The Red Leopards of Zaxon B (Galaxies Collide Book 2) (21 page)

Tregan coughed, clearing his own throat as the others stared at him warily, ‘We will take the left path, it leads down the mountain side then across a small valley. We will then circle back towards the village and outpost. The right is a quicker route, but I am keen to show our presence. Keep your weapons handy…I think there is a good possibility we are being watched.’ He stared across the concerned faces, the troops breathing heavily, ‘Everyone fit?’ They nodded warily, glancing round across the path and into the heavy falling snow further down.

Riaz pointed towards the rocks beyond the fork, gulping for air, ‘W-what’s beyond those?’

The Trevakian grinned, ‘A sheer drop down…the path sweeps round below through a gorge and then out into some fields before winding back towards the outpost.’

Shino raised her head in irritation, her breathing in short rasps, ‘So where are we in relation to Contax Base? That should be close surely…and the Morgons?’

Tregan shook his head, indicating over his shoulder to the rock, ‘That is to the north east, probably some fifteen clicks across the mountains.’ He nodded, ‘Don’t worry, they will not get through those mountains without us seeing them. In addition to the anti-air there are sensors in the rocks monitored at the base…’ His eyes narrowed, ‘Remember the special place…it is well guarded.’ He struggled upwards, leaning against the rock, ‘Perhaps we should move now…the lower we get, the better it will help your breathing…’

They trudged further down the path, heels digging into the snow and bodies lowered for shelter as the wind whistled overhead. Turning at the fork, they trudge left, raising their heads as the rocks rose up on either side, the snowflakes drifting around the figures.

Slowly and carefully, they neared ground level, the path snaking down the mountainside through the snowfall. Reaching lower levels, the party turned into a narrow gorge, the dark cliffs rising up on the right to the path they had descended. Frozen bushes and thin branches extended from the rocks above as they progressed, the darkness closing in around as another rock face rose up on the left.

Helmet pin lights flickered on automatically as the gloom descended, the temperature dropping once more as their pace lowered. Gripping their assault rifles tightly, the visors slipped down as the breath became more concentrated, electronic displays of the terrain filling their vision.

Riaz jumped, kicking out as his grip tensed, his voice rising, ‘Something just ran across my boot…’

Shino stared down, the graphics showing multiple insects moving across the snow covered terrain below, their small bodies dropping or even seeming to seep from cracks in the rock face to their right. The Philippine’s eyes widened as Tregan glance back, grinning, ‘Rock mites…they will only move in darkness. They feed off the lichen and other insects in the stone…harmless unless you are already dead. They will consume a body and bones in hours if there are enough of them…’

Riaz and Shino started deliberately picking up their feet, the Trevakians and Debra grinning as she hissed, ‘They are like maggots…they feed off dead matter…not you!’ The crunches of the boots as the soldiers stepped on the small predators rose as they stepped forward, Riaz glancing round in amazement as most of the crushed insects simply rose and continued on their way, following their leader across the frozen snow.

The iced path narrowed, twisting through the darkened gorge as they stepped gingerly forward, their rifles raised cautiously. Several small paths lead off to the left, slipping into the mountain rock, frozen steam and fog hanging around their narrow and black openings. The pin lights swept sideways into the murk of each narrow gap, reflecting off the hanging clouds as the soldiers stared warily into the eerie darkness for a sign of danger. The rock mites formed virtual military lines into the gaps, their small bodies scuttling forward into the darkness as the crunches of boots behind progressed further. The clouds of frozen mist began to fill the path ahead, snow fluttering into the narrow gap from above as their breathing became sharper again.

Progressing further, Debra squinted as she could just make out the light ahead, the rocks beginning to fall away on the right. Tregan turned, his eyes scanning the figures behind through his visor as they moved from side to side, their rifles raised to shoulder height and pointing into the narrow gaps through the rock. He advanced further, lowering himself to a crouch as the freezing mist thinned, thin shafts of dull light beginning to stream through the clouds around them.

As the rocks lowered to his right, he crept forward, the bodies behind lowering in response to his actions as the light ahead became brighter. Tregan dropped behind a large rocky outcrop at the edge of the clearing, the jagged stone faces rising to chest height as snow fluttered around them. Debra ran half-crouched towards his figure, dropping to one knee next to the Trevakian, her eyes wide, ‘Is it clear?’

Tregan shook his head, the snowfall too thick to see through, ‘I don’t know…’ He hesitated, staring out into the white falling flakes, ‘…The track should be some distance to our right. The valley is about a click long and apparently drops away at the end into some caves as the mountains rise…that is where Captain Dugachard believes the Silaks may be if they are here…everywhere else seems too exposed according to the maps of the area, they can have shelter there.’ He glanced at the airport supervisor, ‘You will march along the rocks on the right in the reduced visibility, then wait at the track before we head back to the village…’ He indicated to the soldiers behind, smiling briefly, ‘They will be hungry soon…let’s just tell them all that is left is red tins!’

Debra grinned, ‘Will do…I will get them to keep their weapons up…concentrating across the valley for any movement, where are you going?’

Tregan nodded grimly, ‘Good…make sure they don’t shoot any stray animals though…we do not kill needlessly…there are enough stone mites already! I will head across the left wall…see if the Silaks really are here, and if so…how many there are.’

Debra winced, nodding as her lips curled in distain, ‘Not sure we want to meet these stone mites again, they are a bit freaky! Be careful…we will form a defensive line at the track entrance.’ Tregan’s eyes widening in surprise at her wording as she shifted round on her bent knees, running back towards the others.

Slowly they shuffled forward, Tregan glancing out above the rock, then indicating to the right, his gloved hand extended, ‘Head along the rock face, I want a disciplined walk and no signs of fear…I will be to your left on reconnaissance…I will shout on approach…’ He indicated to Shino’s machine rifle, ‘There are no safety firing measures on that.’ The Philippine swallowed hard, nodding nervously as he lunged round the rock, disappearing into the heavily falling snow.

The soldiers nodded in obedience, forming into twos and trudging forward, one of the pairs checking their distance from the rock on their right as they advanced, rifles held cautiously across their chests into the snowfall.

Tregan bit his lip, his senses sharpening as he crept forward through the snowfall, his rifle held just below his chin as he advanced at a half crouch. Moving along the left rock face, his breathing became shallower, eyes snapping from side to side to inspect the graphic terrain displayed on the inside of his visor. Slowly he raised his hand, tapping the side of his helmet twice, the pin lights dying in response to his action.

The landscape continued along the side of the mountain as the Trevakian progressed, the cold air sweeping across the rocks as his combat uniform inflated to maximum, the air seeming to howl through cracks in the weather beaten stone above.

Debra’s hiss stiffened the others, her heart beat rising as she suddenly realised she was in command, ‘Keep watching…Tregan will be back shortly. When we reach the entrance to the track, find cover and stay alert.’ The four figures behind nodded, staring out to the side warily.

Riaz grinned, whispering to Shino next to him as the snow feel between them, ‘Mummy’s in charge now!’

The Philippine pushed out at him, knocking his arm as she glared sideways, ‘Shush! Don’t be so disrespectful!’ She grinned briefly, ‘…And I am not psycho!’

Riaz giggled, his eyes rising as he indicated to her new weapon, ‘How many rounds does it hold and what’s the rate of fire?’

Shino nodded, smiling welcomingly, ‘The magazine holds forty-five rounds and it can be loaded with different, more lethal explosive capped ammunition.’ She indicated to the short barrel and darkened muzzle, ‘A silencer can be fitted here, and sights along the top of the weapon for more accurate defensive fire.’ Shino slapped the trigger protector, ‘This bit is really neat…the trigger mechanism will respond to the twitch of my fingers and fire single rounds or a full clip…the bullet rate is five hundred a minute and it is accurate up to three hundred metres…’ She ran her gloves along the mainframe of the submachine gun, ‘I love it…it can even house a bayonet or an extended butt. It is made of heavy duty polymer and could be used as a club if we run out of ammunition.’

Riaz chuckled silently, his voice lowered from the others, ‘That’s not psycho then!’

Tregan crept forward, his heart rate rising as he felt the snow beneath his feet begin to slope away, the decline turning slowly against the rock, his boots sinking into the drifting snow. Stepping carefully over dead branches and between frozen bushes, the slope became steeper, his boots twitching against his feet as they attempted to increase grip. He lowered to a crouch, his rifle still raised as his hand dropped to the broken branches before him, the frozen dead wood snapped in two as boots had brought the weight of a soldier down on the fragile surface.

He stared around through the falling snow, the visor displaying the ground surface ahead up to approximately ten metres before the graphic display became darker, the sensors struggling to break through the mirk. Rising slightly, he stepped forward again, his leg muscles straining and breath held as he began to distinguish covered footprints across the snow’s surface.

Edging down the slope, he stared into the visor, trying to determine the possible cave mouth or a sign of movement, his rifle muzzle slowly moving slowly from side to side. Stepping again, he pressed his boots firmer onto the iced slope, the footprints now becoming clearer. He glanced across the imprints, the boots becoming more numerous and beginning to converge off to his right, the rifle muzzle extending into the darkness as the Trevakian stepped forward once more.

The visor remained dark at the extent of his vision, the snowfall still thick before him. The footprints began to join, the white grey surface broken with the numerous movements as Tregan took another step, the visor flickering as it updated the information available. His exhaled breath swirled around his features, the visor image distorting slightly as he took another small cautious step forward.

The dark mouth of the cave gradually formed across his visor, rising up some eleven metres before him as he ducked further. He sucked air, holding his breath as he glimpsed a silhouette move across in the darkness, the visor glowing red and a targeting dot appearing. Pursing his lips in irritation, he turned to leave, the shrill sharp crack of a root breaking beneath his boot surging across the area.

Shouts from behind in the darkness, his body propelled forward as he started to run, the voices becoming numerous as soldiers grasped weapons and ran towards the cave opening. Tregan cursed beneath his breath as he thrust his body forward, running blindly through the snow flurry as he heard further shouts from behind, the voices emerging from the rock opening and spilling across the terrain.

The Trevakian stumbled, pushing his body upwards as he sprinted, the visor struggling to provide visual aid across the uneven terrain. Gasping, he ran at an angle, keen to make contact with the rock face to guide him as he heard the voices behind once more.

Thirty-seven Silakians ran from the cave entrance, their grey uniforms and face scarves torn and dirty as they spread out across the valley, moving cautiously to either side and beginning to advance across the snow, their rifles held before them. In their wake, a commander emerged, his upper body covered in a dark grey overcoat as he spurred his soldiers forward, striking the sentry sharply across the jaw with the back of his hand for his lapse-ness as he passed. He grimaced at the thick falling snow, shouting across the line for his troops ‘To spread out’ and ‘To search for the intruders’.

Tregan heard the shouts, his boots pounding over the snow, the Silakians surging forward as their eyes squinted through circular black goggles against the light and snowfall. The Trevakian ran faster, hearing further shouts behind as the Silaks increased their pace, hearing his boots scrape across the ice and the cracking of more dead branches underfoot.

Several Silaks dropped to one knee, their weapons raising as bullets cracked through the cold air. Tregan ducked instinctively, weaving from side to side as he ran further, his eyes desperately seeking the rocks that he could eventually follow to the track.

He stiffened as he heard the distinct crack of bullets against rock before him, the ricochets bouncing upwards across the smooth jagged surfaces as the projectiles clipped against the stone. Crashing against the rocks as he fell to his knees, more gunfire echoed across the small valley, the Silaks firing blindly into the snow storm as the sound waves swept forward.

Riaz and Shino stiffened, the sounds of gunfire sweeping towards them. Debra glanced around the five soldiers, their bodies leant against the rocks defensively at the track entrance, their weapons raised expectantly as they stared out into the storm. The airport supervisor hissed across them, her voice trembling, ‘We wait for Tregan…once he arrives, we retreat towards the village.’

Shino grimaced, turning to shout across the narrow track, ‘But what if he’s been hit…’ She gestured forward frantically, ‘He could be wounded!’

Riaz winced, his tone nervous, ‘If they are shooting, they probably can’t find him…’ He stared back down the top of his rifle, ‘Once the shooting gets closer I think we will need to move, it sounds like there are quite a few of them…’

Further bursts of fire echoed through the snow, Tregan clambering upwards against the rock, his gloves sliding over the cold iced surface as he heaved his gasping frame upright. Pushing along the jagged surface to the right, he stumbled forward once more, bullets cracking against the stone above him as the shouts behind got nearer.

The cracking of more frozen wood as he stumbled on alerted the numerous pursuers, their exhaled breath surging from exertion as the figures increased their pace, sensing the location of their prey. The figures began to converge towards the southern wall, their boots crunching over the snow as sporadic fire broke out once more, Tregan running as fast as he could along the side of the valley.

He shouted breathlessly, wary of running into friendly fire, the words caught in his throat, his muscles now aching and mind confused in the disorientating snowfall. More branches cracked beneath his feet, his heart beating faster as he lunged forward, the shouts closer behind as more gunfire rang out.

The Trevakian was becoming confused, the disorientation and panic beginning to fill his mind, his senses confused as he failed to find the track. Desperately he called out again, his voice stronger, ‘Where are you?’

Shino grasped the Trevakian marine’s arm next to her, her hiss spreading around them, ‘Shush…I think I heard something…from the right!’

The six soldiers strained their ears, Debra biting the inside of her cheek as she heard the bursts of gunfire through the snow flurries once more, her head shaking in despondency, ‘We will need to move soon, they are getting very close.’ She raised her assault rifle, swallowing hard in her rising terror, ‘Get ready to fire…controlled bursts!’

Tregan was running as fast as he could, voices seeming to swirl around him through his mind in the murk, the snow fall now seeming thicker as his thoughts became more concerned, his chest heaving as his left hand ran along the rock to steady him, his rifle held at waist height in his right. He shouted again, this time his heart jumping as he heard as startled response from Shino, her voice almost pleading ahead as he lunged on.

Staggering along the rock face, he slipped to the left as the track dropped away from the raised fields, dropping to his knees. Rough hands grabbed his arms and frame and propelled him forward as Debra shouted next to him, her visor flashing red, ‘Full burst, then run!’

The assault rifle muzzles flashed, bullets zipping through the cold air as the seven figures turned to run, realising they were heavily outnumbered as shouts spread across the terrain before them, the Silaks attempting to get every available soldier towards the track. Two screams, then gunfire returned, bullets cracking off the rocks and zipping above them as the group turned to run, their combat uniforms pumping adrenalin into their follicles as the suits reacted to the nervousness.

The uniforms seemed slightly lighter as they stumbled along, the boots tensing around their feet as helmets vibrated against their skulls. Tregan was regaining his composure, glancing to either side and seeing Riaz and a marine supporting his shoulders as they ran forward. He pushed himself upwards, the two to either side dropping their hands as the shouting behind became more intensified, the Silaks regrouping at the edge of the track and awaiting their commander.

Tregan hissed at the bodies around him, ‘Keep moving…we need to get back to the outpost!’

Behind them, the Silakian commander approached the grouping of soldiers, his eyes narrowing as one indicated to the track, estimating the number of Trevakians at eight. Indicating for two soldiers to deal with the three wounded, he pointed forward, the grey clad Silak troops running onto the track and after their prey.