Wrath of Axia (The Arcadian Jihad) (24 page)

“It suits you, Constantine. You look just like a general officer.”

He grunted. “What about you two, why are you wearing those clothes?”

“All part of the plan,” Berg smiled. “We’re rats deserting the sinking ship, that’s what they’ll think if they see us. Civilians fleeing the city so that we’re not caught up when the enemy storm the walls.”

Max snorted. “They couldn’t storm a damn tool shed.”

“Admiral, what are my orders today?”

“Captain Blas, I agree that to sit here and wait for them to attack us would be fatal. I’m taking you up on your gamble, so I want you to lead our armored force out through the gate and give them hell.”

“With pleasure, Sir.”

Tell walked across to join them. “Never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter.”

Blas grinned. “Another quotation, Sir.”

Tell nodded. “Yes, it is one to think hard about. War is indeed an uncertain business.”

“I’ll bear it in mind, Sir.”

He turned to Rusal. “Do you have any particular target in mind, or just tear into them.”

Rusal smiled. “I think that will do nicely. If you can take them by surprise, you should be able to do massive damage. They won’t be expecting you to attack their massive force with only three hundred vehicles.”

Tell spoke again. “This could be a turning point. If you hit them hard enough, they could be so demoralized that never again will they have the courage to carry the battle to our forces. When Mr. Smetana’s force hits them from behind, well, Gentlemen, I hope they’ll throw down their weapons and surrender.”

Berg laughed. “Mr. President, those men have been threatened with the hangman’s noose if they turn and run or refuse to fight. They won’t run. That would take more courage than to stand here and fight. The best we can hope for is that their fighting spirit will be damaged beyond repair. We can hurt them, and we can sap their morale, but militarily we cannot defeat them. There are too many of them. Their defeat has to come from within.”

Tell nodded. “So be it. I wish you all good luck and a famous victory.”

Blas donned his armor and carrying his helmet and laser rifle walked out to his waiting vehicles. When he climbed into his own lead vehicle, a very short trooper sat manning the heavy gun.

“Saffron! By all the stars, what are you doing here? I can’t afford to lose you, not now. Please, wait inside the city.”

She turned to look at him. She was wearing full armor and a helmet like him.

“I cannot, Constantine. You know I made a promise to protect you, and I am bound by that promise. I am also bound by my feelings for you. Believe me, you will be safer with me in your vehicle, you know why.”

He looked across at his driver and comms officer, Lieutenant Jeffers.

“If Saffron can give us an edge, Sir, I’m all for it,” Jeffers said. “You know, if she can use that Orphexian magic to stop some of the incoming fire, so much the better.”

His driver, Corporal Bradley nodded. “I’m for it.”

He could sense that Saffron was smiling. She looked so absurd in the huge armor that swamped her tiny frame, with the helmet that seemed to double the size of her head. He knew when he was beaten. He only prayed that she wouldn’t get hurt. Had there ever been a woman who would change her mind when a man asked her to do it? He doubted it. And Orphexian women? It was like trying to divert a Heavy Battlecruiser with a laser pistol. He stood up in the turret so that his men could see him. He noticed the new banner, the red and blue pennant that fluttered proudly on the comms mast. He looked around at his command, his three hundred. They were ready. He shouted the command, preferring to do this personally.

“Battalion, advance!”

He held the grab bar as his driver surged forward, and behind him his gallant three hundred followed. The men on the gate were ready, for the gates opened and they surged out onto the plain. He dropped down into the cabin and keyed the microphone.

“Full speed, President Tell wants us to give them hell, so let’s make sure we do just that, men.”

He heard the cheering over the roar of the tracks and engines. If anyone could do it, they could.

System Standard 2734.1644 Battlecruiser Sword of Axia, Planet Cadmus

Grand Admiral Rad Bose sat in front of the visiconn in his cabin. This was one call he wasn’t comfortable about taking on the bridge. He’d narrowly survived the attack on the spaceport only to get back on board the Sword of Axia to have to face a threatened mutiny. Even the Master-at-Arms had looked uncomfortable when he demanded that the man go out and shoot some of the mutinous scum.

“It’s like this, Admiral. I could go out and shoot half the crew, but they’d find a way to get back at me afterwards. If I’m to enforce an order, it has to be one that the crew is not so unhappy with.”

“Damnit, Master, it’s your job to keep order on this ship.”

“Yes, Sir, it is. Shooting some of the crew would achieve the opposite. It won’t work, and it could easily provoke a mutiny.”

“Tell what would work, man?”

“Speak to this Xerxes Tell who says he is the President, and find out who is telling the truth. If he’s lying, I’ll shoot him myself.”

It was the one thing he couldn’t do because the man was telling the truth. How the hell could Pieter have ever let him escape? He’d have his balls for this. He looked up as the chime sounded. His call from Axis Nova was coming in.

“Mr. President, Sir. It’s good to hear from you.”

Fabian Bartok gave a faint smile. “I doubt that, Admiral. What’s happening there, have you arrested the impostor?”

“No, Sir, he escaped again. I’m very sorry.”

“Sorry! I know he escaped, you half-wit. Do you know where he is now?”

“No, Sir.”

“On Planet Isolde, the naval shipyards, that’s where.”

“Oh, fuck,” Bose said before he could stop himself.

“Oh, fuck indeed. You know why they’ve gone there, don’t you?”

“To get ships, Sir.”

“To get a fleet, and crews, and armaments to attack me here on Axis Nova while you sit on your ass on Cadmus. Get yourself to Isolde and put a stop to it, Bose. My troops are holding them but they’ll need reinforcements. Use your marine force.”

“Sir, you made me take off without them, if you remember. When we left Hesperia.”

“Then use your crew to fight!”

“Sir, the crew is unhappy. Some of them have refused to even operate the ship. I’ll be hard put to even get off the planet.”

“Admiral Bose, I trust you’re not serious. If they refuse to fly the ship, kill them.”

Bose told the President about the Master-at-Arms’ refusal to do just that.

“Then kill him, too!” Bartok screamed. “I don’t care if you have to fly that ship with ten men! You get it into space and on the way to Isolde. I don’t believe this. If that ship hasn’t taken off inside of four hours, you will be relieved of your command, and I shall replace you with your Political Officer. It’s Chad Moss, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Very well, see to it. Admiral, remember you have four hours to get moving. I shall meet you in orbit above Isolde.”

“Sir? You’re bringing out the Victorious?”

“I am, together with the fleet and my Presidential escort. My predecessor made the mistake of splitting his forces and letting the enemy come to him. This time I shall take the war to them and destroy them before they get their miserable rebellion off the ground. We shall see how they cope with a Super Heavy Battlecruiser.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“By the way,” Bartok said, almost as an aside. “I am taking over as Commander in Chief for the duration of this emergency. You may concentrate on running your ships, Admiral, and leave matters of strategy and tactics to me. People tell me that I have a certain skill in these matters, so it is time to put it to good use.”

Bose could have replied that his ill-fated predecessor had made exactly the same mistake, but thought better of it. He had enough worries of his own, apart from getting this ship off the ground. If Bartok ever found that he’d had the real Xerxes Tell in his clutches for so long, he’d be thrown out through the nearest airlock. He’d already worked out who he would blame for that one. A pity his poor brother would have to be sacrificed, but the entire Bose Corporation holdings would come to him. It was a worthwhile exchange. Three hours later, his ship, the Sword of Axia blasted off from Cadmus. They left the bodies of two hundred and seventy eight crewmen on Cadmus. All of them were shot through the back of the neck, including the reluctant Master-at-Arms. Rad Bose was a military man, and he’d obeyed his orders.

System Standard 2734.1646 Planet Isolde

They’d started well. The defenders had been caught napping, and they ran for their vehicles, retreating in disarray, a beaten rabble. But the enemy commander was no stranger to battle or to fighting with reluctant, demoralized troops. He’d built a blocking line ten miles behind his main position, so the fleeing men ran straight into a barrage of heavy laser fire. The troops faltered, appalled at their losses to their own troops. They stopped and their commanders reformed them into fighting squads. It was enough to defend themselves from their tormentors even if they were not yet ready to attack. Blas’ vehicles ran headlong into their ambush. His first sign that something was wrong was the salvo of heavy laser fire that smacked against the hull.

“They’ve stopped running and turned,” he shouted. “Everyone, take cover, they’ve gone into defilade. We’ll need to take them one by one. Those troops equipped to destroy armor on foot, dismount and find your targets.”

His own driver swerved behind a low mound of earth and came to a stop. The gun barrel was able to fire over the top of the mound, so they were sheltered from the worst of the incoming fire. Blas noted to his satisfaction that most of the other vehicles had taken similar cover, although six ASFVs were burning fiercely. He didn’t need to shout orders at Saffron since she handled the gun like a twenty-year veteran. Neither did he need to worry about enemy fire, as apart from the odd stray salvo the enemy was not targeting his vehicle. He knew why. Saffron. She was protecting him, just as she’d agreed with Evelyn. At least it gave him a chance to direct the battle more effectively. He saw the armor-destroying infantry moving into position. Their task was a nightmare, to get close enough to the enemy to destroy them with projectile grenades. It was the most dangerous task in the unit, yet there was no shortage of volunteers. Successful tank destroyers were guaranteed promotion, and a trooper would become a sergeant, a sergeant an officer. There were no unsuccessful tank destroyers.

He could see a group of them bunched in a shallow depression in the ground. The heavy defensive fire stopped them from going forward. He had no alternative, as he was their commander.

“All vehicles, the tank destroyers are in trouble. The enemy headquarters is three miles ahead of us, that’s not far. We can give them a fright and take the heat off our men at the same time. Vector two three zero, go now! Maximum speed, fire at will. I want us to roll right over their commanders. Go now!”

His driver accelerated from behind their cover, out onto the open plain. Before they’d covered half a mile they were taking heavy fire. Even Saffron’s power couldn’t stop them being hit by the gunfire that tore up the space between the two forces. The enemy was sheltering only another half mile in front of them, cowering under the guns of the Tricon blocking troops. But it wasn’t enough. Blas lost another eight of his vehicles, but they were almost on the enemy and he could see them starting to turn their guns onto the line of Battle police that stood implacably to close off their escape. The lasers flew all ways, and it was impossible to tell who was shooting at who as the terrified defenders blasted their way through to make their escape.

“All vehicles! Take immediate cover and wait this one out,” he called across the comms net. If they were killing each other, he didn’t see any point in offering them more targets. His men deployed behind what cover they could find and waited out the battle as friend slaughtered friend. Many of the escapers broke through, killing their own in the process. Blas was about to order the advance once more. It would be a huge victory if they could take the enemy headquarters. The message came through seconds before he gave the order.

“This is headquarters, our scouts report ten battalions of armored vehicles rushing forward to reinforce the enemy. Retreat immediately, Constantine, they’re almost on you.”

His crew turned dulled, tired eyes towards him. They’d nearly done it, now this.

“We’ll fight them another day,” Saffron said.

“Yes, you’re right.”

But it would have been nice to beat them this day. He keyed the comms switch.

“All units, return to the city and go back to headquarters. An overwhelming enemy force is approaching. Break off now and go, full speed back to the city, everybody.”