When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (27 page)

             
“We lost contact with Nangol less than a year after our evacuation.  We had fled across the galaxy, and by this time the armada was larger than what you have seen. Emperor Anduin and the other Elders decided that our mission was to continue forward and seek out help. It was my suggestion that we reach out to you, and I was humbled when the request was approved
.
”

             
“The Boxti caught up with us a few jumps from your home planet
,”
Anduin said
.“
Not their invasion force, by Darna Wo, but a raiding party. That was what chased us across the galaxy to your front door
.
”

             
Admiral Walker looked skeptical, but gave the aliens some space nonetheless
.“
Yo
u’
ve said their armada is massive. How is it that the
y’
re in so many different systems? How did they find Tallus
?
”

             
“The Boxti are not a single race
,”
Mara began
,“
but rather a civilization built on the backs of slaves. We believe the native Boxti have all but died out, but their goals of conquest remain the same. By the time Nangol fell, over a hundred species had surrendered to the Horde. Their fleet may number in the billions, spread across the galaxy.

             
“Tallus was located near several gas giants, each rich in valuable chemicals. The Boxti most likely stumbled upon it by accident, and they would not have thought to look for any natives
.
”

             
“Why not
?”
Jerry asked.

             
Mara crossed her arms and looked at the Chief of Staff
.“
The Boxti are segregated, and only the higher castes are allowed to make contact with alien races
.
”

             
Alexander and his staff stared at the aliens, unsure what to think. The High Chancellor coul
d’
t help but be angry, yet the creatures seemed sincere in their empathy. Their story was a sad one, and there was no way to know if any of it were true. But turning on humanit
y’
s newfound ally would
n’
t solve anything. He sighed, somewhat exasperated.

             
“I understand that you must be cautious, but how many lives could have been saved if w
e’
d known ahead of time? I would have put Tallus on alert for evacuation as soon as Boxti were spotted in sector
.
”

             
Anduin nodded
.“
I agree, High Chancellor. From now on, my people will share intelligence that is vital to the war effort, no matter how small. And, furthermore, Mara shall be attached to you, for use in whatever manner you deem fit. She will share our culture and knowledge, and assist you in research and development
.
”

             
“Thank you
,”
Alexander said.

             
Mara bowed her head
.“
I will teach you everything I know about our people
.
”

             
“First
,”
the High Chancellor said
,“
I need everything you know about the Boxti
.
”

-                           
III                            -

              Alex
a’
s scouts in the observation posts caught sight of Delta thirty minutes before sunset. A heavily armed section patrol moved through the twisting canyons toward the squa
d’
s position. The soldiers wore the same ballistic uniforms and ceramic plates, but their clothing was red instead of tan, with armor the color of sun-fried bricks. They took their ground carefully, inspecting each turn and choke-point. As the enemy moved closer to the ambush area, a scout sent out a signal, careful not to give away her position.

             
Back in the overhang, Josh heard his radio click twice and moved back to his position in the center of the ambush. He tapped his team leaders on the shoulders, motioning for them to follow. Moving on his stomach, Josh crawled to a spot behind a large boulder. The natural erosion of the stone had created a perfect firing perch. He laid his rifle down, barrel trained at the center of the kill zone, and waited.

             
“Squad, prepare for enemy contact
.”
His voice was calm and cool. He expected it to shake more. Even though it was only training, this was his first time taking command of a squad in simulated combat. Even the small unit drills h
e’
d learned in basic were nothing compared to this. His pulse raced away, heart beating so loud in his ears that he thought the enemy would surely notice. Minutes dragged on while he waited. When the sound of footsteps reached him, he nearly jumped.

             
Their lead element consisted of three riflemen. The soldiers moved slowly into the trap, their carbines at the ready. Every few steps they would halt and listen. It took them two minutes to cross into the center of the kill zone, and they had
n’
t noticed a thing so far. After searching the area with their optics, one of the soldiers dropped to a knee and spoke into his radio. Moments later, the rest of the section walked in.

             
Josh had set his ambush up perfectly. His heavy machine gun team had complete coverage across the engagement area, with blind areas covered by Type 14 Anti-Personnel mines. The rest of the squad, packing Groder-Kelly (GK) Carbines and Monroe Automatic Shotguns, lay trained on the kill zone waiting for the order. There was enough firepower to wreck an armored convoy, let alone a patrol. With surprise on their side, taking on a force twice their size was only slightly less insane.

             
Dax squeezed Jos
h’
s shoulder and pointed to the middle of the group. Lieutenant Mahone, Delt
a’
s XO, was with the unit. They could
n’
t have planned it better. Josh waited until the group was centered in the blast area for his Type 14s, gripped the trigger in both hands, and squeezed down hard.

             
In an instant, the world exploded in noise and light. The three mines erupted with incredible force, sending simulation shrapnel into the patrol. At the same time, the machine guns opened up, cutting through the soldiers in the kill zone with ease. The weapons roared, sounding like jackhammers as they spat out round after round. The silence broken, the entire squad fired into the area, lobbing grenades and shooting with precision. Each soldier had an area of responsibility, and they made sure nothing survived inside of it. In only twenty seconds, the entire patrol lay down on the ground. The simulators triggered small electric shocks in the training uniforms that kept each person in the dirt, preventing cheating and providing psychological feedback for gettin
g“
kille
d”
in action.

             
Josh gave the cease fire, waving his hand palm-outward in front of his face. The steady popping of rifle fire died out, leaving only the quiet aftermath. Careful to move quietly, Josh crept forward with his rifle leading the way. Off the squad leade
r’
s movement, Dax pushed his team forward. When they could see the kill zone, the squad rose and marched forward, weapons trained on the unmoving bodies on the ground. After the support team cleared the area, they set up on the far side and provided security while the assault team repeated the action. The squad kicked weapons away from downed soldiers as they passed, finally setting down on their side of the encircled objective.

             
Josh moved to the center of the formation and called out for his specialty teams. While he planned out the next movement, Dax and Alexa checked on their soldiers. Of all the rounds exchanged between the two companies, no one from Jos
h’
s squad had been hit. Two men from Alex
a’
s fire team ran from body to body, checking for any intelligence on Delt
a’
s location. One popped up suddenly, running over to Josh.

             
“I
t’
s a GPS
,”
he said, out of breath
.“
Coordinates are still active
.
”

             
Josh grinned as he flipped open the handheld device. There, glowing red on the screen, was the exact location of the Delt
a’
s patrol base. He got on the radio immediately, calling for the platoon leader. The line crackled for a moment before connecting.

             
“White one, this is white two
,”
Josh said. He waved Dax over while he waited for a response. The big man jogged over and took a knee. His eyes lit up when he saw the object in Jos
h’
s hand.

             
“This is white one-romeo, send it
.”
The voice on the line was Private Norris, the lieutenan
t’
s radioman. Josh could imagine the scrawny kid lugging his rifle with the communications pack strapped to his shoulders, complaining every step of the way.

             
“White two has confirmation of the package. Coordinates ready to transmit
.”
He pulled out his map, laying it down on the ground and pointing for Dax to mark Delt
a’
s position. Josh took a moment to double-check the grid lines as they intersected near the base, imagining the look of the terrain in his head. He tapped a small plateau, mouthing
right here
to Dax.

             
“White two, this is white one-six
,”
the lieutenant said. Something was happening in the background. Josh could make out sporadic machine-gun fire
.“
Position is overrun. Proceed on mission to new coordinates and execute the package
.
”

             
Shit
, Josh thought
.“
One-six, we can be at your location in twenty minutes
.
”

             
“Negative. Stay on mission
.”
Another explosion caused the line to burst into static
.“
Plan C is in effect. I say again, Plan C is in effect. White one-six is out
.
”

             
The connection ended and the net went silent. The lieutenant had pulled the zero switch, erasing the entire codec from his radio. Josh stared at his handset for a moment, his heart thumping in his ears. Dax looked at him, eyes wide.

             
“W
e’
re it, then
?”
The answer was written on his frien
d’
s face
.“
Are you OK
?
”

             
Josh nodded
.“
Get your team ready. We need to move out
.”
He motioned for Alexa to join him. She jogged over, grinning still from the successful ambush
.“
W
e’
re getting ready to move. Ho
w’
s your team
?
”

             
“Pumped the fuck up
,”
she said
.“
What are our orders
?
”

             
“The PB was overrun. W
e’
re on our own
.
”

             
Alex
a’
s face darkened
.“
Plan C
?
”

             
“I
t’
s in effect
,”
Josh said. He stood up, stretching his back
.“
Squad, w
e’
re moving out
.
”

             
“Sergeant
,”
Alexa started
.“
The platoo
n’
s gone. The company is gone. What the hell are we going to do with barely a section
?
”

             
Dax ordered his men to lead the movement back to the rally point. All of the squa
d’
s equipment had been laid out under guard for their return several hundred meters away. The squad slowly pushed through the canyon, careful to check for a counterattack. The ambush had gone off without a hitch, but that amount of noise never went unnoticed. Even with Delta operating at half strength, they had plenty of warm bodies to send on an investigation.