isn’t it?” she commented without taking her eyes off of the list of addressees. She pushed the ePaper away from her like it was disgusting piece of filth. “Well there’s little doubt now.”

“We either run or fight. I’m for fighting” said Jebna.

She had been unsure how to broach the subject with Jebna and how he might respond. She was confident but not absolutely sure. ‘You never could be in this business’ she had said to herself earlier. But now it was him declaring first. The fact that he felt able to do that with her was comforting and reassuring. She smiled warmly.

“Of course you are Jebna. So am I and I have a plan.”

“Of course you do” said Jebna with a smile. The tension on his face had gone. The sharing of their commitment had flushed it all away. “Let me guess. It starts in Lewista!” he said with a grin.

“We know each other too well” said Angina with a light laugh.

“In a good way I think.”

“Yes in a good way. Right now here’s what I have in mind…”

Chapter 31. Rollinium 1415, 24 August

Art and Sue were gathered in the hangar with Rentra, Beela and her troops for the rehearsal. Art and Sue were crammed into their cavity. Beela, her troops and the ‘civvies’ were in their seats. Two of Rentra’s staff were pretending to be the inspectors. As the faux inspectors declared that they could disembark, all the communicators, which somehow had not been turned off for the exercise, all began ringing.

Art was still struggling to get to his when Sue got the message. “Shit enemy have just warped in” she told Art and then yelled at the top of her lungs “Let us out.”

But Art simply gave a heave on the handle they had affixed inside and knocked out the cavity panel in one go. Two of Beela’s troops helped them out. The craft was already emptying.

Sue got out first and began racing across the field. It was a good two hundred metres to the terminal where her command droid was located. Art was a good minute and half behind her. She saw the missiles rising from behind the terminal building.  John must have activated the automatic controls rather than wait for her. Each of the four support droids was firing a volley of four missiles.

She knew that John would not have fired those unless there were enemy transports on their way. Another volley fired. “Fuck” cried out Sue and she pumped her legs as hard as she could. She knew that this was either because there were more transports or enemy missiles were inbound – counter battery no doubt and she was still in the open. She cast a quick glance back to see Art who was using his huge legs to overtake her.

“Basement” yelled out Art as he caught up to her. Another volley fired from the support droids. Art grabbed Sue’s hand as he surged past her dragging her on the hop. They aimed for the double doors. One side was already closed and one of Beela’s warriors was there waving his hand urging them to hurry. Art hurled Sue through, ducked his head and lunged forward as the warrior pulled the big door shut. As the fourth volley was fired from the droids the warrior helped Sue to her feet then bolted at his best speed for the stairs that led down to the basement. Art scrambled to his feet and he and Sue took off in hot pursuit

The first missile missed the terminal by a good twenty metres on the northern side, impacting the main runway. Its blast sent a shock wave that blew in the glass from of the main concourse. The support droids having exhausted their on-board stock began redeploying to the service area of the terminal building. Art and Sue rounded the stairs and descended as the second missile struck closer to the west. They reached the bottom as the third took out the two slowest support droids just south of the terminal. The other two were blown onto their sides and crashed into the wall of the building with such force they became embedded.

Art and Sue ran down the corridor to the temporary control room. They collapsed on the floor, trying to catch their breath, after they came in. John and Chad were at their stations. John was tracking the enemy missiles still in flight even though they had nothing with which to reply. Chad was watching the two surviving shuttles heading towards them. John broadcasted a message to Chelora and the Resistance net, advising they were under attack.

“Five runners” hailed John “Impact in two.”

As Sue gulped in air, her chest heaving she couldn’t but notice how John and Chad were holding it together. She knew that battle system types were always chosen for their ability to remain focussed under extreme pressure but she had never really appreciated it before.

“Two enemy frigates overhead, two shuttles destroyed, two incoming tracking for Rollinium” hailed John “ETA in 11 minutes.” John finally turned around and gave a quick smile. As he did another blast hit the complex with such force that the ceiling groaned and creaked. “Then he added “We need a reception committee for our incoming impies.”

“What?” asked Sue confused.

Another explosion. It was becoming hard to hear above the noise.

Art was already getting to his feet. He extended a hand for Sue. She grasped it instinctively. “He means the imperialists are coming and we need to stop them.”

“Oh why didn’t he say so?” She even managed a smile.

Another explosion.

She patted John’s face with her open palm. “Thanks” she said.

They grabbed their kit that was stacked against the inside wall next to the door. When they emerged back out into the corridor, rifles in hand, the corridor was filled with rogan warriors responding to directions from Rentra. “I’m going for the command droid” she yelled out to Rentra but it was drowned out by another explosion. As the noise abated she repeated herself. Rentra nodded. It was part of the agreed response. Art would go with her up the same stairs they had come down and turn south towards the service area. They just had to wait for the bombardment to lift and pray there was still a building above them.