Title: The Siege
Written By: Buckwheat
Email: i_treuer@hotmail.com
Rating: Pushing R for violence and some graphic detail
Summary: The Further adventures of Pleisar Sun during his early years in the Peacekeepers. Pleisar Sun and the other characters were created for the story Unwanted Sun. If you want to know more about him then check him out at http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=198193, http://www.farscapefantasy.com or http://www.farscapeworld.com.
Copyright Notice: The Jim Henson Company, Hallmark Entertainment, Nine Network Australia and the Sci-Fi Channel own Farscape. They own all rights to characters mentioned within this story. I made some or most up, but if they want to have them too, who am I to complain.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DAY 1- Time Index 3710 (25th Solar Day if Mission)
The sky appeared to be on fire, if it were not for the fact there was a battle raging in orbit, it would have been beautiful. But now was not the time for such thoughts, now was a time to run. They had been in a running firefight for the last three arns. Now there was a lull in the fighting, no one had shot at them in a little while. It was calm, too calm.
"The skinnies have finally run out of ammo!" declared a young soldier.
"No they haven't, they just need to regroup, and they're probably trying to out flank us as we sit here." whispered a Sergeant.
"We're going to die aren't we?" asked the now frightened soldier.
A pulse blast shattered the silence; the sergeant flinched as the soldier's face exploded sending blood, bone and grey matter on to him. The body dropped to the ground, the rest of the team looked towards where the blast came from. They saw their team leader standing their pistol drawn.
"Does any one else feel that they are combat ineffective? If so tell me now, so we won't have to waste time with another shooting…No. Good. Strip him and divide his kit amongst the rest." He said coldly. "Darvo!"
"Yes Pleisar" responded the second in command.
"Bring me his ident chip. Leave nothing but the body, booby trap it, but leave it." He had a disgusted look on his face. "What a waste. We move out in 200 microts"
Lieutenant Pleisar Sun was more disgusted in himself than the dead Soldier. He had selected the replacement for his team. He should have screened the applicants better. He hated to loose good troops, but then again if he was good then he would not of had to shoot the weakest link. His team would follow him into a Keeva den if he asked. Now was not the time for such thoughts, now was the time to save their eemas. They had to get the information they had secured back to the fire -base, and then transmit it to High Command.
"We're ready Sir" Darvo said as he approached.
"Good lets move!"
Then heard a small crackle over their headsets, it was the signal that the scout was returning. Pleisar sent his best tracker, now hopefully she was returning with good news. She slowly moved into the small perimeter and headed towards her CO.
"We are about a half a metra from the fire-base sir, the Skinnies are trying to outflank us, I think that if we move now, we could get to the base before we are cut off."
"Well done Manas, I want you and Milos to go on ahead, get Ke'Ratan to get her Strikers out to extend the perimeter, and start firing mortars on the approach." Pleisar ordered.
"Yes Sir! Come on Milos, last one there has to clean the latrine after the Thorn use it." She looked at the sergeant still cleaning the mess of his uniform.
"Oh you're on. Cleaning girl" he chided back, taking off on a dead run.
DAY 1 – Time Index 3795
Strike Commander Ke'Ratan was proud of her strikers, her holy warriors. She just hoped the gods did not regard her pride as sin. She supposed that because they acted in the gods' name then any actions would be righteous and pure, how could they be considered a sin. Now was not the time for a mental debate over the religious ramifications of this war. It was not the Thorn that started it, but by the gods and the Peacekeepers' help they would finish it. She found it hard to believe that just one cycle before they did not have a military to speak of. It was a hard cycle, but with the aide of the Peacekeepers the have formed two battalions of infantry, and her Strikers.
Strikers, a brilliant name for those who struck down the enemies of the gods; they were the hands of the gods; they were their instruments of retribution. They prayed before every battle and drank the sacred quxnol water to invoke the power of the gods. They had never lost in battle yet. Ke'Ratan believed their skills could rival any Peacekeeper line unit; but such musing was best kept to her. Shouting down by the perimeter wire, she ran to investigate snapped her back to reality, where she was surprised to find two Peacekeeper commandos arguing over who made it into the base first. These Sebaceans were truly strange to her.
"What is the problem? Where is Lieutenant Sun?" She inquired.
The two Peacekeepers stopped arguing and looked at the Thorn Strike Commander standing before them.
"Lieutenant Sun's compliments Strike Commander, but could you transmit this data to High Command?" rasped Sergeant Manas Gelivos handing her a data chip.
"I will have it done immediately" Ke'Ratan responded. She still wondered where Peacekeeper counter part was. Before she could ask again the other Peacekeeper, Sergeant Milos Argra spoke.
"Lieutenant Sun is on his way with the rest of the team. He has requested that you have the mortar teams shell the approach to the base when he appears so the Skinnies won't follow."
Strike Commander Ke'Ratan had a surprised look on her face. She was not sure if she should do what the Peacekeeper wanted, but she knew they had more combat experience then she did so she left to have the mortars change their aim. All the while wondering how the gods would react to this turn of events. She then went to summon her Strikers; they needed to start to prepare for battle.
DAY 1 – Time Index 3800
There was a crackle over the radio in the comms centre. The comms officer could here the sound of weapons fire coming through.
"Where the frell are those strikers!" screamed Pleisar Sun. "We are under heavy fire and are approaching the fire base now."
"They are praying Sir…Ke'Ratan says they must ask the gods favour before battle, it is suppose too be sacred" Answered the comms officer.
"Well tell her to get their sacred back-sides out and extend the perimeter and cover us or I will personally make sure they meet their gods before the sun sets." The Lieutenant screamed though the noise. Frelling Thorn, who prays at a time like this he thought.
"Enemy on approach, I say again enemy on approach!" boomed over the base loud speaker and all comms.
"STRIKERS OUT!" screamed Ke'Ratan. "Mortars prepare to fire on my command. Sub Commander Kran if you would move you platoon to the perimeter with the strikers and assist."
"It would be an honour Strike Commander," hissed the Thorn infantry commander, who then ran to deploy his troops.
DAY 1 – Time Index 3810
The base was in sight; they were running fast as they could. Their breathing laboured under the weight of their wounded comrades. They were the elite of the Peacekeepers, and they were not about to be captured. The all heard the command for the mortars to open fire. It came over the comms. They heard and saw the rounds falling around them. They though that this would not be enough to hold off the onslaught of the Skinnies behind them. Then they heard it, the high pitch scream of the Strikers, the Thorn's so called holy warriors. They fought like they were possessed; they fought almost as well as the Peacekeepers.
The Strikers paid no attention to the advancing Peacekeepers; they ran right past them heading towards the advancing enemy. They all had been issued with pulse weapons, but most still chose to fight with the traditional hunting weapons, the Ginka Poll. They were all skilled at the hunt, and this was merely a hunt for the enemies of the gods. Meanwhile the Thorn infantry were covering the advancing commandos with mortar and pulse fire. At last the beleaguered Peacekeepers were within the safety of the perimeter.
"You are one crazy farbot Lieutenant Sun, you were lucky not to be killed by the mortars." Ke'Ratan said as she approached the now sitting commandos. "At least my Strikers saw some combat."
Pleisar looked around to see that the Strikers were returning most had the severed head of a Skinny on their Ginka poll. He had to admit the Strikers were a formidable fighting force. He was glad to be fighting along side of them, not against them. Pleisar looked up to meet Ke'Ratan in the eyes.
"Did you transmit the data?" He asked.
"Yes, and Command sent back orders as well." She did not seem too enthusiastic about the statement.
"What are they?" He asked.
"High Command has stated that we are to hold this fire base until relieved or there is no one to left to defend it." She said.
"Do they know the whole frelling Skinny army is moving this way? We barely got here with our mivoks intact." exclaimed Darvo Strana.
Ke'Ratan frowned; she hated that term – Skinny.
"Why is it you Peacekeepers never call the Rxan by their proper name?" She asked.
"Have you ever taken a look at them? They are so unnaturally thin, and the large bulbous head. Why waste effort on learning their names, when they will be dead in less than a cycle." Darvo replied smugly.
"Well if that is your reasoning, I would hate to hear what you call us behind our backs" Ke'Ratan replied abruptly.
She left with Pleisar to go to the command centre to verify the orders and to relay the new information to High command. Little did they know that they were being surrounded as they waited for word of the relief force? They would wait for several arns in what they would consider peace and quiet, all the time the Skinnies were working their large phase canons into position in the hills above the base. It was just as the night watch took their position along the perimeter they heard it. The sound of incoming fire, the siege had begun.
DAY 2 – Time Index 1752 (26th Solar Day of Mission)
Fire fell from the sky, the battle in space had been won; but at what cost, those in the firebase did not know. The Rxan were jamming all communications of world. Most of the beleaguered occupants of the base tried to stay in the bunkers or in the reinforced perimeter posts. There were those who had to man the Pulse Cannons, but counter battery fire proved to be ultimately counter productive. They were surrounded and cut off.
Inside the command bunker the two commanders studied all the information gathered by the night patrols. It was as they assumed they were more or less surrounded. The Skinnies were moving through the valley and their happy little base was right in their path. It was their job to stop the advance at any cost, at least that is what high Command had "suggested".
"Our Intelligence section suggested that they would pass us by and head directly to the Space Port," hissed the Thorn commander Ke'Ratan.
"Would you leave an active firebase to your flank? Intelligence, ha!" Officer Genas snorted, "Maybe we should send your Strikers out to be cannon fodder."
Ke'Ratan moved swiftly, unencumbered by her heavy armour she jumped the table and moved towards the Peacekeeper. Her feline body hid her movements well; Officer Genas did not realize her blade was at his throat until it was too late. Luckily for him Ke'Ratan realized that they needed all the soldiers they had.
"You are not even worthy to wash their plates after their meals," she hissed, her mane, for lack of a better term was standing up.
"ENOUGH!" screamed a voice from the doorway.
Everyone in the room spun around to see the Peacekeeper Commanding Officer standing in the doorway with his Pulse Pistol drawn. They could see the anger in his eyes mixed with fatigue. He had already executed one of his own soldiers for not proving to have grace under fire. Everyone in the room, Thorn and Sebacean alike realized the Lieutenant Pleisar Sun would not hesitate to eliminate the weakest link.
"Officer Genas, we are here at the request of the Thorn Government. They are our allies and will be accorded the proper respect. I need not remind you that you are here to redeem yourself." Pleisar holstered his weapon. "With that in mind can we continue the briefing; and Strike Commander, let Officer Genas go or you will have to explain to your gods how you broke your oath to an ally."
Ke'Ratan snarled in reluctant agreement, she removed the knife from the Peacekeeper's throat, but not before giving him a small cut to remember her by.
"Bitch!" spat Genas.
"Only in your dreams Peacekeeper," she began to purr and rub up against a very disgusted Officer Genas.
"Strike Commander Ke'Ratan!" snarled Pleisar, "if I have to come over there it will not be a pleasant sight."
She smiled and blew a kiss at Genas, then went over to the strategy table.
The briefing reiterated what the patrols had found out. They were being surrounded, they still had the advantage of having some artillery and also they had the high ground. If the Rxan were to attack they had to negotiate a treacherous river that lay in front of the base and the steep hill that surrounded the base. They hope this would be enough to check their advance. None of the defenders had yet heard of the other firebases similarly defended that had been over run.
Day 2 – Time index 2075
"You should be more careful about how you treat Officer Genas. I would not be surprised if you receive a blade in you spine while you sleep," Pleisar said over the morning meal.
"He would have to get past my Strikers first," she smiled.
"We should be hearing from Darvo soon, he was to report as soon as he was in sight of the perimeter." Comment Pleisar. Even though he is over-due, he thought.
Suddenly the perimeter alarm sounded, someone had breached security. Now there was a frantic rush to seal the breach. The remaining Peacekeepers and Thorn Strikers rushed to the wire. They arrived just in time to great Officer Darvo Strana's squad run through the perimeter wire, bleeding and tired. The Rxan were in pursuit. Suddenly the Gauss Gun opened fired and would be attackers were reduced to liquid form by the magnetic rail gun. The weary soldiers collapsed from exhaustion and pain, all had made it back to base, but not all would survive until extract whenever that would be.
"Sir! I would like to inform you that the Skinnies are advancing and preparing for an attack," croaked Darvo.
"Thank you..." he paused, "Officer Genas, get your troops out to the line I want the Thorn to be bolstered. Ke'Ratan inform the Command Carrier that we will need close support, and they will have to use their discretion to where they lay down cover." The two commanders rushed off to complete their assigned tasks. Pleisar then turned to his friend and asked, "Did you get in contact with the other firebases?"
"It seems that were are the only ones that are not over run or have been destroyed. We are the last base before the spaceport; and I heard that they are evacuating it now. It is just we against the whole frelling Rxan." Darvo answered in a tone that barely betrayed the fear he felt. He was prepared to die, but not today.
"Now we wait," muttered Pleisar, "We wait for them to attack."
The Drums sounded all night long, but there was no attack, at least no ground attack. The artillery barrage that was directed towards the firebase was merciless. The Rxan must have fired over three hundred rounds, all directed towards the command bunker and communications array. It was a good thing that they were all well fortified, or there would be red and orange stains on the site, not buildings. It did not succeed in doing anything, but keep the defenders penned in.
DAY 3 – Time Index 0695 (27th Solar Day of Mission)
Those Soldiers not required to be on the perimeter were formed up in ranks. They did not understand why they should be gathered in such a large group. It only served to make them a prime target for enemy artillery. They were ordered to do so, and their commander's orders were not to be ignored. It was often said to ignore one of Lieutenant Sun's orders was to sign your own death certificate. They all murmured to each other noting that there was some missing. They stood at parade stance when they saw their commander approached flanked by the Thorn Strike Commander. He stopped in front of them, his hands behind his back.
"Some of you are wondering where Sergeant Cobram and Trooper Gornt are," he paused, "It seems that they were manning the Gauss Gun last night, and they decided that sleep was preferable to duty."
Silence.
"Well they did not have to worry about me finding out, because the skinnies did first," he paused to throw something into the crowd. Only the front ranks could see the severed head that was coming towards them. "That was Sergeant Cobram," he threw another head, "that was Trooper Gornt!" He paused to let them reflect upon the news.
"To add insult the Skinnies stole the Gauss Gun and their bodies!" Pleisar shouted, "stay alert or you will have to deal with me, and I am far more dangerous then the skinnes." With that he abruptly turn and walked away leaving Officer Genas to dismiss the troops. They ran to their positions, for the Rxan had finally zeroed in on their formation and opened fired.
DAY 3 – Time Index 1595 (27th Solar Day of Mission)
The barrage lasted for what seemed like arns, there was not a single section of the firebase that was not damaged in some form. There had been word from the Command Carrier that due to the heavy fighting, they could not re-supply for 2 solar days. Moral was already low, but with this news, it dropped even more. Just when they thought that the artillery would go on forever, it stopped as abruptly as it began. Silence. Then the shrill of the Rxan battle horns sounded and then the sound that had plagued the beleaguered defenders since the first attack, the drums. The Rxan used drums to encourage their forces forward; as long as they still sounded they would advance.
They appeared over the horizon, they were almost ghost like in their movements, it seemed like they were floating towards the firebase. It then occurred to the defenders that they were not floating, but there were thousands of them coming towards the base. They were packed so close together that they looked as if they were not moving. All the while the drums never stopped.
"I would give a cycle's pay to have those drums stop!" proclaimed Darvo
"Is that a promise sir?" asked one of the sergeants.
"You wish, Freznel," Darvo paused, "Lieutenant it has been two arns"
"Thanks," Pleisar taped his comms, "Argus this is firebase two six, it has been two arns begin runs."
"Rodger two six, inbound Marauders and Prowlers on your location now." Answered the command carrier.
Ke'Retan came running to the command post,
"I thought you said it would be two solar days until reinforcements could be here?" she demanded.
"Darvo enlighten the Strike Commander."
"There are to be no un-encoded messages when the enemy has compromised the coms channel. That is by the book. Some time arns will seem like days," answered Darvo.
There was a cheer from the perimeter as the Prowlers and Marauders streaked across the sky and prepared for strafing runs on the enemy. The attacking ships decimated the front lines of the advancing Rxan. While the attacks were going on, several Marauders hovered above the base and delivered food, medical supplies and most importantly crates of Chackan oil cartages. Thinks were going well for the Peacekeeper/Thorn troops, then the unthinkable happened, a Marauder was shot down. The Rxan had brought forward their anti aircraft weapons and began to target the ships. One by one they were targeted and shot down, there were too many guns pointed at the small flight that had valiantly tried to help the firebase.
DAY 3 – Time Index 2704 (27th Solar Day of Mission)
They had gathered what supplies had arrived on the supply drop, and then gone about clearing the wreckage that now littered the base. In all 3 Marauders and 10 Prowlers were shot down. There were no survivors, at least none that made it to the safety of the base. The soldiers on the perimeter had seen three pilots executed as they touched down from their ejection. One Marauder, heavily damaged and going to crash any way, managed to stay airborne long enough to crash into the anti aircraft battery, they died a noble death. The Argus sent word that they could not send any more supplies, it was just too risky to send more ships to be shot down. They were also told to defend their positions to the last man if necessary. That was the prospect that all the troops, Thorn and Peacekeeper alike, had to look forward to.
The Xane commander sensing that he now held the upper hand, sent word to his commanders that the main attack would commence in less than an arn. He would start the drums in 200 microts.
"My liege, the army is ready to advance upon you order," hissed his second.
"Wait for the drums then advance," he replied.
"By your command," responded another one of his aids.
The Drums began and the Xane started the march towards what they felt was certain victory