The Battle for Odalis

by sirglenn

In one of the largest single battles of the war, almost 10,000 Titans attack the planet Odalis after a dispute regarding the delivery of new Combat Operation Vehicles to the IMC. A tower guard barely survives the initial assault only to find himself helping to end the life of an enemy soldier with a weapon that may have a life all its own.

The thermal suit did not feel right to Jacob. Tweaking the controls made his toes feel a little bit warmer, but by then his hands started to feel a little bit colder, as if it were somehow compensating for the increased heat in his toes. He checked the battery supply and found that one of the connectors had come loose from the suit. He sighed and grabbed a roll of battery tape and started to patch it up. Again.

"These damn things always come loose at the worst times. Why can't the Militia ever get any new equipment for us real soldiers? The officers all got issued new thermals last week."

His partner looked over at him with a blank expression on his face, not saying a word. For some reason, that irritated Jacob more than if Ty had simply told him to shut up. After a few moments, Jacob stretched and went over to the console. They were only half way through their shift, but he thought he heard a beep coming from the board. A quick check showed that he was right. Four large COV units were making their way towards the base and Jacob turned up his visor to look at them. With a monstrous gait, it walked across the sand and left deep imprints wherever it went, despite the hardness of the semi-frozen soil. These metallic patrol units were designed to counter Titans during their drop phase with a massive array of missiles and fusion beams. Despite their enormous bulk, each unit could move surprisingly fast when it wanted to. Their disjointed legs moved backwards and forwards so fast, it was sometimes hard to see them with the naked eye unless you knew exactly where to look. The pilots operated them in tandem and jokingly called them spec crabs, but to Jacob it looked more like a giant dancing bug. He watched their approach with a mixture of awe and delight, often marveling at their tremendous size. He always felt safer when they came back to Bravo and he listened as the radio traffic acknowledged their presence.

"Unit twelve here, scans are negative. Returning to base."

"Roger twelve. Debrief at platform one-niner-seven."

Ty grunted. "Glad those things are on our side." He smiled half-heartedly. They were both a bit tired, but it was nice to see Ty still had the energy for a smile. Clearly he felt the same way Jacob did about the machines and that made him feel good. Jacob was in awe of the pilots that operated them too. Unlike a Titan, these specialized metallic behemoths required extensive cooperation and coordination in order to function. He could not imagine how much training went into each and every operator of one. Jacob finished his thought when he heard a small cough. Ty finished smoking a puffer stick and threw it off the end of the tower. Jacob watched it intently for a moment as it fell a hundred feet below them and littered the sandy ground below. It was a silly pleasure, but he loved throwing things off the tower and watching them fall. It may have been a cheap thrill, but fun in any form was hard to come by on the frontier. Particles of light snow drifted past, but they never accumulated deeply on the sand and grass of the steppes. It was always a mixture of brown and white wherever they looked. Time passed and the sun edged closer to the horizon before Jacob responded.

"Yeah, they're something all right." he nodded. "They're so big. It's like watching a space station walk about on the ground. You know what I think, these crabs are clearly a show of might." Growing pensive, he added another thought, "still though, anything could happen. Do you think the rumors have any truth to them?"

"No way Jake. No way. The IMC would have to be crazy to attack here. The whole planet is a fortress. Besides, you know the IMC always follows the letter of the law and as far as I can tell, the whole independence thing here is perfectly legal, even if might seem a bit shady to them."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. It's just that Demeter is close enough to make me nervous and the asteroid miners reported some massive fleet movements there a couple of days ago. Lots and lots of dropships fitted with Titans."

"Relax. I'm here to protect you." Ty gave another half-smile and its magic finally worked on Jacob. He felt the tension easing in his shoulders a bit. He turned and watched the as the last COV went behind the massive wall. Only two patrols were still out and Jacob could not help thinking about the machines and how they were acquired. After the Militia's victory at Hammond Robotics, the Militia had gained a few more systems on the far ends of the frontier. Odalis, the planet they were on now, had originally built the monster machines for the IMC, but they were appropriated from the factory right before a supercarrier could take delivery of them. Odalis notified the IMC about their intention to go independent and then abruptly cancelled their order, almost daring them to attack. That was three months ago and Jacob had been on almost continuous guard duty since then. Firebases dotted the demarcation line for the new independent republic and Firebase Bravo was his new home away from home.

The afternoon passed slowly and the sun kept moving in a lazy arc across the sky. A soft, undefinable sound of some kind caught Jacob's attention, but he did not immediately know what kind of noise it was. More like a low rumble, it occurred at that moment of absolute calm when everyone on the base was at their most relaxed. Jacob and Ty both heard it as it grew louder and they simultaneously focused their attention to the west of the base and its lonely stretch of grassland. The strange rumbling sounded louder now and they both strained their eyes on the distant horizon, believing it to be an infrasound of some type. Suddenly their boards lighted up with reddish-purple pings marking the location of the sound.

"Jake, Titanfall signatures. Lots and lots of them. At the far edge of sensor range."

Jacob grabbed his radio and tried to remain calm. "Tower zero-niner-two, base, check your board. We are reading T-Atmo signatures. Lots of them."

"Roger, we don't have it yet, but we're on scramble. Tower, check for decoy pingers. IMC has been using 'em this far out. Can you confirm with a visual?"

Jacob looked over at Ty's face while he was holding his spotter scope and got all the confirmation he needed without even looking back out the window. He spoke with a quiet sadness in his voice, "Tower confirms. Attack is imminent. Orders?"

"Tower, pull back to base A.S.A.P. and assist with any deployment if you have time." There was a slight pause. "Good luck and thanks for being our eyes and ears."

"Tower out." Jacob and Ty looked at each other. There was a moment of clarity when both men knew they were about to be killed. Ty spoke first.

"No point in running. No point at all. Looks like our watch drew the short straw. There are at least eight or nine hundred Titans moving towards the gate at full speed. We'll never make it down in time. We both know it."

"Right… you're right. Maybe we can take one or two of them out in the meantime though. Make 'em pay for the ground at least. It'll be nice to die a hero. I mean, that is all I can think of to be thankful for." Jacob looked down a moment and said a silent prayer for him and his friend. He then lifted a sidewinder anti-Titan launcher and took off the safety. Ty hoisted an Archer rocket tube up onto his shoulder and they both took careful aim at the lumbering figures galloping towards them through the fleeting sunlight. The Stryder Titans seemed to be moving with incredible speed and the first line of them approached the tower in a classic wedge formation. As they came within range of their weapons, both men tightened up as they watched thousands of missiles launched towards their base. Jacob remembered pulling the trigger of his weapon and also the warm blast of compressed air that seemed to suck his breath away. After that, there was an incredible sensation of weightlessness before his whole world went black.

Waking up was not something Jacob had planned on doing. A medical bot injected him with a long needle of some kind and he felt himself slowly becoming more alert. He felt a small glimmer of hope rising up in his heart that he might have survived the attack. If medical bots were roaming free and helping the wounded, their base might also still be intact at some level of functioning. He tried to sit up but the bot pushed him back down and issued a warning beep. It then injected him with another chemical and only then gave an all clear tone. His lower leg had been splinted with a securecase, so it was safe to walk on, but a limp was sure to follow. It was only a temporary fix, but at least he could go into the medical wing later on his own two feet, when things calmed down a bit. He looked over at where Ty had been and saw the black band on his arm, knowing that the bot had already pronounced him dead at the scene. It looked like Ty had gotten sandwiched between the tower and the wall when the tower corkscrewed on its base into the ground. Ty's datatag had also been collected by the bot, so there was nothing left for Jacob to do there. Instead, he patted Ty once on the arm with a gesture of respect and left on foot toward the front gates of the firebase.

The destruction Jacob witnessed there was nothing short of incredible. Mounds of Titans lay heaped up in circles where arc bombs had blasted quarter-kilometer holes in the ground. COVs and retaining walls were reduced to piles of bricks and durasteel. Dead bodies and small fires littered the ground in every direction. It had been a battle of epic proportions. He stopped Marcus, a corporal that he knew from his unit and asked a few questions. The corporal had been scrambling around dragging bodies out of the rubble, but stopped for a moment because he had recognized Jacob and they had a history. Both had been on previous Militia raiding parties together and raiders always stuck together like brothers, it was a Militia tradition.

"Jake, weren't you in the tower when they hit?"

"Yeah. Third watch. Ty Corbison too. They hit it hard. Ty's gone, but I survived the bounce." Jacob looked down at his leg self-consciously. "Mostly."

"You're one lucky SOB. It's pretty cool what you did. Those few seconds you guys bought us allowed the COVs to scramble. That last patrol unit was able to turn around and bottle them up for a while at the main gate. All seven firebases planetside were hit and this one and Echo are the only two still standing. They estimate the IMC threw over ten thousand Titans into the battle here. It might be the largest single battle of the war."

"Man, I still don't believe it. I don't mind telling you I was scared spitless when I saw them."

"I know, I know. Listen, I need to keep working. Sorry to hear about Ty. I have to get back to this though. There are more survivors out here. Us and them. Go get your leg looked at."

"The med station is swamped. I can wait."

"I'm still a corporal, even if we're buds Jake, that's an order."

Jacob nodded and headed off in the direction of the hospital. Even with the expertly-placed cast and the pain meds, his leg was still hurting him, so he knew the damage had been severe. He heard a small moan in a pile of debris a few feet away and saw an enemy pilot trying to crawl out of the rubble. He could see the massive hole in her chest and the blood-soaked ground all around. Even if she had a med bot with her at that exact moment, he knew the pilot was done for. She was so pathetic in her cries that he tamped down his hatred of the enemy long enough to feel empathy for her as a person. She was obviously no threat to him and it was clear by her movements that she was suffering greatly. He sat down next to the pilot in the sandy soil and turned her struggling body over to free her trapped arm and make her a bit more comfortable. He was surprised at how light she was and even more surprised at the cascade of reddish hair that fell out of the IMC helmet when he pulled it off. Her face was smeared with streaks of blood and bile and he felt sorry that she had to die in such an awful fashion. He managed to give her a small sip of water from his hydration pack and her eyes softened. Her breathing was labored, but she still managed to speak after clearing her throat.

"Soldier, where am I? What planet I mean? I don't want to draw my last breath on a damned grid coordinate."

"You're on the planet Odalis, near the far edge of the frontier." Jacob paused and contemplated what to say for a moment. "The sunsets are pretty nice when the wind blows the sand around just right."

She grimaced through the pain. "Thanks for spending a moment with me. I am forever indebted to you. It looks pretty bad, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, even a med bot would have trouble with all of this. I wish I had something to give you for the pain."

Thank you, but I have a request to make of you. Would you do me the honor of ending my pain? My pistol will know what to do. She is yours now and you must keep her safe."

Jacob seemed perplexed for moment and then figured that the pain must be making the pilot delusional. Still, it was a good trade for him. He took out her smart pistol and replaced it with his old beat-up Hammond Burster, a second-hand piece of junk that he was glad to be rid of. The new gun felt strangely comforting in his hand and he felt a certain calmness come over his body. Her words seemed to resonate with him. But he did not want to have to kill her, so he resisted the feeling.

"I don't need to watch you die here pilot. You might survive long enough to make it in for a med treatment. There are bots that will get to you after treating our own wounded."

She shook her head and then spoke quietly, but with conviction. "So I can serve ten years in a Militia POW camp? No thank you. Ten years is the minimum sentence now if you're lucky. There's no time anyway now. I'm done for." She adjusted herself for a moment and her struggling grew less restless. After a while, she spoke again with a touch of stoicism. "I'm a pilot troop. I want to die in battle, like my brothers and sisters before me. We all have our ways."

Jacob nodded, but tried one more tactic with her. "I'm not supposed to kill disarmed soldiers, even if they are IMC."

"Listen to me, I understand you don't want to do this, but we've all been trying to kill each other since this never-ending war began. I'm just asking you to do me the honor of killing me for a good reason, instead of because some officer you've never met ordered you to do it. Please, I'm begging you, the pain is unbearable."

Jacob thought about it for another minute or two. "I don't know."

"Just take off the safety. Please. She'll know what to do."

Jacob readjusted her a bit in his arms and she winced with the discomfort. He tried to soothe her, but he could tell she was losing her battle with the pain. He drew out the pistol and she stopped for a moment and looked up at him tenderly. "Thank you for doing this."

Jacob nodded and flicked the safety off the handle. The gun powered up on its own and quickly shot the pilot once in the temple before he even had a chance to react. He was so startled; he almost dropped her and let her roll off his legs, but he caught her just in time and then set her gently down on the ground, standing up slowly as he did so. Jacob then bent over and reached around her neck reflexively, grabbed her datatag and then stood back up. As he did that, he heard a menacing voice come from directly behind him.

"Don't touch her, Militia scum. You already killed her like the slimy coward you are."

Jacob turned around slowly to face the voice and saw an enemy pilot standing a few meters away from him, holding a compact submachine gun in his hand. He could see the pilot's finger on the trigger, itchy for revenge.

"She asked me to help her die. I didn't want to do it." Jacob hated pleading for his life, but he could think of nothing else to do at that point. The smart pistol was dangling uselessly from his right hand and pointed towards the ground. Strangely, even though he knew he was beaten, a feeling of confidence swept over him and he did not give into his defeat. He might have a few years ago, but he felt like a changed man over the course of the day's events. He made up his mind right then and there to plead no more. The IMC pilot gave him no credence though. He just glared at him like some kind of insect he was about to step on.

"I'm going to execute you like the vermin you are." He spoke and his evil grin chilled Jacob to the bone. He felt scared for his life, but suddenly an eerie calm overtook him and he spoke in a low and measured tone.

"No you're not pilot. If you dare draw that weapon against me, I'm going to shoot you three times in the head before you can even pull your trigger."

Jacob did not know what made him say that, be he stared back evenly, startled at his own words and meeting the pilot's gaze without an ounce of fear. In that instant he realized that he knew something the pilot did not. He knew that he could not be bested by him, no matter how quick the pilot was, he knew he would prevail. The enemy pilot could not believe what he had just heard. Anger and hatred bubbled up in his face. The submachine gun moved up a couple of inches and Jacob reacted like a man possessed. The smart pistol flew up into his sightline at incredible speed. Jacob stepped to the side as if shoved by an unseen force and he fired three bullets into the head of the pilot with one pull of his trigger. Somehow the auto burst feature had activated and then turned itself back off after it finished shooting. Jacob had fired and re-holstered his weapon before the pilot even hit the ground. He was so stunned by the turn of events that he did not immediately see the other soldiers standing there. It was only after a meaty hand clasped onto his shoulder from behind and shook him that he started to come out of his stupor. It was a Tech Sergeant from the Fifth Battalion and he had a couple of privates with him. All of them stood there with their mouths open.

"Private, How the hell did you do that? You shot him down before he could blink. Hell, before I could even blink. He was about to kill all four of us."

"I don't know, I just reacted." His body started to shake with the dump of adrenalin that flowed through his veins.

"I'm putting you in for a citation for this." He grabbed Jacob's datatag and put it next to his command reader. A few moments later, Jacob's datatag beeped with new information. The sergeant looked over at him and smiled. "There is something else troop, I put in the citation, but I also put in a personal recommendation that you get sent to pilot school. The Militia needs men like you."

"But… but I'm just a grunt Sarge."

"That may be son, but you're the fastest grunt I've ever seen. Hell, you just single-handedly gunned down a psycho pilot who had the drop on you and saved all of our lives."

"A pilot? Really? You're putting me in for pilot school? Are you sure about that?"

"Well I'll tell you this much, if you manage to make it through their training, you'll be the very first pilot I ever saluted with genuine respect. A lot of those guys are full of themselves and think we're just a bunch of expendable fodder, but you're different, you're one of us. I don't know how far you can go with that crazy bunch of wingnuts, but for right now I'll settle for a handshake with the guy who lets me go home tonight."

Jacob nodded, shook the sergeant's hand and then let them go back about their business. When he turned the corner out of their sight, he pulled the pistol out of its holster again and looked it over carefully. It looked like any other weapon he had ever seen, except that it was more greenish than the usual black. He whispered to it "I'm not sure you can understand me, but if you do, thank you." A strange feeling of love and warmth spread over him that made him smile. He put the pistol away and started the long and painful walk back to the medical wing, limping as he went. For a moment, his gaze caught sight of the crimson sun as its last rays drifted through the acrid smoke. It made him reflect on all that had happened and the enemy pilot who wanted him to have her most prized possession. Jacob's head was swimming and he was filled with excitement over the new adventures he were certain lie ahead of him. For the first time in a long time, Pilot Trainee Jacob Vorloff felt like anything was possible.