Officer Deck, 4/11/56 0004 GMT Earth, aboard UED Einstein
In a little room, illuminated by one small humming fluorescent light, Captain White slurped his ramen with carrots, and being an officer, he had also received a hard-boiled egg in the ramen along with some snake meat. The furnishings were Spartan by any standard consisting of a mere bed, a chair, a desk with a computer and a drop down ironing board. The room was cramped and poorly lit. Exhausted and yet also invigorated by the ion sanitation shower, he resumed his voice journal transmission. He knew that Commodore Park had wanted a report, but this was no ordinary journal entry. This was his explanation, for the record, of what happened on Uramon 18. He merely continued his voice transmission recording, alone in his quarters. He placed two data disks in the computer and then began to narrate.
"In studying the video feeds of our bunkers and sensor data from the command sphere as well as other battlefield reports, it is safe to say that we engaged over 10,000 Zerg, the vast majority of them ground forces…" White slurped up the last of his dinner and washed it down with a little liquid fiber supplement. He resumed.
"Safe Horizon began on April 3, 2456. We landed in 20 shuttles with our equipment. The defensive position was unique. We had to defend three natural bridges, code named Cobra, Dragon, and Eagle. Our engineer SCV's quickly assembled bunkers on both sides of the bridges east and west. Our first line of defense was the eastern side."
"The eastern side was a strong perimeter of 12 bunkers and 12 rocket turrets. On the western side, we had set up a fall back position of 10 bunkers and 12 rocket turrets."
"Our forces dug in quickly with 130 men in the eastern emplacements, and 48 on the western side. Eight others were in the command sphere and were of great assistance managing the battle.
I placed our siege arty (siege tank artillery) on the western side of the River Janji as well, so as to give our artillery the best range and the best protection. These firebases were critical in the coming days. I was in the command sphere with the remaining support hovering west of Dragon. It gave us a commanding view of the theater of operations. Our SCV's set up sensors and trip wires to give us an early warning at night 800 meters outside of the eastern perimeter. April 3rd was rather uneventful, although upon reflection, the time we spent hurrying up and getting ready paid dividends. We settled in that night and we could here the shuttlecraft hurrying throughout the evening as they evacuated the outpost."
"April 4th, Day 2. According to sensor data, a Zerg force tripped a wire 800 meters SSE of bunker 212. Heavy gauss automatic rifles quickly destroyed them. Only Bunkers 212 and 211 engaged. The time of that engagement was 0515 Uramon CT. The engagement ended according to data in the command sphere within the minute. 32 kills."
"I then issued general quarters for all bunkers as first light was coming. At 0541 a much larger force of Zerglings appeared. I could see in the distance a Zerg spire beginning to form up. I called in our air support Linebacker and Fullback, and our long-range video showed the spires toppling after the air strike. Those heavy air gunships are really something to behold… It was unbelievable, but I digress. In the meantime, our siege arty engaged to support the bunkers. Over 250 Zergling were destroyed as we bombarded the incoming wave. Unfortunately, Bunker 208, Dragon East, was damaged beyond repair. We had to abandon it, thus our center on the eastern side was weakened. That was our first major encounter with the Zerg, and it lasted just under 10 minutes. It is possible that the air strike hurt the cerebrate, and therefore it could not coordinate a better attack."
"At 0833, according to sphere data, a large combined force of hydras and Zergling struck Eagle. Bunkers 212 and 211 were completely destroyed and we lost 3 men. I ordered our dead to be burned. We could not take a chance that the Zerg had infested them with broodlings. I moved the command sphere down to Eagle 108 on the west side of Eagle. I irradiated the area around 212 after nobody acknowledged my comm. Three men made it over to Eagle 109. The Zerg had hoped to weaken the south flank and have it collapse or force me to weaken the northern flank to the point that the eastern side would have to be abandoned. The video data that I saw points to over 100 Hydras and over 250 Zergling killed. I repositioned one of our tanks from the Cobra, down to Eagle 109 to augment the southern defense perimeter, with only two bunkers left on the eastern side. We needed more firepower there to safeguard that area.
"At 0957, one of our shuttles leaving the area spotted a combined force of hydras, Zerglings, and ultras. They were headed for Cobra. Linebacker and Fullback engaged a heavy ground force that was streaming towards Eagle about 1000 meters out. Linebacker and Fullback eventually had to break off. I have no video data feed from them, but I am sure they made a lasting impression on the Zerg. In the north, Cobra East engaged. I tried calling for air support but no response. I moved up to the northern area and stationed myself over Bunker 103, Cobra west. I fired irradiation blasts at the one of the ultras. The ultra fell quickly. My command sphere was slightly damage by Hydra fire. Bunkers 209 and 210 at Eagle did have a minor engagement, but handled it with ease and no casualties. Clearly though, the Zerg had wanted a simultaneous attack on both the north and south perimeters. Had it not been for our air support, and their lack of air units, we would have had a much more difficult time. This third major engagement lasted for 58 minutes. Over 650 Zerg ground units were destroyed, and that is just from our video. I have no idea of how many were killed by Linebacker and Fullback.
At this point I would like to address my first commendation. Medic Julie Gillette was stationed in Bunker 202, Cobra East, which sustained the brunt of the assault. As one of three ultras destroyed the bunker, video feed from the scene shows she was thrown 30 feet onto the bridge. Amidst cover fire from Bunker 101 she picked up a gauss rifle and fired several rounds into the charging ultra, downing it. She used the ultras massive dead corpse as cover and continued to fire at incoming Zergling and Hydras as they were following up onto the bridge. Two other accounts from severely wounded Cpl. Sirok and Pvt. Walkins stated she used her flare gun to blind one of the three ultras, rendering it useless prior to the bunker being destroyed. After the engagement, she quickly administered care to Sirok and Walkins. Her actions saved the lives of 2 men and perhaps saved many more. I hereby submit that Gillette, Julie, UEDIN 6589-9565-9658 be awarded the rank of Battlefield Corpsman and awarded a raise in pay commensurate with that title.
After this particular clash, I ordered that our SCV's wire the north bridge for demolition, as it was obvious that we would probably not hold for much longer and I still had no real knowledge about the disposition of Zerg forces. We could not repair the bunker, as there were only limited amounts of welding material and steel. Time also was of the essence.
One of our SCV engineers wired several spider mines and C -181 explosives on the north bridge while another set up mines and laid a trap at what was left of Bunker 202, a smoldering ruin. At this point it should be noted that Zerg pools of blood and spores had started to eat through Bunkers 201 and 203. I ordered our my men to flame all of the dead with napalm. Another SCV engineer improvised a unique diversion, which brings me to my next commendation, for SCV Ramirez, Luis, UEDIN 4563-0945-2876."
"Ramirez used his ingenuity to rig trip wires that would set off gauss and heavy uranium automatic weapons inside Bunkers 201 and 203. He tested the trip sensors and after success, I decided it would be better to abandon the 201 and 203. I redeployed the men on the western side. Ramirez played a crucial role throughout this operation. I recommend a raise in pay for Ramirez, commensurate with the rank Sergeant. I know he skips corporal, but clearly his actions made a major impact on the battle, and it is my opinion that his ability merits such an award."
"In the meantime, I reassessed the battlefield. We had run low on ammo in our siege artillery tanks. My command sphere did send out a signal for ammo replenishment, but we were informed it would take five hours for two shuttles to load up. I sent word to 2nd Battalion, inside the Uramon outpost, (Zulu Spear). Luckily, they quickly sent out what they could. Also, casualties were a concern. Medic Gillette suffered from infection. The Ultralisk that she used as cover had bled out and the toxicity of the liquid had eroded her body armor and had entered her lungs. I thought it prudent to evacuate her along with the severely wounded Sirok and Walkins. I felt we could hold out for at least one more ugly contest after the makeshift replenishment.
I was also informed at 1154 Uramon CT, that Linebacker and Fullback were undergoing repair and refit. Further, an electromagnetic storm was coming on, which translated into no air support. The shuttles were also grounded. I also had to land my command sphere. I parked it on the western side in the northern perimeter. Every marine a rifleman, and this was no exception. I instructed all of my support team to get a gauss rifle and hunker down in the bunkers.
"The electromagnetic storm prevented us from having any air cover. The only good thing about this was that Zerg forces could not have air cover either. These particular storms feature violent wind changes and proved a dangerous phenomenon. The lightening and the winds were ferocious making effective air support impossible and life on the ground miserable. While the bunkers offered protection, sand would hit the soldiers' visors at an incredible velocity, blinding even with the protective glass. The sand reduced visibility, hampered equipment and if it got inside the light armor, it could be downright irritating. At one moment, you could be faced with 100 km per hour winds, whirling up a tidal wave of a sandstorm, and within a second, absolute wind sheer forcing you down or no air current at all, in which case you plummet. Airborne operations had to cease, for the time being."
"One of the weaknesses of our position lay in the center on the eastern side, Dragon East. It was out of the range of all of our siege arty. I am sure the Zerg soon realized this, and my instincts told me that this would be the scene of the next heavy combat. It is a five-bunker position but had been reduced to four. (Bunker 208 destroyed early in the morning) Bunkers 204, 205, 206, and 207, were packed with long-range gauss, flamethrowers and 45 of my Lights. The position also had rocket turrets in the center as well. It is here that Luis Ramirez earned his commendation. His technical ability shined through as he perfected the Angel turrets, enhancing the range of both the grenades and anti-air rocketry. Ramirez's improvements to existing weaponry would prove quite effective."
"I knew that we had some time and that the Zerg would not approach until dark. I issued the order for the company to eat and get a nap. I hydrated my soy curd paste. I figured it might also be my last time I eat in a while, and so I added the cold tomato paste tube as well." White turned on the air conditioner as he took a small break. He took another sip of his fiber drink. With another deep breath, he exhaled and continued the journal
"At 1625, a trip sensor clicked and we could see infrared movement. We knew that a large force was coming at the center, towards Dragon East. If we lost that area, the south bridge would possibly fall and that would be all that would be necessary for the Zerg to overwhelm us and then charge the outpost. At 1632, the Zerg had hit the Cobra position en masse. Ramirez's booby traps and concertina wire killed off the initial wave of Zergling, but the ultralisk and the hydras followed up by another mass wave of Zergling overwhelmed the position in the north. However, there was a delay. They expected to encounter people in the bunkers and yet were surprised to discover only wires. That delay cost them as the western side opened up with flurry of grenades and rifles.
Unfortunately, I had no time to reinforce the northern perimeter Cobra. At 1638, the Zerg attacked our center position and the south sector as well. It was a combined force of ultras, hydras, and wave after wave of Zergling. Charlie Company, I am happy to report, did not panic, but laid down withering fire. Indeed, there is very little radio traffic except certain positions reporting their status. By 1700, all the bunkers were engaged and the savagery of close assault was underway.
"I am now super-imposing a map of Charlie Company's theater of operations. The western side of the tar River Janji was only engaged in the north sector. The bunkers there were fully manned with 25 marines and 3 medics along with two siege tanks. The concertina wire proved imposing to the Zergling and the Hydras, but not to 8 massive Ultras who lunged and stomped and mauled their way through it. However, in doing so, they crossed the bridge. The bridge would only allow for two ultras to cross at a time. The northern bunkers pummeled the two Ultras, effectively negating any passage across it. Thus we did not have to blow the bridge…. at least yet. The remaining six funneled southwards into the center sector. That's where it got ugly.
"I come now to another commendation, to Lieutenant John Ford, UEDIN 6125-6741-3659. Lt. Ford immediately took initiative and drove his siege tank southwards to the sector in need. Ford placed his siege tank just west of Dragon and unleashed salvo after salvo against an overwhelming threat to our center. By 1713, all of our ANGEL rocket launchers in Dragon East were out of grenades and the bunkers were under close assault from Zergling and ultralisks. Ford's tank proved crucial to saving the lives of the men in the center positions. Bunker 207, Dragon East, as you can see on the map, was smoldering and 8 men were evacuating across the bridge to Bunker 104, laying down fire as they crossed." The computer map was re-enacting the battle as White explained how it had unfolded. The workstation was integrating the data with the digital data disks from the command sphere. It was clear that the center would not hold in the face of an overwhelming assault, and yet the Zerg casualties just continued to mount as the computers and data disks now analyzed the video feed and sensor data. The battle for Dragon East was frightening in its brutality.
"Bunker 204, Dragon East, fell shortly after as the six ultras from the north had arrived. The men in that bunker had no chance. Private Heinrich detonated herself to take out an ultra as is evidenced by the video feed recording. May she rest in peace with a commendation and posthumous award. That's Heinrich, Terracita, Private, UEDIN 6241-5698-8794, recommended for the Distinguished Sacrifice Award."
"By now the situation in Dragon East was desperate and the men of 205 and 206 came up with a bold plan to evacuate. They COM'd Lt. Ford's tank, call sign Magic, to fire upon the rocket magazines in the Angel turrets shortly after their withdrawal. At 1732, 15 men sprinted across the bridge as Ford hit the turrets. The anti-air missiles exploded and a fireworks display could be seen in the sandstorm from the Uramon outpost itself. Our center position on the eastern side of the bridge was obliterated. Ammunition continued to 'cook off' throughout the night. Our sensors indicate at least 600 Zergling, 121 Hydra and 6 Ultralisks were killed in that sector. Odds that we could have held that position in an electromagnetic storm without air support were very low. In retrospect, I should have reacted quicker to the situation in the center, allocating the other siege arty from the north to come down and support the section. Unfortunately, this is hindsight. I will learn from this. Had it not been for Ford, the 13 men who made it across the bridge (2 died in the massive explosion), would have perished." White took another sip of his fiber drink, finishing it and experienced the cool breeze of the air conditioner. He continued, observing the computer screen and showing the situation in the south, at Eagle East.
"In the south, Eagle East engaged with the predictable wave after wave of Zergling followed by a group of hydras. Yet the attack was not well coordinated at all. It was not the overwhelming force that we anticipated and Bunkers 209 and 210 held for quite sometime, until the fireworks display near Bunker 206 shook the ground and probably terrified even the Zerg. The heat was stifling after the explosion and remained so. Our last sensor reading from just east of 208 registered over 1,000 degrees Centigrade. Our sensors were wiped out as well. Not even UED heavy power armor can withstand that for long. Therefore, the Zerg funneled southward to Bunkers 209 and 210. The time was 1808."
"At 1820, the Eagle East sector felt the fury of the massive Zerg assault. Bunkers 209 and 210 would hold out for 10 minutes as the Angel emplacements unleashed a cascade of grenades. It was truly impressive as the grenades wiped out waves of Zergling and their supporting hydra. Lt. Farr knew that the position could not hold. He COM'd me and stated that his Angels were about to click dry and that the massive Zerg onslaught showed little signs of thinning out. I gave him permission to send his men across in pairs and he did so. Lt. Richard Farr, UEDIN 6198-2587-9857, exhibited a calm serenity and minimized his own losses as he evacuated his position while inflicting massive casualties on the Zerg. Finally, he crossed the bridge himself." White now watched the computer display the battle data, and stopped the computer analysis. He decided to add his own commentary.
"In retrospect, I have asked myself if we should have held out. At the time, I had decided to retire our forces in good order. The eastern side of the tar River Janji was now abandoned, but we had given the Zerg them a good thrashing. We left the rocket emplacements in tact, but they would serve as an early warning system. I am sure the collective mind of the Zerg force understood now that we could and would fight. The Zerg withdrew from the battlefield at 1848. They did not press on with their attack, but they did destroy the bunkers in Eagle East." The computers now were focused on the next engagement of the battle of the bridges. Captain White decided he would skip over some of the logistics, and try to keep pace with the workstation's quick analysis of the skirmish. He carried on in his analysis, with the assistance of Einstein's super computer, methodically dissecting the situations as they presented themselves on the monitor.
"The next day there was still an orange glow radiating from the ground around Dragon East. Ammunition was not only cooking, but broiling the sand into a hot lava like pool. It was 0450 before our outer sensors picked up Zerg activity on the other side of Janji. As the electromagnetic storm died down, I felt it safe enough to get aboard the command sphere and get airborne. I soon decided to give a little love to our new neighbors in the way of irradiation. I searched for the biggest readings on my scanner and could tell the Zerg were burrowing to rest, recuperate, and stay concealed. Unfortunately, for the two Lurkers that had just relocated, I targeted them with my gift of gamma radiation. I took some time to assess the battlefield again. I could see a lot of burrows and holes, and from a distance, I could see that Zerg now had a large squadron of Mutalisks. I could hear the growling of another Ultralisk as well. (Upon careful analysis, however, I now realize that it was not the battle cry of an ultra, but the hideous noise of what we would soon learn to be the newest addition to the brood arsenal, what I call an Underlord)" White attempted to sip his now empty fiber drink, but realized the futility of the action, and tossed the container into the recycle chute. He observed more of the video feed for the battle and continued to comment on what he was thinking at that precise moment.
"We could still detonate Cobra, and that is where I flew my sphere. I could see more burrows of Zergling here as I flew past. Still, we had four bunkers there on the western side, and the position was quite strong. I wasn't willing to forfeit that position yet. The center truly concerned me. I had lost 26 men the night before, and I only had three bunkers on the Dragon West. Dragon was the widest and sturdiest of the bridges and there was little hope of us destroying it. I hovered over to the Bunker 105 and evaluated the Eagle position. Here we had finished building a bunker to augment the western side. It was going to be a tough position to take. Two shuttlecraft finally arrived, and they had lots of rifle ammunition, but no Angels and no Halo's, but they did drop off a few napalm replenishments for the fire bat flamethrowers. Must have been an overzealous quartermaster who had no combat experience. If a fire bat ran out of napalm in the middle of a battle, he was not going to have a chance to reload his weapon."
It dawned on me that we could use the napalm jelly to set up the southern bridge as a trap, coating it with napalm from the spare fire bat canisters. It would definitely make that bridge a very difficult position. I ordered PFC Chang UEDIN 6567-2541-6586 to coat the south bridge with the jelly. No sense in letting that stuff go to waste, and besides I wouldn't wish to disappoint Quartermaster Kelly."
"Linebacker and Fullback re-entered the theater and started hitting the burrows on the east side of the River Janji. My sensor data indicates they wiped out 353 Zergling around the area that was once Bunker 205. They took a course back to Zulu base, as a massive squadron of mutalisks headed straight for them to retaliate for their venture. They were heading straight for our center and bunkers 103, 104, and 105 in Dragon West. The mutalisks were greeted by a massive array of extended range HALO missiles from our nearby angels. The bunkers also pasted them with heavy gauss weaponry, although they had to concentrate on the numerous ground forces headed their way. Sensors at this time indicated a massive force of 10 ultras, 200 hydras, and over 800 Zergling rushing directly to the center. I knew that I had to make a difficult choice. I advanced the sphere overhead across the other side of the river and irradiated 3 approaching ultras. However, in doing so, the sphere was subjected to massive attacks from numerous hydras and I was lucky we made it back. I had repositioned all of our siege tanks to head toward the center. This was what I felt at the time was the onslaught. As my sphere hovered behind bunker 103, Dragon West, I also called for immediate reinforcement from the north. After all, how many men would it take to blow up a bridge? The initial wave of Zergling evaporated and melted over the ammunition area that had detonated the previous night, but the Zerg merely used those bodies as a rug to climb over the immense heat. Their numerical superiority would have overrun the position. Then I heard music to my ears:
"Safety, this is Linebacker…Fox 5"
"Fullback, Ditto…Fox 5"
The air support had come back, and engaged. Unleashing havoc on the Zerg force, the two gunships apparently had turned around after the mutalisks were destroyed and rolled up over the Janji. The violent affair lasted just over 30 minutes. The Angels at Dragon West were empty, completely dry of all grenades and missiles. Ammunition was also very low for the siege tanks and the bunkers. Bunker 105 sustained heavy damaged. The other two bunkers had suffered moderate damage as well. We also lost two siege tanks with the third one damaged, sixteen men KIA, and 3 more were wounded. The bridge, however, was starting to deteriorate. Three ultralisk corpses were starting to bleed out and erode the rock, along with the immense amount of Zergling and hydra carcasses, and even a few decapitated mutalisks that had crashed into the rock bridge. The situation had changed to where I believed we could destroy this bridge, if necessary. My observation, after having some time to absorb the data, is that the Zerg decided it was worth the gamble. The Zerg did sacrifice a lot though. The 15 mutalisks had targeted my siege arty and my Angel's, along with about 80 Zergling whose carcasses provided a welcome mat over the bridge, those casualties were not insignificant for the cerebrate. I am curious why they did not wait. Had the Zerg assault delayed an hour, the ammunition at Dragon East would have finished cooking off and they could have attacked with a lot less sacrificial casualties."
Captain White, exhausted after recounting the battle, took a sip of his synthetic alcohol. He realized, however, that this report had to be concluded, and it had gnawed at his analytical mind as to why the Zerg had only attacked just the center and not multiple sectors.
"Einstein Computer, inquiry: status of Task Force Referee on April 7th, 2456 Time 0601."
The computer flashed the data that provided the reason for the failed Zerg assault.
TF Referee Status: evacuating 2,241 civilians…at Checkpoint Zulu.
Check Point Zulu at that time, was just a desert airfield with a command center; it had been set up by the Uramon council to help evacuate the inhabitants. They had built no defensive positions. It was a very vulnerable area at that point. They were sitting ducks, had the Zerg broken through the center position.
"No wonder," White thought. "We we're trying to evacuate them prior to first light and it took too long. They should have been up and out two hours prior. That's why Linebacker and Fullback turned back; they had nowhere to land and must have seen the situation developing. The command center had to have realized it too. Yes I am convinced the Zerg gambled, and it had almost paid off. Had they broken through the center, they would have had a massive corridor to cross the Janji and encircle our positions or isolate them and head straight for the outpost and Check Point Zulu. We were fortunate."
"After the morning assault had concluded, I once again had to re-assess. The command sphere had suffered heavy structure damage, but was still capable of flying, and the electronics while on auxiliary power, were quite functional. Something else had disturbed me as well as I hovered over Dragon West.
"The video feed here is unique. I could see that a stream of burrows in the distance was sunken a little bit, and it was then I realized that the Zerg were not just burrowing, they were tunneling. If they could not cross over the Janji by bridge, they would go underneath it and arrive on the other side. While I ate my fiber puree and drank my soymilk, I had the command sphere hover over the Janji and insert a sonar buoy in the river; it provided me the shallow depth of the river, the area where it most efficient for the Zerg to tunnel under. I also radioed my company leaders and the Check Point Zulu, sharing my concerns and ordered them to be on the look out for slight tremors in our sensor array. I needed to know where those were. The dimensions of the battle had changed. Those massive land battles had been a stratagem for the real danger, and there was little if anything we could do about the menacing threat except track and react. The shallow point was just south of Dragon.
The rest of the day was quiet…and that silence merely confirmed my suspicions, but we could see the Zerg starting to form yet another air group. Another transport had arrived, and this time it brought several whole racks for our Angel launchers. My company also enjoyed another tasty infamous combat ration: a tube of re-hydrated biscuits and gravy, complete with a vitamin fiber boost liquid to wash it down."
April 8th, 2456. We had lost all of our sensors on the eastern side of the river and it was clear that the tunnel was making progress towards the river. By first light, we could no longer see from our recon runs just how far under the tunnel was or to where it was headed, as the Zerg now had complete air dominance of that side of the river Janji. We could no longer over fly into that zone, as the Zerg had several scourges patrolling the area now. Linebacker and Fullback were now airborne though, and that brought us comfort.
I had received a message just before dawn from Colonel Mason: Safety: Hold position at all costs. Zulu is still not set up for fallback." I am also including the messages to the command sphere as well. These were electronically sent via SCIMITAR encryption, so as not to give away any information or violate radio silence.
0645 Uramon CT – Movement spotted by zoom viewers 800 yards east of 102, Cobra West
0648 Uramon CT – Movement spotted by zoom viewer 850 yards east of 103, Cobra West
0651 Uramon CT – sensor tremor .09 Richter east of 102, Cobra West– unknown center point
0656 Uramon CT – Major Zergling and hydra group spotted 750 yards east of 102, Cobra West.
0659 Uramon CT – Major scourge grouping 600 yards east of 108, Eagle West
0713 Uramon CT – Sensor tremor east of 102. Stronger Richter reading, vague center point 100 yards west of 102, Cobra West.
White now added to the journal, "At 0715 …Well, I think it best to insert the COM log.
0715 Uramon CT – Emergency message from 100, Cobra West - toxic blood like cloud has struck the position, casualties numerous. Request permission to go Arrow (detonate the bridge)."
0716 Uramon CT – "102 (location: Cobra, west bank), this is Safety, Roger, Affirm, go Arrow and retreat to Zulu
The captain now also added his own take on the engagement, "…Meanwhile scourges, accompanied by mutalisks and a token ground force of hydras started to attack Eagle West. Furthermore, we could see several overlords streaming to the position accompanied by more mutalisks and scourge. We could did not see however a massive explosion on the northern bridge. I am now highlighting this portion of the COM log."
0717 Uramon CT- 102, this is Safety…go ahead on Arrow…I say again go ahead on Arrow…Boogie to Zulu. (Detonate the bridge and retreat to Checkpoint Zulu)
0718 Uramon CT – 100, 101, 102, Cobra West, this is Safety…COM check… emergency understood…Go Arrow and boogie to Zulu…acknowledge.
0719 Uramon CT - Linebacker, Fullback…This is Safety…request illumination of Cobra West
0719 Uramon CT - Copy Safety…we have a visual…patching through now…Linebacker Fox 5 100, Cobra West
0721 Uramon CT Safety…Fullback Fox 5 on Cobra West
Captain White now relived the terror on a video screen as he narrated the ghoulish encounter. He was remorseful, because this was his fault for not anticipating or countering the danger. "Of the 23 people guarding the Cobra, two survived. One survivor of the northern bridge was Pvt. Hideyoshi Mitsune, UEDIN 6700-2579-1237. He was in Bunker 101. It is from Pvt. Mitsune's helm cam that we are able to recreate what happened."
"Apparently, the toxic cloud was a result of multiple Defiler attacks that had struck the bunkers and the rocket turrets. At least two of the Defilers however were destroyed by return fire from the rocket turrets. Zergling were killed by spider mines and tangled in concertina wire, the frontal assault was contained. However, that was not the major development. Amidst all of this chaos, the communication equipment in Bunker 100 was knocked out, while the Bunker 101 had malfunctioning transmitters. Thus, no reply to our communiqués."
"The major development was the assault from the rear. This is something we anticipated, but clearly were not prepared. It was my judgment that if the Zerg were tunneling, they would take the path where they could take advantage of shallow area of the river. Instead, they went under the deepest part of the River Janji and ended up right behind Bunker 100. The visual feeds that Linebacker and Fullback provide give us a new glimpse of a new strain of Zerg…Something I would call an Underlord unless we decide to name it otherwise. Pvt. Mitsune's helm cam also gives a close up of the monster. The battle that followed was hideous and seven of these 'Underlords' surfaced and at least 50 Zergling jumped out of pouches that were a part of these creatures. In addition, there were no Zerg queens in the area, but broodlings did attack troops from within the Cobra bunker position. We have learned, thanks to Pvt. Mitsune, that the Zerg Defiler can now create broodlings, and they targeted my medics as their first offspring. The Angels were heavily damaged by the toxic plague cloud but managed to kill off all of the Underlords, but a renewed attack by hydra and Zergling from the east eventually wiped out many of the Angel emplacements and all of our bunkers. The men fought a desperate battle as they tried to escape, but were overwhelmed. They were massacred. I have spared the COM links for this particular gruesome episode; they are now in the custody of the science team, under Commander Quentin Q. O' Callahan, UEDIN 5412-5489-7496."
Linebacker and Fullback unleashed full fury on Cobra bridge, setting off all of the explosives and destroying it along with the Zerg frontal assault. Linebacker and Fullback had hit the air-to-air missiles in a couple of Angels, resulting secondary explosions destroying the tunnels that had been created by these new Zerg creatures. It is my recommendation that Pvt. Mitsune, UEDIN 6700-2579-1237, be promoted to Corporal and that he receive immediate medical prosthesis for his right eye and left foot at UED expense. Two of the four Angels, although heavily damaged, still remained active. I would later learn that SCV Ramirez, the only other survivor, risked his own life during this battle to repair those emplacements during the onslaught. He did survive, but his life sensor in the light armor was damaged. Thus, we did not read his life signs for remainder of the day.
The battle was fluid now as other sectors were fully engaged. I am inserting the COM log here, as well. In the south sector, the Eagle bunkers were churning out a steady stream of gauss rifle fire and were supported by 4 Angels while the at Dragon, Bunkers 103 and 104 were supported by a siege tank and 4 Angels. I wish I could describe the mayhem of this engagement, but I feel I am not articulate enough. The COM logs provide a better perspective of the chaos of this battlefield.
0728 Uramon CT – 103 to Safety, Major shockwave and multiple explosions over Cobra.
0729 Uramon CT – Safety to Linebacker, Fullback, are you still Fox 5, over?
0729 Uramon CT – Linebacker Fox 5, Fullback Fox 5 over
0729 Uramon CT – Roger that Linebacker, Fullback.
0730 Uramon CT – 109 to Safety multiple ground targets headed our way with air group
0730 Uramon CT – 103 to Safety, we have multiple ground targets coming our way. Add multiple air contacts. Request air support
0731 Uramon CT – Free Agent 482 (Transport 0482 flying in from Noah) to Safety, be advised you have heavy contacts headed your way…We can see 6 Ultras headed to Dragon. (the center)
0731 Uramon CT – Safety to Dragon, hang tight, we'll try to get air.
0731 Uramon CT – 103 to Safety we are Fox 25, I repeat, we are Fox 25 (meaning they were engaging both air and ground threats)
0732 Uramon CT – 108 to Safety we are Fox 25. (Lt. Farr was making his last stand, but kept composure under overwhelming air assault)
0733 Uramon CT - Linebacker, Fullback, this is Safety we need Fox 5 at Dragon, ASAP
0733 Uramon CT – Linebacker to Safety, changing vectors, we should be Fox 5 on Dragon in 5 minutes. Advise your boys to go Fox 2, we'll nail the ground
0733 Uramon CT - 103 to Linebacker, TAC 2, we copy that priority switching from Fox 5 (ground targeting) to Fox 2(air targeting)….(static and rifle fire)
At this point I moved the command sphere north to Dragon west of 103. I hit Dragon with multiple bursts of irradiation, targeting 3 of the Ultras. The bridge was packed with Zergling and hydra as well. I could see air units heading towards the position and thought it wise to head north. While the bridge was damaged heavily from previous combat, it still supported the weight of the massive ultralisks and numerous Zergling and hydra.
0735 Uramon CT – 108 to Safety, Arrow is on Eagle. (they were going to light the napalm trap on the bridge)
0735 Uramon CT – 108 to Safety, scourges are diving on our bunker, I say again scourges are kamikazi ……(break)
0735 Uramon CT – 108 we acknowledge Arrow and scourge kamikazi.
I was now moving the sphere northwards toward Cobra sector to see if anything was left. The air threat was too great to the command sphere, which had little structural integrity left and was having major mobility problems with the gravitational magnets. We now realize that the scourges were actually crashing into buildings as well as aircraft. It had been our previous experience that they would not do such a thing.
0736 Uramon CT – Safety to 108, SITREP on Fox 25, over
0736 Uramon CT – Safety to 108, Request SITREP on Fox 25 over…
0737 Uramon CT –( a different voice – Pvt. Karen Goethe, UEDIN 6236-4319-9847) This is 108, officer KIA, 107 breached 109 destroyed, 106 intact. We have 2 Angel emplacements destroyed…Request advise….(rifle shots, explosions and screams in background)
0737 Uramon CT – Safety to 108, hang tight
0737 Uramon CT – Safety to Zulu….Request card (reinforcements), I say again draw card.
0737 Uramon CT – This is Zulu. We copy. Call signs Top Shelf and Whiplash en route…you direct on TAC 2
0738 Uramon CT – Safety switching to TAC 2. Top Shelf, Whiplash I need an ORBAT. (order of battle) What do you got?
0738 Uramon CT – Whiplash to Safety we have 4 goliaths each
0738 Uramon CT – (4 second delay) Ok (Delay 5 seconds as we figured where best to send them) Top Shelf, Whiplash. Drop packages off 100 meters west of 108. Be advised, that LZ (landing zone) is hot. Keep you're IFF's on. I don't want any friendly fire mishaps. (IFF Identify friend or foe transponder that would distinguish you from unidentified air targets)
0739 Uramon CT – Whiplash ETA to destination 2 minutes
0739 Uramon CT – Top Shelf, Ditto that
0739 Uramon CT – Safety to 108 hang tight…help en route, do you read…
0739 Uramon CT – Safety to 108 do you read…
0739 Uramon CT – (Distraught voice in background) Karen…Karen…oh my god…your head honey….holy crap (another male voice) ….(shots in background)
0739 Uramon CT – Linebacker Fox 5 Dragon
0739 Uramon CT - Fullback Ditto Fox 5…take care of that mutalisk on my right, 104…much obliged.
0740 Uramon CT – Top Shelf approaching mailbox…gonna drop off 150 meters west of it…sorry, LZ way too hot. Package is Blitz. (4 Goliaths were now deploying and would be under call sign Blitz)
0740 Uramon CT – Whiplash…Ditto that…package is Zone
White paused the tape relay. With a sigh he spoke, "I feel it imperative to comment on this. To the outsider, it would appear cowardly, but after looking at the data and video feeds and sensor readings, especially from Zulu, I can understand and concur with the judgment. Eagle was definitely a hot LZ. COM report continues as follows:"
0740 Uramon CT – Safety to 108….TAC 2 do you read
0740 Uramon CT - Safety I read ya…I am moving to 106….we got problems… (automatic gauss rifle fire in background) damn muta's and guardians and scourge all over the place…no need to worry about ground targets here…fire on the bridge is hella hot….ain't nothin' get through that…Well…Christ on bicycle…guess something did (it appears an Ultra had managed to get through at substantial damage to itself) …I gotta little some'in some for you and yo' pal (automatic heavy gauss fire)…(another voice in background) Baker get the hell outta there head to 106…go… (more rifle fire)
White interrupted the COM log replay again, "As the command sphere reached the northern bridge we irradiated anything that was moving except a lone hobbling soldier (later identified as Pvt. Mitsune). We still had two Angels working though. We could tell because they were firing at a distant guardian; we caught live video feed of the exploding beast…quite a sight."
0741 Uramon CT - Safety to 108 or 106 or whoever you are…are you still there?
0741 Uramon CT – Yeah, still here Safety…we got ultras going trying to cross the bridge though…and I got fires on three of our Angels, so we gotsta fix that real quick.
0741 Uramon CT - 103 to Safety switching to Fox 5, Fox 2 is for the Angels.
0741 Uramon CT – Linebacker to Safety…gotta RTB. (Return to base) Zulu, prepare for RTB on TAC 8
0741 Uramon CT – Fullback to Safety, still Fox 5.
0741 Uramon CT – Fullback, this is Safety, can you break off and head south to Eagle. We got two big targets headed that way
0741 Uramon CT – Roger that Safety, breaking south….ETA 3 min. I got multiple air units though on me. Scourge almost hit me…
Again, White had paused the replay button. "I need to add that at this time in the battle, Fullback was over the eastern side of the Janji, and taking fire from hydras and dealing with the threat of scourge.
0742 Uramon CT – Safety to Fullback, hang in there…we appreciate the situation, but we need this…
0742 Uramon CT – Fullback to Safety making approach…Scourge hit my tail…this is the last run I can make…After this, it's RTB.
0742 Uramon CT – 103 to Safety, we have multiple ground targets approaching…bearing heat signatures of about 90 hydras. (Dragon was now undergoing another wave of assault)
0743 Uramon CT – Safety, this is Blitz…we are Fox 25 heading east toward 106. We are 100 meters west of 106. We are Fox 25…
0743 Uramon CT – Safety this is Zone, we are Fox 5, going after the mutas
White paused the COM log again, "Through sheer numbers, a couple of overlords had made it through our air defenses and had dropped a few hydras down behind 106. Zerg forces were now making a sustained attack. Thus, our goliaths had multiple threats. Unlike previous engagements, the Zerg held the 90 hydras in reserve; they would muster any other ground forces available to hit us where we were weakest. It just so happens that the only place they could cross was at Dragon. The north bridge was completely destroyed; the south bridge was a raging firestorm of which only the ultralisks could cross and live. The Zerg air units in the south had taken a horrible toll, but were about to be wiped out by our goliaths. I moved the command sphere down towards the south. Unfortunately, I moved southwards too soon…"
0744 Uramon CT – Fullback, Fox 5.
0744 Uramon CT – This is 106…we are Fox 5 on two big ole targets…make that one biggie…thank you Fullback.
0744 Uramon CT – Fullback to Safety…RTB. Zulu RTB on TAC 8 over
0745 Uramon CT – (voice from 106) We'll I'll be. Sweetpea used an optic flare and blinded the big bastard…look at him…smell that? Burning Zerg BBQ…(sounds of automatic gauss rifle and roiling flame from a fire bat)
0745 Uramon CT – 103 to Safety, got 12 air targets heading our way from the south…there headed our way read 8 scourge and 4 mutas
0745 Uramon CT – 103, this is Zone…confirm your TACCOM. They are heading up now…ETA 4 minutes. (Here, I should have realized that the remnants of the Zerg air force were heading straight for me and Dragon bridge)
White listened intently to the replay recordings, and then an ominous feeling began to develop in his mind. The following part was going to be difficult to hear. A sense of dread fell upon him.
0748 Uramon CT – Mayday, Mayday this is Safety…we are inbound we have been hit by multiple scourge…we are going down east of the Janji…I say again…east of Janji. Near ….(Radio out)
0748 Uramon CT – 103 to all units…confirm Mayday sighting of Safety…Inbound sector Dragon Echo 250. They managed to get off some radiation bursts though…I don't see any chutes, but I don't see any explosions either.
0748 Uramon CT – 103 to all units we are Fox 5. Multiple targets numbering over 80. We will be Fox 5 ETA 2 min…
White now was starting to sweat…he did not want to continue. He took a deep breath and exhaled, not realizing that the mere act itself was being recorded by the computer's journal. He continued, "At 0752 Uramon CT, our command sphere crashed east of the Janji. We were in enemy territory. Luckily, all eight of us survived the crash, but we only had seven gauss rifles. I took my distress beacon and the emergency low frequency radio. Lt. Howard Fisk UEDIN 6111-0479-0561 grabbed the data drive and condensed it all into two disks. PFC's Johanssen, Paige, Soloviev, and Hindu (I don't remember or know what their ID's are offhand) quickly hopped out and secured the perimeter. PFC Jane Walker wired the craft for demolition, while Cpl. Lo Zhong destroyed SCIMITAR ciphers and extracted the mobile C3 (Command, Control and Communication) laptop computer. Within minutes, we had exited safely from the vehicle, and ensured that it was effectively scuttled. The time was 0759 Uramon CT."
"Computer, end voice journal transmission." White bowed his head towards his knees…as he felt emotional defeat. How could he have made such a foolish mistake? Now, he had not only acknowledged it, he would have to re-live it through verbally relating the most painful moments ever etched in his memory…forever.