October 9, 1999 – March 27, 1995
"This is up man!! This is up!"
"Private!" Kane screamed at the beleaguered soldier. "Get a grip! We're in a war right now not some fancy hotel on Hebridan!"
"That's my point, sir!" the Private yelled. "We shouldn't even be in this war! I signed up to fight the Goa'uld not fight some lazy-ass American look-a-like's war for them! How can those up Colonel send us here when there's nothing to be gained from it!?" Kane sighed heavily; he knew what the kid was going through. The kid had lost a friend in that first battle, one of the eight men they'd lost in the entire operation. "He doesn't care about us! If he did he wouldn't have sent us to this god awful planet!" Kane's hand flashed. The Private stumbled backwards, holding his bruising cheek.
"The next person to badmouth the Colonel won't get a fist to the face," Kane said menacingly. "They'll get a bullet to the gut. We're here for a reason. If Baal takes control of this planet's military and the Ancient technology that seems to litter this planet what do you think will happen to the rest of the galaxy? He'll overpower all the System Lords. He'll be another Ra, a Supreme System Lord. What will happen to Hebridan after that?" Kane stopped his foot on the ground for emphasis, glancing at each soldier around him. "If you don't want to be here go and run home to your mothers. Be a coward! Watch as Baal takes over everything that you ever held dear and dream about how you could have made a difference. I'm staying! Make your decision quickly. This area will be overrun in an hour. We need to be gone by then." Kane spun on his heel and stalked down the road as an Osean Armored Battalion rolled by.
The Hoplites glanced between themselves. One by one they followed their commander, headed for the next battlefield.
October 9, 1999 – March 27, 1995
Bullets arced across the sky as a Belkan MIG and an Ustian F-15 dueled above the city of Directus. The MIG chased the Ustian down to the depths of the city, trying to line his gun up for a shot. The Ustian pilot banked around a bell tower and slammed on his airbrake, turning hard as the MIG overshot in pursuit. The Eagle climbed back into the sky, the prey-turned-predator. A missile flew from the Eagle's wing, crossing the distance easily. Flames plummeted to the ground amidst the smoke of darkness as the Eagle turned away, confirming the kill.
The Air Force had been fighting for almost an hour over the skies of their capital, steadily losing ground with their few ground forces below them. "All allied forces retreat immediately," the order came over the radio. "Our ground forces cannot hold the city. Retreat immediately." The pilot sighed and set a course for home, watching as hundreds of people died on the ground below.
"BEEP-BEEP-BEEP/Huh?" the pilot said to himself as missile warnings flared inside his cockpit. The Belkans were shooting a retreating fighter! Before he could react a missile slammed through his right wing. The Eagle shook violently as the wing disappeared into a cloud of fuel. "Damn it!" The plane rolled over, corkscrewing uncontrollably. The pilot reached for the throttle and pushed it as far as it would go. Slowly but surely the plane leveled out with the airfield in sight. The pilot brought out the landing gear and lined up for a landing, consequences be damned. One thing he resolved not to do was fight against an enemy one-armed/winged. Bullets and missiles alike shot up into the sky behind him. An explosion signified the end to a dishonorable Belkan. His heart racing the pilot placed his wounded bird on the ground and slammed on the airbrake. He watched as the massive plane drifted to a stop mere inches from the edge of the runway.
"God damn, Pixy, you are the luckiest son of a bitch in the world," some one said into his radio.
"What do you mean by that?" Larry asked, taking off his mask.
"Look right," the voice ordered. Larry complied and glanced out the window. His jaw dropped.
"Holy crap."
October 10, 1999 – March 28, 1995
The survivors of Harry's Hoplites First Platoon fought desperately in the suburbs of Troy, an Osean city under siege by the Belkan Army. Hastily erected defenses had done little to stem the Belkan advance and the army had already pushed into the suburbs of the city supported by helicopter gun ships overhead. Not one soldier didn't marvel at the massive army that Belka had amassed. Not one soldier didn't doubt that Osea would lose.
Kane jumped off the tank supporting them as a wave of bullets careened overhead. The Abrams fired its massive gun once while the turret on top started firing. He brought his rifle around the side and fired a quick controlled burst into the enemy ranks before again taking cover. Fighting the urge to rub his eyelids Kane watched as one of his soldiers rushed up and lobbed a grenade from behind the Tank. He didn't hear the explosion, instead watched as one of Belka's helicopters plummeted out of the air and into the street adjacent to them. The Abrams fired again, slaughtering an APC reinforcement headed for the Belkan line.
To his credit Kane didn't know what to do. He didn't know the lay of the land. He didn't know where to retreat to, he didn't know where to attack and he didn't have anyone giving him those orders. Sometimes he did think that his grunts were right. They didn't need to be here. They'd already completed their mission; stall the Belkans as they assaulted the city of Montgomery from the sea. After that all Harry had said was for them to fight where they could, not die and wait for orders. The Colonel's order certainly wasn't doing them any good right now. The soldier atop the turret stopped shooting as the enemy infantry had been slaughtered. He called down to Kane.
"Hey, Sergeant, I just got a call from HQ. We're abandoning the city. Get your men ready; we're leaving immediately." Kane nodded and started calling orders to the men The Abrams treads rolled in opposite directions, rotating the tank away from the Belkan lines. Slowly at first it started moving forward, a Platoon of alien soldiers beside it.
(Note: I'm sorry guys; I'm not very good with this. I just can't seem to write a defensive battle where the defenders are constantly loosing ground as happened in the early stages of the Belkan War. My specialty is writing aggressive assaults where the hard fighting either wipes out the enemy or forces a full retreat. Making my own guys seem weak is tough so bear with me for a few more days until the counter-offensive begins.)
October 11, 1999 – March 29, 1995
Kane looked out at the parking lot, watching as a group of Belkan infantry closed in, flanked by two Belkan tanks. He and his Platoon had been holed up in a shopping mall in the suburbs of Rutherford, a city about forty miles south of Troy. They'd lost their tank to its retreating battalion which, try as they might, couldn't keep up with. With the Belkan Army behind them and unknown territory in front of them they had no choice but stop and hope to defend the shopping center until morning. When morning came all that could be seen were Belkans. As soon as their position had been made Belka had gone to extremes to kill them.
"Alright boys, here they come again!" Kane called to his troops as he ran away from the door. Taking cover behind a plant he aimed his rifle at the door. Men took up positions on the second floor and in various stores all around him. Bullets started flying as the infantry stormed the building. A rocket fired up into the second floor, destroying the precipice where one of his soldiers had stood. A tank smashed down the doors, firing its main gun as the soldiers around it rushed away. "Covering fire!" Kane screamed as he dove out into the open. Rolling to his feet he activated his shield. Bullets bounce off the transparent-yellow defense as he ran forward. The Belkans, to their credit as human, scattered as the seemingly invincible man rushed towards them with death sure to follow. Any stayed to fight died as a result of the Platoon of soldiers behind him.
With a great leap Kane landed on top of the tank. His rifle came down and fired at the locking mechanism on the hatch. He ripped the broken hatch off and pulled a grenade forth, dropping into the hole. Kane jumped away just as the armored behemoth exploded. With the cover of his Platoon he rushed back further into the mall, diving behind a fountain as a bullet grazed his arm. Wincing Kane landed on the ground, deactivating his shield. Two Hoplites rushed forward and covered their leader from behind the fountain. Kane climbed to his feet and joined them, adrenalin masking the pain.
A massive explosion engulfed the entrance to the mall practically annihilating the Belkan soldiers standing there. The Hoplites stared at the dying explosion, barely catching glimpses of soldiers standing just beyond. When the flames descended into embers a group of men walked forward casually. Kane eyed them carefully.
"Did someone call for a rescue?" the leader asked as he examined the damaged area around him. Kane recognized him immediately.
Lieutenant Frank Marathi, Commander of Third Platoon in Sammy's Shock Troops.
(End Chapter)
So, what do you think? Please note that in Harry's Army each Platoon is headed by a Lieutenant and each Squad within the Platoon led by a Sergeant. The Tank commander called Kane a Sergeant because in American and Osean Armies a platoon is headed by a Sergeant, not a Lieutenant.
Anyway, please review. I certainly do enjoy them. Next chapter we get into the allied counter-offensive and the true beginning of the Belkan War.