Chapter 2 - Press On
The dust settled as Rico picked his head up from the sands of Klendathu's surface. The battlefield fell into a hush of silence. A silence that made him feel all too uneasy. He brought himself up to a knee, sighting down his rifle and sweeping the area for life. He could pick up the life signatures of his platoon, not a casualty to be accounted for. He looked up to the night sky that casted the planet into a pitch black. His night vision activated, showing him the empty void of Klendathu's skies. His first drop on Klendathu flashed through his mind. The darkness of the night's sky and the silence before their first encounter. His jaw clenched as he thought about Keenan and Tsitzumi. Their bodies dismembered and mangled, thrown to the other bugs to be torn apart. Rico shook his thoughts free of his mind as he rooted himself back into the situation at hand.
"Rico," Ace called from behind him. Rico turned to see Ace had his helmet retracted. His hair still void of color and spiked upwards. His face seemingly hadn't changed one bit. Rico retracted his helmet, exposing the wide smirk on his face at the thought that Ace still looked like a weasel. A weasel with a grotesque scar that stretched across his cheek bone.
"I see you've had a visit from the bug exterior designers?" Rico said with a sarcastic tone.
"You and me both," Ace replied with a chuckle. "Bug tried to take my head off. Thankfully, he was just a little too slow."
"How does it feel to be back where it all began?" Rico asked him as he shouldered his rifle.
"I didn't think we would make it off this rock the first time, much less be alive this deep into the war." Ace looked off into the distance, "I've got a bad feeling about this place Johnny. Feels like it should be our final resting place or something."
"Cut it trooper," Rico cut in, "we aren't dying. Not on this rock."
The two platoons began to move to their next objective. Their formation was loose to insure a proper defense in the event of an ambush. Helmets were all retracted in the night's sky as they each breathed in Klendathu's air. "So how the hell did Ace Leavey end up as the commander of a platoon?"
"We lost our commanding officer time and time again. Young men who thought they could just come in from the academy and fight the bugs with shitty tactics. The Mobile Infantry took note of me saving all of our asses every mission and deemed me suited for the job. After my screw up on Invasion Day, I never thought I would see a position of power again."
"We can do things differently, keep more of our guys alive and hopefully make it off this hell hole for the second time." Rico's words were void of optimism. The two fell into a momentary silence that was broken by the sound of another trooper's voice.
"May I join you sir?" She asked.
"At ease trooper, no need to be so formal. This will technically count as our R&R." Rico joked.
"You're barking up the wrong tree there bud, she's about as stiff as the ground beneath our feet. My natural stick in the ass," Ace joked about his trooper. Her chest rig read "Deadeye" and judging by the length of her rifle, Rico could tell she was the platoon sniper.
"She'll come around," Rico said. "Helmets up!" He called out as he heard the bugs of f in the distance. Just from his ears he could tell they were over a few thousand meters away but in mass numbers. His night vision took hold as he zoomed in on the distance, scanning for any of the men set on watching the parameter. "Ace, any word from the vanguard?" Rico asked. It took a few blinks to open a secure channel to Ace's helmet.
"Not a word," Ace responded. "Don't tell me these guys got swarmed." Riggs shot his hand up and motioned to the south. He was more than just an explosives expert. He could track a bug for miles like a hound hunting for ducks. Rico often referred to him as his bug radar. Harpy quickly positioned herself next to Deadeye, motioning to the north of their position and draping to a knee and zooming in, acting as a spotter. Her zoom went blurry for a moment then focused in on the helmet of a trooper.
"Sir, Vector Platoon incoming. Something's on their ass because they're moving." Harpy called out.
"Troopers!" Rico called for their attention. Each trooper averted their gaze to Rico. "Form up along that ridge line and cover Vector. Once they're clear, light up whatever is on their asses." Just as they took their positions, Vector jumped and landed behind their positions. The troopers aimed down their sights, ready to meet with the inevitable.
"We have a problem sir!" The platoon leader shouted. "There's a swarm coming, bigger than expected and more bugs on their way to join them. We have maybe a half hour before they reach this position."
"No time to retreat, they will be on our asses, what's the call?" Ace asked.
"If those bugs storm past us they will have a clear way to the main LZ just south of this position. This is their counter offensive so we hold them here." Rico looked around and found a rock platform that stood roughly twenty meters hold up on that platform. Riggs, set this canyon pass to blow, if we can slow them down we can pick them off."
"I've got torrents," Vector's platoon leader said. Within seconds four torrents were set around the platform in all directions. The troopers took their positions on the platform.
"Five minutes out sir," Deadeye announced as she looked through her scope. Ratzass took a knee as the shrieks of the Arachnids began. They were faint but audible. It took seconds for them to grow louder. The first Arachnid stood at the opening of the canyon, extending its mandibles before shrieking in a call to its allies.
"Shit, contact!" A trooper called. The first two torrents began to whine as the barrels spun. The rounds spit from the barrel at an alarming rate, rendering what was a dangerous creature to a body of holes. Its body broke into pieces as the high caliber bullets ripped through its exoskeleton. More bugs rushed through the canyon into the clearing.
"Riggs blow it!" Rico called.
"Gladly," Riggs pressed his thumb on the detonator, blowing the many charges set along the canyon walls. Arachnid bodies were thrown as the collective explosions went off. Even through the chaos, the bugs kept their momentum. Their forward charge was unmatched.
"Shit, fire at will!" Ace called before squeezing the trigger of his rifle. The battlefield lit up with the many muzzle flashes of rifles and torrent guns. The warrior bugs were torn apart as their limbs blew off with the force of the high caliber rounds slicing through their armored skin. Crawling over one another and knocked the dying aside, the Arachnids still pushed forward. Deadeye took aim and shot the arachnids she could find as the most healthy moving forward. She was ensuring that not a single bug got close without falling to the sands dead.
"Holy shit," Riggs said as a burst of arachnids pushed forward, more aggressive in nature. The bugs rushed the platform, smashing their bodies into it from the shere momentum of their speed. Ratzass aimed down the edge, blowing off body parts as he emptied his magazine into the bugs below.
"Something's up Ace, the bugs are way too aggressive even for a planet assault." Rico said.
"Well them lets blow them all to hell and worry about it later, hey tech head!" Ace called out to his communications trooper.
"Yes sir? He turned from his position and retreated into the mass of troopers. His position was quickly taken by a trooper from Vector Platoon.
"Get on coms and tell Fleet to blas this horde of bugs, tell them its a priority one situation, we have a queen in transport."
"Are you sure that's what's going on sir?"
"Don't question me trooper do it!" Ace yelled as he returned to his position to contribute to the battle.
"Vector, tighten up on the right flank!" Rico yelled. The bodies of the arachnids began to pile up as more attempted to climb over the dead and dying. An arachnid made its way to the platform, snapping its jaws at Hudson but was met with the faces of multiple barrels and a hell storm of bullets. Its body crashed into the dead, mixing with the lifeless pile. Rico took a step back, letting Ratzass take his firing position to get the attention of the communications technician. "Where the hell is our air support?"
"Fleet sent a bombing squad out and it should have reached us by now." The trooper was visibly shaken. Rico couldn't see his armor shake but he could tell by his posture the young man was shaking in his boots. "What do we do?"
"We fight, no bug makes it past this clearing." Rico turned his back to the trooper before returning to his firing position. The bugs continued their push, inching ever so close. An arachnid managed to reach the troopers just before dying. As its body dropped, its front mandible jammed into the upper quadricep of a trooper. He instantly cried out in pain as the heavy body of the arachnid slid backwards, dragging the mandible through his armor, flesh and bone, ripping open his leg and knee cap. As he fell to the ground two of the three medic troopers pulled him to the middle of the formation and instantly began working on closing the wound and patching the gash.
"You're gonna make it Jones just hold on." The medic said calmly through his screams. She rushed through her medic pack to find the binding gel to close his wound as the other medic administered the anesthetics. Jones calmed as he no longer felt the pain of his injury, giving the medics the time to patch him up. "See, good as new," she said sarcastically before holding up her rifle.
"Sir," Riggs said as he activated his shoulder rockets, "I can blow as many of them to hell as I.."
"Stow it trooper, save the payload for the plasma bugs!" Rico cut him short as he continued to fire. "We are a no go for air support people, we have to push the bugs back ourselves!" Ace stood to his feet and jumped into the clump of dead bugs. His eyes narrowed as he slowed his breathing to think clearly. His muscles tensed and were ready to meet every action with a pure instinctual reaction. Behind him followed his platoon of troopers. They were no stranger to close quarters with the arachnids. Ace rolled to his right, avoiding a swing of a mandible before firing a well aimed round into its nerve cluster, dropping the insectoid in just one shot.
"Let's back them up!" The leader of Vector yelled. His men cleared the left and right flank of the platform before jumping into the onslaught. The Roughnecks brought up the rear, making sure none of the platoons were attacked from behind as they made their push. Radio chatter came in from close by platoons, the convo of bugs was now facing an assault from multiple fronts.
"Just how many bugs are transporting this thing? Ratzass asked.
"Sir I have five platoons ahead confirmed to be engaging the convo," Harpy added.
"Then let's blow them all to hell, we kill a queen and we strike a major blow!" Rico and his men pushed forward to stand along the other two platoons. Hudson took a knee, squeezing rounds into a still crawling warrior bug before pivoting to his right to catch the arachnid that hid just over the cliff, waiting to snatch someone. A hole formed in the ground in the back ranks. Deadeye and Riggs turned to quickly pacify the oncoming bugs. James slowly turned himself to assist as well. Their combined efforts killed the three warriors that sprung from the hole. The fourth hadn't had the chance to surface before Riggs closed the hole with a grenade. The radio chatter picked up, screams of terror, pain and orders rang through their communications system. The sounds almost caused Rico to miss the sound of the bombing squad. His eyes widened as he watched them pass over head.
"Get down!" Rico yelled before diving for the ground. Everyone threw their bodies to the ground just as the canisters his the sands and bounced into their explosions. The battlefield flashed a bright light before falling back to the darkness of the Klendathu night. Again the silence but this time only for a moment as the sound of the bombing squads coming back for another pass were heard. "On your feet troopers!" Rico ordered as he stood up. "We need to move, on the bounce!" All three platoons activated their jump jets in a desperate attempt to escape the firepower of Fleet. The troopers jumped over the edge of a nearby cliff, sliding down the sandy side and using it as cover from the explosions.
"Sound off," Vector's leader called. The troopers one by one called out their call signs signifying they were still alive.
"That's one hell of a way to get air support," Ratzass said. "I wonder who's killing more of us, the bugs or Fleet?"
"M.I. does the dying and Fleet does the flying," Ace chimed in as he stood to his feet. "Form up you apes, we still have work to do. The troopers returned to their march on mission taking what the troopers felt was an eternity to cover the ground they lost. Deadeye and D were over eight hundred meters ahead, scouting the terrain for any ambush. Ratzass was in the rear with a few of Ace's men. Riggs and Harpy stood with Ace and Rico in the middle, keeping eyes on they sky. They entered another open field, their radios picking up chatter and the flashing lights from muzzle flashes could be seen in the distance.
"Four hundred meters to the target," D radioed in. Rico raised his fist, signifying the formation of troopers to hold their position.
"Weapons at the ready, we are going to run and gun. Flank the bugs and catch them by surprise while they're still focused on the forces they are dealing with." Rico ordered. He readied his rifle and bent his knees slightly to prepare for the run ahead. "Prepare to engage," Rico ordered. He hadn't needed to turn to know his men were ready to dive into battle. "Engage!" Rico pressed forward quickly followed by Ace, Ratzass, Harpy and Riggs. D and Deadeye took up positions in the rear. Their jump jets activated and in just one jump, they were almost face to face with the enemy. Rico was the first to land on the body of a bug he disposed of as soon as he reached the peak of his jump. Two more warrior bugs charged his position but were quickly put down by his landing forces. The combined efforts of the three platoons pushed the bugs back just enough to see the troopers in a desperate fight for their lives.
"We have support, watch your fire to the left flank!" A trooper called out. "Punch them a hole through the bug defense and take that damn plasma bug down!" His troopers wore black armor, signifying they were the marines of the Mobile Infantry. Some called them the best of the best but even in a swarm, a platoon of marines is no match for the bugs. They were down to the last ten men and fighting frantically to keep the ground they lost so many to gain. Ace and ratzass pushed forward first, firing in a sweeping motion to pepper the bugs in bullets to soften their ranks.
"Riggs, get ready," Rico called out as he rushed forward, dropping two bugs with the help of Hudson who was catching up to his position. Vector Platoon decided to aid the remaining marines by joining ranks. Ace kept his forces back in case of surprise while still holding off the bulk of the bug swarm. They slowly punched a hole in the bugs formation with a clear shot to the plasma bug. "Riggs you know what to do!" Riggs didn't speak to confirm his orders, he was already running at top speed. He kept a consistent flow of fire while he ran to keep the bugs off him.
"Covering fire!" Harpy yelled as she turned her attention to Riggs. The bugs caught on and turned their full attention to Riggs as well. He kept moving, one foot in front of the other as his rifle continued to spit round after round until it clicked empty and detached the empty magazine. Riggs rolled forward to avoid the jaws of an Arachnid and seconds later, its body was reduced to a bloody stump as multiple lines of fire crossed over it. Sliding a fresh magazine into his rifle's feeding chamber, Riggs stayed on a knee, hitting a warrior bug in the nerve cluster and dropping it instantly. He stood to his feet again, running for the target. Around him bullets whizzed by, slightly missing him just over the shoulder or past his body to keep the bugs off of him long enough. He could see the flash of blue as the plasma bug charged another shot powerful enough to cripple if not destroy a starship. With only two blinks his suit's targeting system activated and the canister on his shoulder slung over. The hatch opened as the target locked and the nuke jettisoned from the canister.
"Everyone fall back!" Rico called. Riggs turned on his heel and instantly jumped as far as he could away. He was still meters from his team but kept running as the nuke lurched closer and closer to the plasma bug. The area flashed white, even with their backs turned to the blast they were blinded and their bodies thrown to the sands yet again. The thunderous sound of the explosion followed moments later. The skies settled back to the darkness and the silence engulfed the battlefield. Troopers regained their composure and turned to see the charred carcases of the bug swarm from the blast.
"Anyone up for bug barbeque?" A trooper said sarcastically.
"On the bounce troopers, we have to get back to the LZ and await reinforcements." Ace called out. "Hey tech head, call it in, we have eliminated all plasma bugs in sector twenty two." His communications technician nodded before kneeling down and pulling his pack from his back.
"Looks like the war isn't done with us yet Ace," Rico said standing next to his long time friend.
"Hopefully we can be done with it at the end of this campaign."