The Red Leopards of Zaxon B (Galaxies Collide Book 2) (16 page)

Flight Leader Anjara walked slowly along the line of four pilots, glancing at their grey flight uniforms, the curling snake of the Viper emblazoned across their chests. Stopping briefly at the end, he smiled grimly at one of his long term students, his face flushed with tiredness. The commander drew closer to the pilot, his scorched skin tensing as he took in the exhaustion on the man’s face, ‘How are you holding up Somas?’

The pilot tensed instinctively, raising his fist sharply to his chest, his voice strained, ‘Ready when you are Sir!’ A brief smile swept across his lips, the pilot’s other arm bandaged beneath his flight suit as he winced.

Anjara grinned, his tongue sweeping across his front teeth in admiration, ‘Are you fit to fly…?’ He indicated to the pilot’s other arm, ‘Is it very painful?’

Somas’s brown eyes stared defiantly back, ‘I will follow you into the heavens Sir….the Morgon fighters need to be beaten…’ The pilot glanced away, emotion filling his features as he swallowed.

The flight leader placed his hand on the man’s shoulder, turning to the others and clearing his dry throat, ‘We have a mission over and above engaging the enemy.’ He hesitated, seeing the four pilots’ eyes widen in anticipation, ‘There has been heavy fighting to the east…our forces have advanced along a wide front and command wants an overall view…radio and radar information is unclear.’ He gritted his teeth, the pilots glancing at his burnt features, ‘We have lost contact with the Blue Leopards…it seems the enemy was far stronger than anticipated. We are to provide a picture of what is happening on the ground, then engage enemy fighters above and move to protect Alexion One…’ He patted the shoulder of Somas fondly, turning to face the man in front of him again, ‘You will return with the reports and then join us in the fight above…’ The pilot nodded his understanding, his flight suit excreting painkillers onto his arm and chest.

Anjara stepped back, glancing along the short line again, his own suit marked with a variety of awards round the shoulder, ‘Those of you joining the Vipers today will know of our prowess in battle…we show no mercy to the enemy and they are fully aware of that. You shoot to kill, to kill the Morgon pilot and to destroy his craft so that it may not be used again against us…’ He shifted his stance, his body aching from extreme tiredness and several old nagging injuries, ‘Once the Morgons are aware we are airborne, they will target us…they will send craft and pilots in an attempt to destroy us…’ He stared at the pilots before him, seeking a weakness in their resolve. Smiling briefly as he saw none, he continued, ‘We stay together and fight together as a unit…no one breaks off to follow the enemy, the flight stays as one unless on my direct order…do you understand?’

The boots clicked together, four voices raised in unison as fists crashed against chests, ‘Yes Sir!’

The flight leader nodded in triumph, his voice nearly broken, ‘Good…let’s take to the heavens! No Mercy! Our time is now!’

The four silver fighters rose vertically into the darkened sky, the dust swirling and blowing from the landing pads beneath as their engines glowed, thrusting upwards. Anjara glanced out of his cockpit on either side, seeing the several spotlights in bays below shining down on damaged and scorched craft, engineers working feverishly under the neon light to prepare the star fighters for battle.

He grimaced, thinking of the four pilots he had already lost, hoping at least a couple were still alive somewhere, struggling back towards Morasat in the dark, ready to join him once more, to make use of one of the craft below. The short flight radio wave burbled in his ears, Somas’s voice clear and sharp, ‘Flight Leader…Systems check Viper wing…Number Two is experiencing limited power surges, but not critical…fit to proceed!’

Anjara listened as the other three pilots reported in positively, their star fighters hovering over their flight decks as they ran through instrument and weapon checks. Finally satisfied, he bit his lip, clicking the microphone, ‘Follow me to the east…stay low and close. Keep alert and observe the ground…I want enemy positions and signs of our forces. Our report will decide future actions, so it needs to be accurate…anything suspicious, I want to know!’

The radio clicked in his ears, the rest of the flight indicating their understanding, Flight Leader Anjara grinning as he felt his adrenalin surge. Swallowing in nervousness, his grip tensed on the stick before he pulled to the right, his silver craft banking sharply as the rest of the flight followed their leader.

Engineers and mechanics glanced upwards, the light sparkling off the hulls of the five silver craft above as the first swept forward, engines glowing as the others followed after their leader, their eyes straining as the dust swept across the figures on the ground. The Morasat battery roared to the north causing the maintenance crews to tense, the two enormous guns firing shells out to the east once more.

The five star fighters streamed across the dark sky, flying at low altitude, the pilots viewing their electronic displays and the terrain on the screens below. The Flight Leader checked the images before him, the buildings sweeping past on the ground beneath them as the craft shot across the sky, sentries glancing upwards instinctively as they heard the roar above.

The terrain on the screens became darker as the fighters sped out past the outer buildings, Anjara seeing the green dots and gun emplacements on the high buffs as he thrust his stick forward, the sleek craft accelerating out above the low cliffs and into pitch darkness.

The craft’s electronic voice startled him, the low warning preceded by a shrill beep, ‘Enemy ground forces ahead...adjust height, adjust height!’ He clicked his microphone, his voice firm, ‘Stay at current altitude…we are too low for the Morgons to react…increase speed to compensate!’

The clicks reverberated in his ear as numerous red dots began to appear on his screen, the outline beginning to glow in warning. The red dots increased dramatically, the screen flashing as the colours merged, the ground ahead full of enemy troops. Anjara strained his eyes at the screen, trying to locate signs of friendly forces as tracers began to rise into the air behind the star fighters, the Morgons firing blindly upwards in response to the thrust of engines above.

The Flight Leader tensed, the sheer number of enemy forces below unsettling him and causing concern as the fighters swept on, his hand flicking his microphone again, ‘Somas…these are target coordinates…we need artillery brought down on the land below.’ He sucked air, gasping at the sheer number of moving enemy infantry below, the gaps of black land not occupied by enemy troops few and far between.

Then he tensed, seeing flickers of green amongst the red mass, the virtual circle of bodies lying in the depression, their armour transponders still transmitting, but in a lower shade…the soldiers lost. The burning hull of a hover tank, then another…destroyed jeeps and scattered shattered bodies lying across the terrain as his eyes widened, one of the finest Trevakian fighting units confirmed as destroyed before him.

Moisture swept into his eyes, the realisation the elite fighting unit had been completely overwhelmed sweeping through his mind, the brave soldiers fighting for their lives and the existences of others as they fell selflessly. Then on the screen, a lone smouldering and smashed carrier, bodies lying around the contorted shape as he bit his lower lip. A charge of electricity swept up his spine, the hordes of red dotted infantry moving quickly across the terrain, the green indicator lights of four carriers and a tank ahead smashing through masses of red bodies. He rose in his seat, seeing the flashes below, the laser turrets pouring steam as blasts of high energy swept out into the masses of moving enemy, the ground itself seeming to surge against the lonely armoured vehicles.

Tracers swept into the dark sky, the bright lights flashing across the five cockpits as computerised voices filled their ears, ‘Enemy ground fire increasing…evasive action advised…’

Anjara’s hand clicked the microphone frantically, a croaking voice spreading across the earphones of the four pilots behind, ‘On my mark…Number Two and Three…climb and bank to 180…interdiction ground attack on enemy flanking infantry attacking our forces…watch your distance!’ Hearing two clicks, he continued, ‘Number Four and Five, bank left…I am going right. We pull a 360 and come up from behind once more…Number four…middle ground, tear up the pursuers, watch your fire on approach…Number five, follow my lead to port…we clear the ground ahead!’ He nodded comfortably as two more clicks filled his headphones, his adrenalin surging further.

He glanced down, seeing the green lights fill the horizon of his screen, the villages in the distance only three clicks further ahead from the struggling halftracks…enticingly close. A faint smile spreading across his lips as he pushed himself up to briefly stare out of the cockpit, the cut off forces confirmed as still alive and in fighting shape, the flashes of laser guns spilling east and west as the defenders fired out against a determined enemy.

Flight Leader Anjara’s finger tentatively clicked the microphone button, raw courage stirring in his stomach as he pressed hard, his voice almost hoarse, ‘Let it happen! Our time is now!’

Two star fighter engines roared as the jets swept upwards, the other three banking hard across the terrain as their engine wakes glowed. Tracer bullets soared upwards chasing the fighters as they accelerated across the dark sky, the flashes across the heavens startling the defending forces in the villages below as they glanced upwards before resuming concentrated fire out towards the attackers in the distance. The sky seemed to crackle, bursts of static surging across the laser guns under the wings as the pilots armed their weapons, their silver craft sweeping over the landscape as Morgon and trapped allied forces looked up, the engines above screaming across the terrain in ferocity.

Anjara clicked his microphone once more, ‘Somas…complete sweep, then return to base…report survivors in the villages and an overwhelming enemy presence. We must stop these forces reaching the cliffs or the city will fall…all available artillery to target the terrain in between…’ He hesitated, ‘You must get the message back!’

The radio burbled, the signal nearly out of range as his number two turned sharply in the upper atmosphere before hurtling back to earth, the voice strained but calm, ‘Understood Number One…message and coordinates will be conveyed as per your order…commencing sweep now…weapons hot, let’s tear them up!’

The flight leader banked his star fighter sharply, red hot tracers whisking past his cockpit windows as he clicked the blast screens active, his attention moving to the screen below as the craft behind followed his lead. Accelerating to a parallel position, both pilots checked their instruments, the third fighter falling in behind to the centre as their altitude steadied. The headphones crackled, Anjara’s voice surging through static, ‘Fire at will!’

The silver fighters tore forward, high powered lasers tearing up the ground as bodies were incinerated or tossed into the air with debris and rocks, the energy exploding across the ground.

From the east, two star fighters’ lasers spewed energy at the concentrated enemy forces below, the bright explosions rising into the air as ammunition and the ground erupted. Tracers cracked past, the bright lights sweeping past the silver hulls as the craft accelerated, their guns pouring fire onto the enemy below.

Flight Leader Anjara gasped as the two oncoming fighters swept past, his fighter buffeted by the wind distortion as he closed with the other craft to his side. The green vehicles below closed on his screen as he moved his finger again to the firing button, the targeting mechanism flashing red, then glowing green as he snapped his finger on the mechanism again. Lasers exploded on the ground below, broken and seared bodies tossed into the air from the high velocity explosions as the ground between the stricken convoy and villages lit up dramatically.

The electronic voice broke sharply through the cockpit, ‘Allied forces ahead…check your fire in 3…2 …1…auto stabiliser engaged…firing prevented!’

Anjara slipped his finger from the firing button, his microphone clicked once more, a determined voice spreading through the earphones of the other pilots, ‘Upwards to the battle…Vipers onwards! Regroup and stay close!’

The halftracks smashed forward, their speed decreasing against the heavy number of enemy bodies. Armour clattered against the sides, the carriers behind attempting to sweep the hulls of the vehicles in front to clear enemy boarders. Desperation began to fill the minds of the surviving soldiers, their weapons now firing red hot out of the cupolas on the carrier sides, the ammunition levels depleting…and fast. The roof mounted laser quads fired short bursts, the guns overheated and unable to continually fire, steam pouring from the weapons.

Captain Mason’s body jolted in surprise, his eyes staring wide as the explosions suddenly ripped across the terrain before them, the silver star fighters sweeping overhead, their engine wakes shaking the armoured halftrack hulls. The dark ground lit up as the tracks tore forward, grinding over bodies and armoured plate as the defenders fired out relentlessly. Body parts and debris clattered against the front armoured plate, the shrieks of anger and fury echoing around the vehicles as they surged onwards, bouncing violently over bodies and shattered limbs.

Rees glanced round, screams filling the rear cabin as the firing intensified. A heavily wounded Herrakian, his right leg gone below the knee was scrambling across the injured bodies on the compartment floor, applying makeshift dressings to open seeping cuts and shattered armour, his own leg bleeding heavily as the makeshift bandages failed to stem the flow.

On the opposite side, Lieutenant Kim shouted across the rear cabin behind the American as the walls shook once more, his voice drowned out by the shrieks outside, ‘Stay calm…keep firing!’ He glanced up as the laser quad fired out once more, the bursts becoming more sporadic as the guns overheated further, steam and vapour surging across the carrier’s roof. The roof gunners were resorting to throwing grenades and firing their own weapons, increasing their individual vulnerability as they ducked above and below the protective plate.

Captain Mason fired out again, the muzzle flashes reflecting off his visor and armour as the muffled screams from behind intensified. The driver grimaced, his lips curling upwards in frustration as an explosion from the right rocked the halftrack, the flanking carrier succumbing to armoured piercing explosives clamped to the sides.

The tracks whined, Rees biting his lips as he saw the two burning figures struggle from the crippled flanking carrier, their bodies overwhelmed and beaten to the ground by a mercilessly black clad enemy. His teeth clenched, his lips bleeding heavily as he targeted the Morgon attackers, two twisting and falling as his bullets hit home. Terror and hatred swept through his chest, the intensity of the sensation seeming to sear through his mind as he fired continuously, reloading with focus and resuming the firefight once more.

The laser turret above swung round, attempting to dislodge the armoured figures clambering onto the roof, the remaining three carriers grinding forward after the hover tank. The heavy fighting hover vehicle swept onwards, enemy armoured infantry clinging to its sides as the guns belched, the acrid steam of the overheated silent front lasers sweeping across their black figures.

Bullets clattered against the sides of the carrier, a Heathrow volunteer falling backwards as a round split his breastplate, the scream resounding round the inside of the hull. Rees moved to help the writhing figure, Jozefina thrusting his body back towards the firing slit, her voice a scream, ‘Keep firing…they are overwhelming us!’

Crashes echoed round the inside of the tank hull, the crew feverishly reloading the guns as their eyes widened in terror, the turret weaving from side to side in attempts to dislodge the Morgons on the outer armoured plate. The driver swept sweat from his eyes, his helmet discarded as his viewing slot bounced up and down, his vision blurred as the engine coughed, the screaming power surging through the cabin as the enemy feverishly smashed their weapons against its protective plate.

The tank surged forward once more, the driver shouting desperately through bloodied clenched teeth, ‘The power cells are almost gone…we will stop soon!’

Lieutenant Kim screamed across the rear halftrack cabin from the left side, his eyes widened in terror as he stared out of the gunnery slit, ‘Enemy infantry charging…keep firing!’ The remaining South Korean Blue Dragon marines slammed fresh ammunition magazines into their rifles, pouring fire on the advancing black clad infantry as the black armour glistened, the laser guns above firing briefly once more before falling silent. Fierce blows smashed down on the upper gunner’s head, his body dropping back down into the enclosed cabin as his helmet shattered under the force.

Rees and Jozefina fired out on the other side, their guns becoming hot in their hands as the bullets poured from the muzzles, glimpses of black armour and silhouetted figures filling their vision as the carrier clattered and bumped forward.

The tank gunner fired out again, smoke filling his viewing periscope as it was cracked then smashed from repeated blows, the small shattered resin viewing slit showing flashes in the distance. He smashed his fist against the mechanism, shouting round the cabin, ‘I am blinded…heavy concentrated fire ahead!’

The driver shrugged, his voice lowered in defeat, ‘We are done…there are just too many! Prime grenades and pull off to the side…the carriers can carry on…’

He jumped as the forward laser gunner’s voice surged through the battle noise and smashes to the hull, the tone highly excited as the energy guns fired out again, ‘Those are our guns! The villages are ahead! Onwards to safety…our time is now!’ The young laser specialist turned from his position, his face soaked in perspiration, grinning widely, ‘We are near safety comrades!’

Captain Mason’s eyes widened, the flares surging into the air some four hundred metres ahead, the pulsing light cascading through the snowflakes and illuminating the terrain below. His lips opened to grin, the allied flares followed by muzzle flashes and laser blasts across the ground, the defenders ahead attempting to clear a path for them.

Shadows and lights swirled across the ground ahead, the thick snowfall swirling round the hover tank as the three halftracks accelerated further. Mason fired another burst, his breath catching as he glimpsed the black metal armoured helmets rising form the foxholes ahead, his mouth opening to shout, ‘Keep going! Allied positions ahead!’ The flashes of flame from the forward Morgon position rockets swept across the front of the carrier as he glanced desperately around, his eyes catching sight of the surge of fire from the right, ‘RPG!’

The flash lit up the forward cabin, the explosion rocking the carrier as the shell hit home. Mason was flung to the left, his helmet cracking violently against the inside hull as his vision spun. His body slumped downwards as blood and matter from the driver splattered across his uniform, the Trevakian killed instantly. Flames poured across the American’s vision, his combat uniform inflating as the blasts swept through the front seats.

The halftrack rumbled forward with momentum, the vehicle shaking as flames swept from the front engine across the remains of the armoured front cabin. The passenger compartment filled with acrid smoke, screams of despair, bodies thrown from the sides and onto the wounded as another rockets crashed against the sides at an angle. Flames surged along the armoured plate as a track broke, the driverless carrier grinding on towards the Morgon trench as the occupants scrambled to rise.

Lieutenant Kim swore loudly, thrusting his body upwards as the marines around him struggled to rise, their commander’s voice a scream, ‘Check the front compartment…we are hit. Once it comes to a halt, we bail out…run for the allied defences.’

Jozefina grasped Rees’s arm roughly, dragging him determinedly to his knees as the carrier ground forward, the front lurching into a foxhole and stopping abruptly. The soldiers staggered, several screaming as explosions rocked the sides, the rear compartment plunged into darkness.

Captain Mekeert kicked out at the back doors, a crack of metal as the bent and disfigured housings opened slightly. Another Blue Leopard crashed his shoulder desperately against the inside door, the opening widening slightly as he scrambled out, his rifle firing blindly as he tossed grenades around him. The shrieks of hatred got louder, other soldiers following the first, pushing roughly against the warped metal doors as bullets clanked against the armour plate, screams of blood lust sweeping through the darkness.

Another carrier from behind swept past, crashing across the closing Morgon infantry, the upper quad spinning to fire defensively for the crippled vehicle. Rees glanced round desperately and broke free from Jo, scrambling towards the front of the carrier and heaving at the door to the front compartment, gunfire echoing around the compartment as the Blue Leopards and South Koreans fired out.

Mekeert’s muffled voice swept through the opening at the rear, ‘Defensive screen…hold them back, then we run!’ The gunfire intensified, Rees tearing at the door frantically as it creaked open, the stench of burning flesh and explosive charge sweeping across his features. He gasped, his wide blue eyes glimpsing the right front side of the carrier torn open, the bloodied shattered body of the driver slumped in his seat. Shrieks of hatred echoed form outside as he glanced round, seeing the flashes through the flames, the defenders in the distance pouring fire onto the Morgons rising to engage and overwhelm the stricken vehicle.

The body to the left moved slightly, Rees grasping the bloodied uniform and wrenching the body backwards, crashing through the opening and into the rear compartment as Jo grabbed him, her voice screaming frantically in his ears, ‘We need to get out…they are leaving!’ She stared briefly at the bloodied American, then grabbed his arms, a shriek of desperation coming from her clenched teeth as they pulled the body back towards the doors.

Lieutenant Kim glanced back in to the rear of the crippled halftrack, checking for any remaining troops, his eyes widening as he saw the two figures struggling with the body, his teeth clenching as bullets clattered across the roof of the burning carrier, ‘He’s dead! Leave him!’

Rees glanced up, his voice a scream of defiance, ‘No…he’s alive!’

Kim shook his head in frustration, leaning forward and grabbing Rees’s arm, dragging him and the body towards the doors as Jozefina glanced down at Mason, blood dripping from his ears and mouth. They struggled out into the freezing air, the semi-circle of soldiers around the rear of the carrier rising to run. Flashes lit up the landscape, the defenders in the village firing rockets and flares at the advancing Morgons as the carrier in front poured laser fire over the roof. Rees jumped as mortar rounds crashed to earth, the thumps of high explosives tossing bodies and earth skywards as all the village guns were brought to bear as cover fire.

They jogged, half-crouched across the broken earth, flares flashing above, the landscape surreally lit up as differing colours pulsed. Rees, Jozefina and Lieutenant Kim carried the wounded Captain Mason as bullets whisked past, flashes from explosions and pulsing lights disorientating them through the billowing snow and smoke. Their chests heaving, the Blue Leopards and Koreans dragged other wounded, a couple slumping or falling forward from stray fire behind.

Rees stumbled on the uneven ground, thrusting his body forward with momentum and regaining his footing, pain searing through his legs and chest. A rocket swept past, the heat from the trail of fire in its wake casting heat across their lower faces as they struggled on, bullets whipping across the ground.

Blinding tears, snow and smoke distorted the terrain, debris flying across them as grenades and rockets detonated to either side, their bodies stumbling across uneven frozen rubble and earth as they ran. The roar of halftrack engines filled their ears, one of the carriers moving in behind to offer cover, its rear doors ablaze with flames as the soldiers fired out frantically from inside.

Rees stumbled again, gasping for air as he thrust his body onwards, Jo shouting breathlessly behind, ‘Keep going…’

Smoke canisters rolled around them, the puffs excreting billowing cover across the torn ground. Kim grinned with adrenalin, his liking for the volunteers rising as bodies ran past on either side. His eyes widened under his helmet as he saw the silhouettes running towards them through the encroaching shroud, rough hands grasping the wounded and exhausted bodies, his vision catching the Yellow and blue and the black, red and yellow national flags on the shoulder armour as their bodies were dragged forward towards the villages ahead. German and Ukrainian troops were pulling them towards safety as a British voice shouted frantically nearby, ‘Bring them in…all in!’

The gasping bodies half ran and were half carried past the forward foxholes and trenches outside the village, an English accented voice rising with adrenalin, ‘Royal Marines…open fire! Cut them down!’ Gunfire erupted behind as they were dragged past mortar pits and heavy machine guns, the flashes around them blurred as they gasped for breath. Above them on a building rooftop, a heavy machine gun rattled, the red hot tracers spewing out into the dark terrain, shrieks of hatred and gunfire returning as the Morgons fired back on the defenders.

Jozefina stared at American shoulder flags, the two-man team moving forward and ducking into a foxhole as she jogged past, slowing to watch the soldiers, their heads re-emerging as one smacked the helmet of the other, ‘You’re good to go!’

The long barrel rose upwards, then levelled and leaning on the other’s shoulder as his head slipped to the guidance system, the jet of flame surged outwards, the missile sweeping forward as Kim dragged her away, ‘Get into the buildings! The enemy is attacking…’ As she was dragged forward she watched the explosion rise in the distance, the specks and shadows of bodies thrown upwards as Kim shouted again, ‘It’s a Stinger missile…now keep going!’