Chapter 15 : ...unleash hell!
"Copy that" Aeryn replied, shutting off the connection. Where does he get these strange quotes and phrases? she wondered. It must be all these entertainment 'movies' that Crichton tells me about. That's one part of Earth society I'm glad Peacekeepers haven't got!
She then turned to the artillery commanders fro the Royal Guard and Lord Aranak. "Lock down the launchers" she ordered "Fire as soon as the main force comes within range. Don't bother trying for the buggies – let the wall guns handle those. There's huge numbers of straight-leg infantry behind them – nice, slow, and in close formation. Lord Aranak's Special Forces will provide targeting data. We'll whittle them down as far as we can, then the tanks can pick up the pieces. They have to have their fifteen microts of fame, after all". The artillery commanders grinned to each other and rushed off to their own command posts to prepare their forces.
"Lords" Aeryn continued, turning to the others present in the tent. "It's time for you to return to your own forces. You know the deployment positions War Commander Harrigan assigned you. Get your forces ready to move". She turned to another man, who wore the uniform of the army reserves. "I want every adult and strong teenager capable of bearing arms organised on the ramparts to defend the walls or assisting the medical corps treating the wounded" she told him. "Already done, Officer" he replied "King's contingency plan three. One of the techs in the War Room talked to my aide, who got word to me, as soon as the recon mission got back. I instituted conscription as soon as my aide stopped talking. Those people have heart, and will fight for their homes" he warned "but won't stand up to a full-on fight against Charrid commandos". "Let's hope it won't come to that" Aeryn reassured that man, all the while thinking that she was glad he didn't know about the Scarran A-Team on the loose inside the city.
Harrigan's team had just mounted their buggies for the trip out through no- man's land. "Stay out of sight of the enemy" he cautioned the drivers "We must not be seen until I wish to be. We need you to remain undetected until we leave. Now let's get out of here". Harrigan waved at a peasant manning the controls to one of the smaller gates. He immediately pulled a lever, which caused the gate to rise slowly towards the top of its arch. As soon as there was enough clearance, Harrigan slapped his driver on the shoulder. That trooper slammed his foot to the floor, fishtailing his buggy out of the gate at high speed, with the other two following close behind.
The trip proceeded without incident. Just as they were about to disembark, a message came over the command frequencies. "All forces be advised" Aeryn's voice warned "Lord Aranak's forces report the enemy advance guard has arrived. Stand ready to defend yourselves. Lord Lorshul's raiders, move to engage the buggies now". A mild hum came over the radio as the grav tanks picked up speed and moved out. "Enemy main force arrives in approximately one arn".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Harrigan's little group hid themselves amongst the sparse cover provided by a few large boulders and some stunted trees. One corporal scampered up a tree with his oculars. "What do you see?" whispered the lieutenant. "Frelling hordes of Charrids!" the corporal replied "Markings show the front wave as locals, but the second line are elite forces form offworld. Let's just hope they don't see us". "Range?" asked Harrigan. The corporal read the numbers off his oculars, and didn't like what he saw. Shimmying down the tree, he hissed "A momen or two away, no more! A few hundred metras away!".
"HIDE!" Harrigan ordered. The whole unit melted into the surroundings in only a few microts. Four momens later, the first wave of infantry passed their lay-up point not more than one hundred metras distant. They could hear the faint muttering of the local Charrids muttering about lack of transport, bad rations, and all the other things infantry moan about at these times. "Stupid idiot will sap the morale of the whole unit and give his position away" Harrigan muttered. One of the offworld officers must have thought this too, as a series of blows and harsh words were inflicted on the unfortunate local for his mistake.
Harrigan raised his G8C and slipped the safety to 'semi'. "Hmm..." he mused, putting his right eye to the scope "An intelligent officer. Can't have that!" He let his breath out, held it half way, and squeezed the trigger slowly. A muffled thud was the only noise heard as the bullet left Harrigan's suppressed weapon. Two hundred metras away, the unfortunate Charrid was bawling out another trooper for not keeping in formation when a slight whistling sound and a wet thud announced that their former officer had met his death. The bullet entered through his right temple and blew half his head, and all of his brains, all over the nearby brushland and the three troopers that had the misfortune to be within four metras of the targeted officer. The Charrid NCO immediately screamed "Snipers! Spread out!".
But the Ithlin team had moved on to the next lay-up point by then. Ten momens later the officers had decided that snipers had left, and resumed marching. "Charrid mark 5 medium tanks" stated the lieutenant, as the first wave of armour units passed by "Probably imported from the slave- labour factories on Chena'ia. I'd say a whole regiment and a half. Almost two and a half thousand tanks. Lord Brathal and Lord Rahjan better not try and take that lot on without the Royal Guard superheavies there – they'll get chewed up and spat out in pieces".
Next came howitzers. "Not much artillery" Harrigan remarked "I wonder why. You'd think they'd bring lots, to smash through the walls or at least one of the gates and get into the city. They'll definitely need to take out the wall guns somehow. Something seems wrong here...". But Harrigan shook off his misgivings and settled back behind cover. Dargo pointed out a very large and distinctive vehicle just visible at the back of the formation. "What the yotz is that?" he asked. "Scarran command hover-fortress" replied Talannah "That proves this attack is sanctioned by someone high up in the Hierarchy. Maybe even War Minister Ahkna herself" she finished, spitting on the floor in disgust.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Oooh..." remarked a corporal snidely "Don't much like her, hmmm?" He backed off smartly when Talannah turned and hissed at him. "No, soon-to-be- Private, I do not!" Talannah spat out "She is third in line of authority in the Hierarchy, and in completely over her head. Her alignment with the conquest factions has ensured her promotion to War Minister. A more moderate, and more qualified, candidate was muscled out of contention through political influence and the assistance of Emperor Staleek. You'd be amazed what we had in the Deadhead files on her, the past blunders and personal peccadilloes of hers that got covered up".
The corporal almost brought up his rations all over his comrades on hearing of Talannah's origin, but Harrigan's hand on his shoulder calmed him down. "Hmph" Talannah grumped to Harrigan, leading him to one side "I must be getting soft. If that had happened more than a weeken or two ago, we'd have a headless corpse here in this hole with us". Harrigan just squeezed her shoulder softly and hugged her close, saying "I must be having a moderating influence on you, my love". Talannah just sighed softly and relaxed into Harrigan's arms.
Back in Ithlin, the A-Team were preparing another sortie. The news was coming on over their television, showing the execution of the Minister of the Interior for treason. They also saw the king assign leadership of the city's forces to Harrigan shortly afterwards. When they heard Talannah cry out "All hail War Commander Harrigan!" there was much angry hissing and growling. "That woman has a lot to answer for, calling that man a War Commander" growled the team leader "There have been no real War Commanders since the military junta overthrew the King almost two and a half millenia ago".
"You know the prophecy as well as we do" replied the demo specialist "Perhaps the lady out there..." she added, pointing to the TV "...does as well. She is, after all, a lot closer to him than we are". The camera was too far away for them too see the fine detail of Talannah's uniform – and would be unlikely to like what they saw if they did. None of the A-Team held the Deadheads in very high regard now, and hadn't done for some time.
"Yes, that's true" weighed in the electronics specialist "But I, quite frankly, am a bit sceptical. It was supposed to have been pronounced by the last Lord Chamberlain just before the junta's Praetorians made the final assault on the palace. He would have been under a great deal of stress, and may have not been as clear as he should have been. The wording is very unclear – how is '...formed by Scarrans, made by Scarrans, loved by Scarrans – yet not of them...' supposed to be interpreted? 'From a planet of unknown origin, arriving by unknown means' seems obvious. He came from a planet we haven't yet found and arrived by some new technology, perhaps? But the rest?" he asked the room rhetorically, raising his arms in perplexed misunderstanding "Clear as mud, all of it".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Perhaps..." whispered the recon specialist, currently gazing out of the small street-facing window curtains, searching for any potential enemies "...But this unknown individual has fulfilled the requirement given for extreme physical strength already. That palace wall is almost 8 metras high. Apart from a Kalish, no other living creature could reach the top of the wall without a ladder – and a Kalish couldn't do it so quickly"
"Irrespective of his place in our history" decided the leader, cutting off the discussion "he certainly bears watching. We may have to move against him if those Charrids fail. They're persistent, but the ones we've got are aren't exactly tactical geniuses. The Hierarchy should have assigned the subjugation of this planet to a purely Scarran force if they want it to succeed – but no, our green-skinned comrades got it instead. Besides, you know by now that loyalty assessments are being done on all front-line personnel. When they get to us, our interest in the pre-Hierarchy history alone will be enough to get us executed. Let alone..." He left the rest hanging in the air.
"We'd better get going" urged the unit XO. "Fascinating though this discussion is, we have to see to it that those wall guns are out of action by the time the hover-fort gets to missile range. Which won't be that long now". He beckoned to the electronic specialist, ordering him to get the truck started. "Make sure that lump of dren stays running!" he yelled "I don't want that thing dropping offline three microts form safe distance if we have to use explosives. None of us can outrun the shockwave from tarvek charges". The truck started faultlessly, and the team quickly jumped on board. The electronics specialist wrestled with the gearstick, slamming the truck in gear, and it moved slowly out towards their first objective - the nearest wall gun in the main gate area.
Lord Lorshul's raiders sped into battle, sweeping down the left flank of the enemy. They caused severe casualties to enemy infantry, and destroyed or crippled many buggies as well – until an enemy tank officer yelled his company into action, and ten grav-tanks were destroyed in an eyeblink. "FALL BACK!" ordered the senior surviving grav-tank officer "Fall back! Back to the lines!" The unit immediately pulled sharp turns and headed back to their position in the battle-lines by the artillery. Aeryn was immediately notified of the casualties, and walked outside to take the after-action report. The bloodied XO walked up to her and saluted. "Ma'am?" he asked "Permission to see to my men and get our vehicles repaired. We need to get back out there" he finished, nodding towards the enemy. Aeryn opened her mouth to reply, but was drowned out by the sound of two brigades of rocket artillery opening up all at once. Once the noise had died down and the smoke dissipated, Aeryn tried again. "Of course, I'd have expected you to get that started before coming here" she stated, after shaking her head slowly from side to side to clear the ringing in her ears. "But you'll be staying here for a while. You're the mobile reserves for this battle. Your place is to plug any gaps in our lines long enough for your slower comrades to regroup. There may be a special mission for you later – but the opportunity hasn't arisen yet. A good first strike, despite the casualties sustained. Don't let your egos overrule your training again".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The tank officer saluted, said "Yes, ma'am!" and returned to his unit to oversee the repair of his tanks and to make sure his crews were well-fed when they were next needed.
The first wave of enemy buggies were closing rapidly with the Ithlin main force when the first volley of rockets whistled overhead and smashed into the infantry formations following a kilometra or so behind. The rockets had cluster warheads, which detonated over their targets, spraying small explosives the size of a large grenade over an area a couple of kilometras long and one wide. The infantry there, elite commandos fresh from fighting against the Kalish resistance, were all pulverised in an instant; blood, bones, and unidentifiable body parts thrown many metras from their origin. Then the buggies received their own high-explosive welcome as they came within range of the wall guns. Over half were obliterated before they pulled back.
In the hover-fortress, the besieging commander ordered those Ithlin rockets silenced. When the order was passed down to the howitzer companies, their commander growled with irritation at the stupidity of his commanding officer. "He ought to know that we're still three kilometras from firing range" the Charrid groused "We should have had some pilots with us. One run from a Stryker or two and those rocket launchers would be smashed to kindling at little cost to us. No one here seems to use any triple-A at all".
The order reached two of the buggy companies as well. Immediately twelve buggies detatched themselves from each company and sped towards their objectives – one group down the left flank, heading for the Royal Guard; one down the right flank, heading for Lord Aranak's unit. The main buggy force separated split into smaller units and remained in place, waiting for the infantry to catch up, and taking care spread out to minimise casualties.
A skirmish unit under Lord Aranak's command opened fire with tak-7 portable tube launchers as the buggies heading for their comrades swept by. Dug in and well camouflaged, the first the buggy drivers knew of this unwelcome addition was when five of their number were blown to pieces by unseen missile teams. Lord Aranak's team immediately shifted position, but one sharp-eyed Charrid spotted them running for their alternate position and turned to pursue, drawing his comrades along with him. Four more were destroyed by sustained fire from semi-portable pulse cannons, but all but two of the brave team were killed. The Charrids deemed these survivors unworthy of their attention, and the three remaining buggies raced on.
The other buggy group were spotted only when one of Lord Lorshul's scouts raised the alarm. His grav tanks were still mission-ineffective, so the heavy infantry attempted to repulse them with heavy pulse rifles and tak-5 torpedoes. The older-model torpedos were not well suited to taking on fast- attack vehicles and all bar one missed. Rifle fire took out three more, but the remaining eight blew straight past them for the artillery at full speed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------
The Royal Guard infantry squads were too slow to use their firepower to stop the raid. Rockets, cannon, and rifle fire raked the king's artillery mercilessly, destroying all the launchers and killing their crews.
Only when the ponderous turrets and overwhelming firepower of the Royal Guard superheavies were brought to bear was the loss of their lightly- armoured brethren avenged. Every last buggy was destroyed. But the cost was almost too high for the Royal Guard to bear. Only the fact that their tanks were crucial to the war effort prevented a complete collapse of morale.
News of the enemy raid had just been relayed to Commander Harrigan. "Frell!" he raged "The enemy made their move at the moment we were most vulnerable! If those grav-tanks were operational, those buggies would have been paste. That hover-fort dies now, along with everyone in it! MOVE!" The rest of the team tried their best to keep up with Harrigan and Talannah as they ran for the command vehicle's back entrance. As they came round the back of the vehicle, hatches on the roof were opening slowly one after the other. "Long range missiles!" Talannah yelled "We have to silence the fire control before they lock on. If they do, those missiles will breach the walls or gates, and we have to fight house-to-house".
"We lose the war if that happens" Harrigan replied bluntly. "Our advantage lies in giving our armour room to manoeuvre. Once we're reduced to city fighting, those tanks become coffins and we face a four to one disadvantage in infantry. I'd rather not rely on the militias – the Charrid forces will murder them with barely a twitch". He gestured to one corporal, who threw a tarvek grenade down an open silo. The resulting explosion was all the could have hoped for. All the launch tubes and their associated loading crews went up in a chain reaction of rapid explosions that caused considerable damage.
But the hover-fort was far from out of the fight. The remaining launch tubes on the left side were still operational, and their hatches were opening slowly. They all knew that the could not allow that to happen. "Sir?" prompted one private with a sack full of tarvek grenades and associated demo gear. "No way" Harrigan responded. Then he grinned, adding "Takes too long. I'll just have to pull the door off myself". The unit looked on in stunned disbelief as Harrigan threw all his strength into ripping the steel doors off their hinges.
Inside, the commander realised that an attack was being made and ordered his command staff to hold the doors closed. Only the missile technicians were allowed to remain at their posts – the rest of them were fighting a losing battle against Harrigan's efforts to shred their only means of safety into tinfoil.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The gap in the doors was widening rapidly. The locking bars had given way already, and it was Harrigan versus five command staff, for control of the entrance. One crewman tried to stick his head out of the hole to get a look at how many troops were attacking them. The Ithlin team were astonished to find out that the crew was Scarran. But that crewman's hesitation on seeing Talannah was all the Ithlin lieutenant needed. He brought up his weapon and fired, blowing almost the entire upper body off the unfortunate Scarran. "What the frell's that?" Talannah asked in disbelief. "Byraevian scattergun" he replied happily "Basically a high powered conerifle. Unbeatable close-in".
This gave the Ithlin troops all the edge they needed. All seven heaved the door open before the Scarrans had time to recover from the explosive destruction of their colleague. Then they were unable to use their own scatterguns as Harrigan and Talannah had drawn their swords and leapt in. Talannah immediately impaled both the missile technicians on the end of her blades, pinning their corpses to their consoles. Then she bent down to disable the firing controls beyond hope of repair. Meanwhile, Harrigan was taking on the crew. They put up a very spirited defence, but Harrigan's carapace absorbed every blow the landed and shot they fired (if somewhat painfully at times).
Five momens and four Scarran bodies later, Harrigan held the Scarran commander pinned to the wall. "Now we can do this the easy way" Harrigan explained to the Scarran officer "or the very easy way. But that's far too messy and time consuming, and Talannah's busy anyway". "So how about this" continued the Ithlin lieutenant "You surrender yourself to Ithlin's king. Then you'll be interrogated a bit, and released on the next available transport stopping in Scarran space".
"What do you think I am?!" rasped the Scarran "I'm not some weak-willed Sebacean..." he spat at the Ithlin lieutenant "...straight off the farm with dirt under his fingernails and dung between his toes! We both know I won't leave this planet alive. High command will probably execute me for failure if Ithlin interrogates me, so why don't you just do it yourself now? At least it'll be quick". Harrigan snapped the Scarran's neck fast. "The drivers!" he urged the Ithlin troops "No survivors!" Four scattergun blasts later, and the team returned two short. "Drivers were more alert" the corporal reported, tightening a bandage around her arm "Took down our point man and demo guy before we nailed them". "Good work" Harrigan encouraged her with a soft squeeze of her shoulder. "Now finish the job and lob one of those grenades you've got through the door. Can't have them Charrids salvaging this thing. Tal, rig this thing to blow!"
"Hmm..." she wondered "Wonder if my old Deadhead overrides will work..." She punched them in, and the main control program came up, with lots of red lights for the damaged or destroyed systems. "Set auto-destruct – maximum yield!" she ordered the command battlecomp. "Done" it responded. "Set auto-destruct!" Talannah ordered the battlecomp again "Timer – 420 microts total!" "Done" responded the battlecomp. "Activate!" she ordered finally.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- A wailing siren sounded for a short time, then cut to an automated voice. "Warning!" it stated in a metallic monotone "Auto-destruct has been activated. You now have 420 microts to reach minimum safe distance". "You heard the computer!" Harrigan ordered. "Run, run, run!". "Call the buggies in to pick us up" he ordered Talannah "We won't make it out on foot!" The buggy drivers immediately jumped back into their buggies and homed in on their countrymen's beacons, arriving two momens later. "Mount up!" screamed the lieutenant. "We got perhaps 180 microts left!"
When the buggy drivers heard that, they immediately headed straight away from the stricken hulk at full speed. A little under the lieutenant's estimated time later, the auto-destruct charge activated. A large mushroom cloud rose from the shattered remains of the hover-fort, followed by an enormous blast wave. This alone incinerated 90% of the artillery pieces, and killed almost all of the offworld infantry instantly. Even some of the Rathlaas infantry were killed in the blast as well. The ground for several kilometras was scorched black or burning as the nuclear blast burnt everything in its path. Fortunately Harrigan's team had just reached the nearest hill some six kilometras away. The shockwave rolled the buggies over, but caused no further damage. Once the buggies had stopped rolling, the shaken troopers righted them, got back in, and inched slowly back to ground zero.
"Well, now you know what nuclear weapons do first hand" Talannah stated "That was just a little one. 300-KiloUnit demo charge. We'd better leave before the fallout overloads our suits". The drivers needed no encouragement. The sight of all that smashed machinery and scorched, burnt bodies was something they would never forget. Talannah tapped Harrigan on the shoulder, pointing at the flare gun. Harrigan smiled, giving Talannah a long, slow kiss, before raising the flare gun and firing.
Outside the gates, a HQ comm tech pointed at the sky to the left oft the dimming mushroom cloud, yelling "FLARE!" Aeryn remembered the orders Harrigan had given her in his usual odd way, and motioned the comm tech over to her. "All forces command net!" she ordered. The comm. tech punched three buttons and twisted a dial a couple of notches before passing the handset back. Aeryn waited a while, pondering what rank to give herself here. Harrigan had clearly left her in command, but not given her any specific rank. "This is Sub-Commander Sun" she stated firmly "All forces – General advance! Move as one!"
All across the Ithlin forces, roars of joy could be heard. The armoured units were especially glad to have the chance to get to grips with the enemy. Only Lord Lorshul's raiders had seen combat among the mechanised units – and not without cost. Aeryn ordered the few remaining artillery units back behind the city wall, against their wishes. "Enough!" Aeryn barked "I have War Commander Harrigan's authority to conduct the defence here until he returns! You have played your part, and played it well. But your forces can't fire on the move or discriminate between friend and foe when the rockets fall. Besides, the king will probably feel better with at least some of his guard units back in the palace".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "So don't argue with me! Get back inside the walls!" The force commanders were in no mood to deal with an angry Aeryn in full military ass-kicker mode, so quickly moved to obey her orders. She ran up to one of the Royal Guard tanks and banged on the hatch. "Let me up!" she yelled. The hatch was opened and Aeryn scampered up over the outer hull and down into the turret. "Forward!" she ordered the driver. She got on the unit comm and ordered "Guard armour! On me!" Then she switched to the infantry guard net. "Guard infantry! Form up and follow!". Finally, Lord Aranak's powered armour. Lord Aranak himself had donned his own suit to lead his troops into battle personally. "Powered Armour! Lead off!". Lord Aranak replied with "On our way, Sub-Commander Sun". A metal-sheathed arm swept forward, and the Royal Guard battlegroup moved forward. The superheavy tanks could barely move at a fast running speed, but this was not affected by terrain or weapons fire. The Royal Guard infantry jumped on board the running boards of their armoured brethren, covering the gaps in their fire and keeping enemy rocket troops away.
Lord Aranak's powered armour troops armed their pulse cannons and tak-9 missiles as they strode forward. Each suit only carried two of these advanced hypervelocity missiles, but one of these could easily take out a mark 5 tank even from the front, and rarely if ever missed. These units were as yet untried in battle, even amongst the Peacekeepers; but all the PA troopers were eager to test their skills against real tanks, instead of simulated ones.
Harrigan's buggies had just reformed with the remains of Lord Lorshul's raiders. The grav-tank pilots were eager to make amends for their earlier defeat, but had learnt the hard way not to push their luck too far. "You'll be supporting Lord Rahjan's and Lord Brathal's light armour and motorised infantry." Harrigan revealed over the officer's comm. "Just move from point to point, filling the gaps. Lord Aranak's Special Forces are to return to barracks. Get eight arns of sleep, then report to the palace and guard the king while his Guard infantry are out here fighting". The commando units retreated in good order for the city, glad to be getting some much needed rest and the chance to see their families again. Casualties had been especially heavy amongst their number, with barely 55% of starting forces surviving until this point.
Outriders from Lord Brathal's motorised infantry regiments sighted the enemy forces first. "Hit hard, and fall back slowly until you reach us" Harrigan ordered the light armour and motorised infantry commanders. "Do not engage the enemy tanks head to head. Those mark-5's may not be state of the art, but they mount big guns. Unless the gunners are really good, they'll have to stop to get a good shot. Mark-5's don't carry advanced fire control equipment" briefed Talannah, taking over "So the golden rule is : KEEP MOVING! Play to your strengths and against theirs! Lia'kla ra'grenaaj!" (Old Scarran : Literally 'Raid and Pillage'; usually used for 'Hit and Run' amongst those commanders still able to speak the language).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Thankfully Lord Brathal and Lord Rahjan were both avid students of history, as many aristocrats tend to be. They knew enough Old Scarran to understand Talannah's directions. Lord Brathal's IFV's released a wave of tak-9 missile from their turret launchers. Both light armour battalions darted forward, adding their medium cannons to the mix before retreating to the company of their colleagues. The Charrid tanks didn't meekly accept this – gunfire from the mark 5's claimed almost one hundred tanks and IFV's in response to the loss of one of their battalions.
"Light armour!" yelled Talannah over the comm "Stay back and cover the IFV's! Their tak-9's outranges your guns AND the enemy's. Keep them safe until the Royal Guard armour reaches us." The Charrid commander realised this as well, but his tanks lacked the speed to catch up. He knew that the whole battle plan was a complete shambles, so he got on the suborbital comm and activated the last ditch backup plan they'd all hoped they wouldn't have to use. A positive response came back – along with an order to remain alive for the next four arns until the ship made low orbit.
The mauled light armour units retreated to the safety of their companions, using their speed to ensure their survival. "Commander?" pressed Lord Lorshul "The ER-pulse cannons on my grav-tanks have a similar range to tak- 9 missiles. We can tilt the balance further in our favour. We won't make the same mistakes this time". "You'd better not, either" Harrigan warned "You're no use to the king dead. Hit hard, move fast, and get back here smartish. Don't get suckered close-in, or the mark-5's will chew you up and spit out the bones".
The grav-tanks screamed off towards the Charrid mark-5's. Lord Lorshul was as good as his word – many enemy tanks were destroyed, with very few casualties sustained in return. Only five tanks had to return to the city for repairs – the others that sustained minor damage went to back-up systems and remained in the fight. They criss-crossed back and forth, picking off the odd tank or two each time and driving the Charrid commander insane with frustration.
Outsystem, the captain gave the order to bring the engines and fire control systems up from standby. He wished that he had been given more time to get used to this ship – it was the first of its kind, radically different to the regular dreadnaughts of the Scarran fleet even if only a small portion of the heavy weaponry had been fitted before this invasion had been authorised. His only real regret was not having any spare pilots on board – all the Charrids they brought with them were infantry, and the A-Team had other business to attend to. A full complement of Strykers, and no crews for them! This just confirmed his viewpoint of High Command in general, and naval detailing in particular. At least all the guns on board were manned.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The Royal Guard armour battalion, led by Aeryn Sun, advanced slowly to meet their lighter comrades. Lord Aranak led his powered armour out in front, scouting for Charrid raiders (though finding none) and scanning the horizon for the light armour units. Three arns later, one PA trooper saw a familiar pair of buggies. "It's the Commander!" she yelled happily over the comm. A little too happily, thought Talannah jealously, listening in. I may be softening up in some ways, she knew, but I get more fiercely protective of my lovely John every momen of every day that passes. She took the opportunity to just gaze at him, taking in the sight of her lover in command of the battle. He sensed her looking over at him from the passenger seat of his buggy, and reached over to run his left hand slowly over her shoulders and down her arm. Talannah just closed her eyes and smiled softly, relaxing into her seat and savouring the feel of Harrigan's touch through her uniform as his fingers wandered over her upper body. She wished he wouldn't stop there, but also knew that once he'd made an in- principle decision, even she couldn't make him change his mind.
A quarter-arn later, the armour units all caught up to each other. While the various armour crews were regaling each other with tales of their battle exploits, a rather frantic call came in from Sikozu on Moya. "Aeryn, Dargo?" she asked. "It's me Sikozu" Harrigan replied "I command here. What's up?" She took a couple of microts to calm down a little, then went on. "Moya detected energy traces of a large vessel moving towards the planet". Harrigan tapped Talannah on the shoulder, then pointed to her ear, indicating she should listen in. "Race of origin?" Talannah asked "Class or type of craft?" Sikozu replied uneasily with "As for class or type of vessel, we haven't a clue. Pilot can't match it to anything from Moya's databanks. Race of origin, well, only one race builds its ships like that".
Neither Talannah or Harrigan liked this. Sikozu was usually so calm and composed, so if she was rattled, it must be really important. "And what race is that?" Harrigan prompted, though he was pretty sure he knew what the answer would be. Nor was he wrong, when Sikozu responded with "Scarrans. The ship is definitely of Scarran origin". Harrigan yelled over at Aeryn on the Royal Guard tank. "Aeryn, stay here! We have to get back to the war room and the space-tracking gear. We should get a better idea of what's out there. I'll call back if we need you!"
Aeryn didn't like that, but threw herself into the task at hand, setting up the positions of her forces and preparing defences against the oncoming Charrids. Harrigan pushed his buggy's engine well past the safe zone, so when he got back to the palace half an arn later the buggy was spewing clouds of grey smoke from the engine and making very suspicious metallic rattling noises. Both him and Talannah bailed out and headed for the palace war room without missing a step. Harrigan straight-armed the door open, almost ripping it off its hinges.
"Space tracking!" he yelled. "We have the contact your Leviathan detected about to enter low orbit" a tech replied "Definitely of Scarran origin, but nothing we've seen before. It's huge, though. Almost three time bigger than a regular dreadnaught. We're in really deep dren now".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "We're going to have to do something about that ship" Talannah said grimly "Nothing on this planet has the firepower to stand up to it. It'll blast the cities apart one by one until those remaining submit to Imperium authority". "We don't have any orbital defences to use," Harrigan mused "so all I can see to do is lead a boarding party to assault the bridge. Perhaps with their Captain dead, they'll leave for long enough for a Command Carrier or two to turn up".
Talannah hugged Harrigan tightly. "I don't want to lose you..." she cried softly "but this seems the only hope. So I'll go with you. Let's see if any of Lord Aranak's Special Forces want to go". It took several momens before Talannah could be persuaded to let go, and by then several scruffy- looking troopers were at the door. "You going for a Forlorn Hope, sir?" he asked "We'll go with you". Harrigan turned towards the new arrivals. "You do realise that you probably won't survive?" he remarked bleakly. "Someone has to stop that thing" one private replied "May as well be us."
"Get a truck from outside ready" ordered Talannah "We're heading for the spaceport. Time to test just how good your ship is, love". "You're taking your wife up?" the only corporal asked, astonished. "We're not married yet, corp. Anyway, she's got more experience than me at this kind of thing" Harrigan explained matter-of-factly "She knows Scarran ships inside out. Plus I'd never hear the end of it if she got left out." While the Ithlin troops were laughing, Harrigan whispered "Plus I'd miss you terribly while we're parted, my love" so only Talannah could hear.
By the time they reached the spaceport, something else occurred to him. "I'm going to check those boxes in the store room. I think there may be something we can use to tip the odds in our favour. Get the troops stashed in the bunkroom and prepare the ship for liftoff". Harrigan spent ten momens rummaging in the boxes. When he found the barrel the armourer had slipped him before they left Earth, he thought Hah! Yes, indeedy! Let's see how that monster's crew handle that!
He rushed back to the small bridge, strapping hurriedly into his pilot's chair. "We head straight for the air recycling junction controls. I've got a little surprise, just for them". He took off as quickly as possible, leaving a cloud of exhaust gasses hanging over the blast pit.
Now we'll really test our mettle! Harrigan knew. Our date with Destiny, in the guise of a Scarran warship, is at hand!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------
"Copy that" Aeryn replied, shutting off the connection. Where does he get these strange quotes and phrases? she wondered. It must be all these entertainment 'movies' that Crichton tells me about. That's one part of Earth society I'm glad Peacekeepers haven't got!
She then turned to the artillery commanders fro the Royal Guard and Lord Aranak. "Lock down the launchers" she ordered "Fire as soon as the main force comes within range. Don't bother trying for the buggies – let the wall guns handle those. There's huge numbers of straight-leg infantry behind them – nice, slow, and in close formation. Lord Aranak's Special Forces will provide targeting data. We'll whittle them down as far as we can, then the tanks can pick up the pieces. They have to have their fifteen microts of fame, after all". The artillery commanders grinned to each other and rushed off to their own command posts to prepare their forces.
"Lords" Aeryn continued, turning to the others present in the tent. "It's time for you to return to your own forces. You know the deployment positions War Commander Harrigan assigned you. Get your forces ready to move". She turned to another man, who wore the uniform of the army reserves. "I want every adult and strong teenager capable of bearing arms organised on the ramparts to defend the walls or assisting the medical corps treating the wounded" she told him. "Already done, Officer" he replied "King's contingency plan three. One of the techs in the War Room talked to my aide, who got word to me, as soon as the recon mission got back. I instituted conscription as soon as my aide stopped talking. Those people have heart, and will fight for their homes" he warned "but won't stand up to a full-on fight against Charrid commandos". "Let's hope it won't come to that" Aeryn reassured that man, all the while thinking that she was glad he didn't know about the Scarran A-Team on the loose inside the city.
Harrigan's team had just mounted their buggies for the trip out through no- man's land. "Stay out of sight of the enemy" he cautioned the drivers "We must not be seen until I wish to be. We need you to remain undetected until we leave. Now let's get out of here". Harrigan waved at a peasant manning the controls to one of the smaller gates. He immediately pulled a lever, which caused the gate to rise slowly towards the top of its arch. As soon as there was enough clearance, Harrigan slapped his driver on the shoulder. That trooper slammed his foot to the floor, fishtailing his buggy out of the gate at high speed, with the other two following close behind.
The trip proceeded without incident. Just as they were about to disembark, a message came over the command frequencies. "All forces be advised" Aeryn's voice warned "Lord Aranak's forces report the enemy advance guard has arrived. Stand ready to defend yourselves. Lord Lorshul's raiders, move to engage the buggies now". A mild hum came over the radio as the grav tanks picked up speed and moved out. "Enemy main force arrives in approximately one arn".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Harrigan's little group hid themselves amongst the sparse cover provided by a few large boulders and some stunted trees. One corporal scampered up a tree with his oculars. "What do you see?" whispered the lieutenant. "Frelling hordes of Charrids!" the corporal replied "Markings show the front wave as locals, but the second line are elite forces form offworld. Let's just hope they don't see us". "Range?" asked Harrigan. The corporal read the numbers off his oculars, and didn't like what he saw. Shimmying down the tree, he hissed "A momen or two away, no more! A few hundred metras away!".
"HIDE!" Harrigan ordered. The whole unit melted into the surroundings in only a few microts. Four momens later, the first wave of infantry passed their lay-up point not more than one hundred metras distant. They could hear the faint muttering of the local Charrids muttering about lack of transport, bad rations, and all the other things infantry moan about at these times. "Stupid idiot will sap the morale of the whole unit and give his position away" Harrigan muttered. One of the offworld officers must have thought this too, as a series of blows and harsh words were inflicted on the unfortunate local for his mistake.
Harrigan raised his G8C and slipped the safety to 'semi'. "Hmm..." he mused, putting his right eye to the scope "An intelligent officer. Can't have that!" He let his breath out, held it half way, and squeezed the trigger slowly. A muffled thud was the only noise heard as the bullet left Harrigan's suppressed weapon. Two hundred metras away, the unfortunate Charrid was bawling out another trooper for not keeping in formation when a slight whistling sound and a wet thud announced that their former officer had met his death. The bullet entered through his right temple and blew half his head, and all of his brains, all over the nearby brushland and the three troopers that had the misfortune to be within four metras of the targeted officer. The Charrid NCO immediately screamed "Snipers! Spread out!".
But the Ithlin team had moved on to the next lay-up point by then. Ten momens later the officers had decided that snipers had left, and resumed marching. "Charrid mark 5 medium tanks" stated the lieutenant, as the first wave of armour units passed by "Probably imported from the slave- labour factories on Chena'ia. I'd say a whole regiment and a half. Almost two and a half thousand tanks. Lord Brathal and Lord Rahjan better not try and take that lot on without the Royal Guard superheavies there – they'll get chewed up and spat out in pieces".
Next came howitzers. "Not much artillery" Harrigan remarked "I wonder why. You'd think they'd bring lots, to smash through the walls or at least one of the gates and get into the city. They'll definitely need to take out the wall guns somehow. Something seems wrong here...". But Harrigan shook off his misgivings and settled back behind cover. Dargo pointed out a very large and distinctive vehicle just visible at the back of the formation. "What the yotz is that?" he asked. "Scarran command hover-fortress" replied Talannah "That proves this attack is sanctioned by someone high up in the Hierarchy. Maybe even War Minister Ahkna herself" she finished, spitting on the floor in disgust.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Oooh..." remarked a corporal snidely "Don't much like her, hmmm?" He backed off smartly when Talannah turned and hissed at him. "No, soon-to-be- Private, I do not!" Talannah spat out "She is third in line of authority in the Hierarchy, and in completely over her head. Her alignment with the conquest factions has ensured her promotion to War Minister. A more moderate, and more qualified, candidate was muscled out of contention through political influence and the assistance of Emperor Staleek. You'd be amazed what we had in the Deadhead files on her, the past blunders and personal peccadilloes of hers that got covered up".
The corporal almost brought up his rations all over his comrades on hearing of Talannah's origin, but Harrigan's hand on his shoulder calmed him down. "Hmph" Talannah grumped to Harrigan, leading him to one side "I must be getting soft. If that had happened more than a weeken or two ago, we'd have a headless corpse here in this hole with us". Harrigan just squeezed her shoulder softly and hugged her close, saying "I must be having a moderating influence on you, my love". Talannah just sighed softly and relaxed into Harrigan's arms.
Back in Ithlin, the A-Team were preparing another sortie. The news was coming on over their television, showing the execution of the Minister of the Interior for treason. They also saw the king assign leadership of the city's forces to Harrigan shortly afterwards. When they heard Talannah cry out "All hail War Commander Harrigan!" there was much angry hissing and growling. "That woman has a lot to answer for, calling that man a War Commander" growled the team leader "There have been no real War Commanders since the military junta overthrew the King almost two and a half millenia ago".
"You know the prophecy as well as we do" replied the demo specialist "Perhaps the lady out there..." she added, pointing to the TV "...does as well. She is, after all, a lot closer to him than we are". The camera was too far away for them too see the fine detail of Talannah's uniform – and would be unlikely to like what they saw if they did. None of the A-Team held the Deadheads in very high regard now, and hadn't done for some time.
"Yes, that's true" weighed in the electronics specialist "But I, quite frankly, am a bit sceptical. It was supposed to have been pronounced by the last Lord Chamberlain just before the junta's Praetorians made the final assault on the palace. He would have been under a great deal of stress, and may have not been as clear as he should have been. The wording is very unclear – how is '...formed by Scarrans, made by Scarrans, loved by Scarrans – yet not of them...' supposed to be interpreted? 'From a planet of unknown origin, arriving by unknown means' seems obvious. He came from a planet we haven't yet found and arrived by some new technology, perhaps? But the rest?" he asked the room rhetorically, raising his arms in perplexed misunderstanding "Clear as mud, all of it".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Perhaps..." whispered the recon specialist, currently gazing out of the small street-facing window curtains, searching for any potential enemies "...But this unknown individual has fulfilled the requirement given for extreme physical strength already. That palace wall is almost 8 metras high. Apart from a Kalish, no other living creature could reach the top of the wall without a ladder – and a Kalish couldn't do it so quickly"
"Irrespective of his place in our history" decided the leader, cutting off the discussion "he certainly bears watching. We may have to move against him if those Charrids fail. They're persistent, but the ones we've got are aren't exactly tactical geniuses. The Hierarchy should have assigned the subjugation of this planet to a purely Scarran force if they want it to succeed – but no, our green-skinned comrades got it instead. Besides, you know by now that loyalty assessments are being done on all front-line personnel. When they get to us, our interest in the pre-Hierarchy history alone will be enough to get us executed. Let alone..." He left the rest hanging in the air.
"We'd better get going" urged the unit XO. "Fascinating though this discussion is, we have to see to it that those wall guns are out of action by the time the hover-fort gets to missile range. Which won't be that long now". He beckoned to the electronic specialist, ordering him to get the truck started. "Make sure that lump of dren stays running!" he yelled "I don't want that thing dropping offline three microts form safe distance if we have to use explosives. None of us can outrun the shockwave from tarvek charges". The truck started faultlessly, and the team quickly jumped on board. The electronics specialist wrestled with the gearstick, slamming the truck in gear, and it moved slowly out towards their first objective - the nearest wall gun in the main gate area.
Lord Lorshul's raiders sped into battle, sweeping down the left flank of the enemy. They caused severe casualties to enemy infantry, and destroyed or crippled many buggies as well – until an enemy tank officer yelled his company into action, and ten grav-tanks were destroyed in an eyeblink. "FALL BACK!" ordered the senior surviving grav-tank officer "Fall back! Back to the lines!" The unit immediately pulled sharp turns and headed back to their position in the battle-lines by the artillery. Aeryn was immediately notified of the casualties, and walked outside to take the after-action report. The bloodied XO walked up to her and saluted. "Ma'am?" he asked "Permission to see to my men and get our vehicles repaired. We need to get back out there" he finished, nodding towards the enemy. Aeryn opened her mouth to reply, but was drowned out by the sound of two brigades of rocket artillery opening up all at once. Once the noise had died down and the smoke dissipated, Aeryn tried again. "Of course, I'd have expected you to get that started before coming here" she stated, after shaking her head slowly from side to side to clear the ringing in her ears. "But you'll be staying here for a while. You're the mobile reserves for this battle. Your place is to plug any gaps in our lines long enough for your slower comrades to regroup. There may be a special mission for you later – but the opportunity hasn't arisen yet. A good first strike, despite the casualties sustained. Don't let your egos overrule your training again".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The tank officer saluted, said "Yes, ma'am!" and returned to his unit to oversee the repair of his tanks and to make sure his crews were well-fed when they were next needed.
The first wave of enemy buggies were closing rapidly with the Ithlin main force when the first volley of rockets whistled overhead and smashed into the infantry formations following a kilometra or so behind. The rockets had cluster warheads, which detonated over their targets, spraying small explosives the size of a large grenade over an area a couple of kilometras long and one wide. The infantry there, elite commandos fresh from fighting against the Kalish resistance, were all pulverised in an instant; blood, bones, and unidentifiable body parts thrown many metras from their origin. Then the buggies received their own high-explosive welcome as they came within range of the wall guns. Over half were obliterated before they pulled back.
In the hover-fortress, the besieging commander ordered those Ithlin rockets silenced. When the order was passed down to the howitzer companies, their commander growled with irritation at the stupidity of his commanding officer. "He ought to know that we're still three kilometras from firing range" the Charrid groused "We should have had some pilots with us. One run from a Stryker or two and those rocket launchers would be smashed to kindling at little cost to us. No one here seems to use any triple-A at all".
The order reached two of the buggy companies as well. Immediately twelve buggies detatched themselves from each company and sped towards their objectives – one group down the left flank, heading for the Royal Guard; one down the right flank, heading for Lord Aranak's unit. The main buggy force separated split into smaller units and remained in place, waiting for the infantry to catch up, and taking care spread out to minimise casualties.
A skirmish unit under Lord Aranak's command opened fire with tak-7 portable tube launchers as the buggies heading for their comrades swept by. Dug in and well camouflaged, the first the buggy drivers knew of this unwelcome addition was when five of their number were blown to pieces by unseen missile teams. Lord Aranak's team immediately shifted position, but one sharp-eyed Charrid spotted them running for their alternate position and turned to pursue, drawing his comrades along with him. Four more were destroyed by sustained fire from semi-portable pulse cannons, but all but two of the brave team were killed. The Charrids deemed these survivors unworthy of their attention, and the three remaining buggies raced on.
The other buggy group were spotted only when one of Lord Lorshul's scouts raised the alarm. His grav tanks were still mission-ineffective, so the heavy infantry attempted to repulse them with heavy pulse rifles and tak-5 torpedoes. The older-model torpedos were not well suited to taking on fast- attack vehicles and all bar one missed. Rifle fire took out three more, but the remaining eight blew straight past them for the artillery at full speed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------
The Royal Guard infantry squads were too slow to use their firepower to stop the raid. Rockets, cannon, and rifle fire raked the king's artillery mercilessly, destroying all the launchers and killing their crews.
Only when the ponderous turrets and overwhelming firepower of the Royal Guard superheavies were brought to bear was the loss of their lightly- armoured brethren avenged. Every last buggy was destroyed. But the cost was almost too high for the Royal Guard to bear. Only the fact that their tanks were crucial to the war effort prevented a complete collapse of morale.
News of the enemy raid had just been relayed to Commander Harrigan. "Frell!" he raged "The enemy made their move at the moment we were most vulnerable! If those grav-tanks were operational, those buggies would have been paste. That hover-fort dies now, along with everyone in it! MOVE!" The rest of the team tried their best to keep up with Harrigan and Talannah as they ran for the command vehicle's back entrance. As they came round the back of the vehicle, hatches on the roof were opening slowly one after the other. "Long range missiles!" Talannah yelled "We have to silence the fire control before they lock on. If they do, those missiles will breach the walls or gates, and we have to fight house-to-house".
"We lose the war if that happens" Harrigan replied bluntly. "Our advantage lies in giving our armour room to manoeuvre. Once we're reduced to city fighting, those tanks become coffins and we face a four to one disadvantage in infantry. I'd rather not rely on the militias – the Charrid forces will murder them with barely a twitch". He gestured to one corporal, who threw a tarvek grenade down an open silo. The resulting explosion was all the could have hoped for. All the launch tubes and their associated loading crews went up in a chain reaction of rapid explosions that caused considerable damage.
But the hover-fort was far from out of the fight. The remaining launch tubes on the left side were still operational, and their hatches were opening slowly. They all knew that the could not allow that to happen. "Sir?" prompted one private with a sack full of tarvek grenades and associated demo gear. "No way" Harrigan responded. Then he grinned, adding "Takes too long. I'll just have to pull the door off myself". The unit looked on in stunned disbelief as Harrigan threw all his strength into ripping the steel doors off their hinges.
Inside, the commander realised that an attack was being made and ordered his command staff to hold the doors closed. Only the missile technicians were allowed to remain at their posts – the rest of them were fighting a losing battle against Harrigan's efforts to shred their only means of safety into tinfoil.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The gap in the doors was widening rapidly. The locking bars had given way already, and it was Harrigan versus five command staff, for control of the entrance. One crewman tried to stick his head out of the hole to get a look at how many troops were attacking them. The Ithlin team were astonished to find out that the crew was Scarran. But that crewman's hesitation on seeing Talannah was all the Ithlin lieutenant needed. He brought up his weapon and fired, blowing almost the entire upper body off the unfortunate Scarran. "What the frell's that?" Talannah asked in disbelief. "Byraevian scattergun" he replied happily "Basically a high powered conerifle. Unbeatable close-in".
This gave the Ithlin troops all the edge they needed. All seven heaved the door open before the Scarrans had time to recover from the explosive destruction of their colleague. Then they were unable to use their own scatterguns as Harrigan and Talannah had drawn their swords and leapt in. Talannah immediately impaled both the missile technicians on the end of her blades, pinning their corpses to their consoles. Then she bent down to disable the firing controls beyond hope of repair. Meanwhile, Harrigan was taking on the crew. They put up a very spirited defence, but Harrigan's carapace absorbed every blow the landed and shot they fired (if somewhat painfully at times).
Five momens and four Scarran bodies later, Harrigan held the Scarran commander pinned to the wall. "Now we can do this the easy way" Harrigan explained to the Scarran officer "or the very easy way. But that's far too messy and time consuming, and Talannah's busy anyway". "So how about this" continued the Ithlin lieutenant "You surrender yourself to Ithlin's king. Then you'll be interrogated a bit, and released on the next available transport stopping in Scarran space".
"What do you think I am?!" rasped the Scarran "I'm not some weak-willed Sebacean..." he spat at the Ithlin lieutenant "...straight off the farm with dirt under his fingernails and dung between his toes! We both know I won't leave this planet alive. High command will probably execute me for failure if Ithlin interrogates me, so why don't you just do it yourself now? At least it'll be quick". Harrigan snapped the Scarran's neck fast. "The drivers!" he urged the Ithlin troops "No survivors!" Four scattergun blasts later, and the team returned two short. "Drivers were more alert" the corporal reported, tightening a bandage around her arm "Took down our point man and demo guy before we nailed them". "Good work" Harrigan encouraged her with a soft squeeze of her shoulder. "Now finish the job and lob one of those grenades you've got through the door. Can't have them Charrids salvaging this thing. Tal, rig this thing to blow!"
"Hmm..." she wondered "Wonder if my old Deadhead overrides will work..." She punched them in, and the main control program came up, with lots of red lights for the damaged or destroyed systems. "Set auto-destruct – maximum yield!" she ordered the command battlecomp. "Done" it responded. "Set auto-destruct!" Talannah ordered the battlecomp again "Timer – 420 microts total!" "Done" responded the battlecomp. "Activate!" she ordered finally.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- A wailing siren sounded for a short time, then cut to an automated voice. "Warning!" it stated in a metallic monotone "Auto-destruct has been activated. You now have 420 microts to reach minimum safe distance". "You heard the computer!" Harrigan ordered. "Run, run, run!". "Call the buggies in to pick us up" he ordered Talannah "We won't make it out on foot!" The buggy drivers immediately jumped back into their buggies and homed in on their countrymen's beacons, arriving two momens later. "Mount up!" screamed the lieutenant. "We got perhaps 180 microts left!"
When the buggy drivers heard that, they immediately headed straight away from the stricken hulk at full speed. A little under the lieutenant's estimated time later, the auto-destruct charge activated. A large mushroom cloud rose from the shattered remains of the hover-fort, followed by an enormous blast wave. This alone incinerated 90% of the artillery pieces, and killed almost all of the offworld infantry instantly. Even some of the Rathlaas infantry were killed in the blast as well. The ground for several kilometras was scorched black or burning as the nuclear blast burnt everything in its path. Fortunately Harrigan's team had just reached the nearest hill some six kilometras away. The shockwave rolled the buggies over, but caused no further damage. Once the buggies had stopped rolling, the shaken troopers righted them, got back in, and inched slowly back to ground zero.
"Well, now you know what nuclear weapons do first hand" Talannah stated "That was just a little one. 300-KiloUnit demo charge. We'd better leave before the fallout overloads our suits". The drivers needed no encouragement. The sight of all that smashed machinery and scorched, burnt bodies was something they would never forget. Talannah tapped Harrigan on the shoulder, pointing at the flare gun. Harrigan smiled, giving Talannah a long, slow kiss, before raising the flare gun and firing.
Outside the gates, a HQ comm tech pointed at the sky to the left oft the dimming mushroom cloud, yelling "FLARE!" Aeryn remembered the orders Harrigan had given her in his usual odd way, and motioned the comm tech over to her. "All forces command net!" she ordered. The comm. tech punched three buttons and twisted a dial a couple of notches before passing the handset back. Aeryn waited a while, pondering what rank to give herself here. Harrigan had clearly left her in command, but not given her any specific rank. "This is Sub-Commander Sun" she stated firmly "All forces – General advance! Move as one!"
All across the Ithlin forces, roars of joy could be heard. The armoured units were especially glad to have the chance to get to grips with the enemy. Only Lord Lorshul's raiders had seen combat among the mechanised units – and not without cost. Aeryn ordered the few remaining artillery units back behind the city wall, against their wishes. "Enough!" Aeryn barked "I have War Commander Harrigan's authority to conduct the defence here until he returns! You have played your part, and played it well. But your forces can't fire on the move or discriminate between friend and foe when the rockets fall. Besides, the king will probably feel better with at least some of his guard units back in the palace".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "So don't argue with me! Get back inside the walls!" The force commanders were in no mood to deal with an angry Aeryn in full military ass-kicker mode, so quickly moved to obey her orders. She ran up to one of the Royal Guard tanks and banged on the hatch. "Let me up!" she yelled. The hatch was opened and Aeryn scampered up over the outer hull and down into the turret. "Forward!" she ordered the driver. She got on the unit comm and ordered "Guard armour! On me!" Then she switched to the infantry guard net. "Guard infantry! Form up and follow!". Finally, Lord Aranak's powered armour. Lord Aranak himself had donned his own suit to lead his troops into battle personally. "Powered Armour! Lead off!". Lord Aranak replied with "On our way, Sub-Commander Sun". A metal-sheathed arm swept forward, and the Royal Guard battlegroup moved forward. The superheavy tanks could barely move at a fast running speed, but this was not affected by terrain or weapons fire. The Royal Guard infantry jumped on board the running boards of their armoured brethren, covering the gaps in their fire and keeping enemy rocket troops away.
Lord Aranak's powered armour troops armed their pulse cannons and tak-9 missiles as they strode forward. Each suit only carried two of these advanced hypervelocity missiles, but one of these could easily take out a mark 5 tank even from the front, and rarely if ever missed. These units were as yet untried in battle, even amongst the Peacekeepers; but all the PA troopers were eager to test their skills against real tanks, instead of simulated ones.
Harrigan's buggies had just reformed with the remains of Lord Lorshul's raiders. The grav-tank pilots were eager to make amends for their earlier defeat, but had learnt the hard way not to push their luck too far. "You'll be supporting Lord Rahjan's and Lord Brathal's light armour and motorised infantry." Harrigan revealed over the officer's comm. "Just move from point to point, filling the gaps. Lord Aranak's Special Forces are to return to barracks. Get eight arns of sleep, then report to the palace and guard the king while his Guard infantry are out here fighting". The commando units retreated in good order for the city, glad to be getting some much needed rest and the chance to see their families again. Casualties had been especially heavy amongst their number, with barely 55% of starting forces surviving until this point.
Outriders from Lord Brathal's motorised infantry regiments sighted the enemy forces first. "Hit hard, and fall back slowly until you reach us" Harrigan ordered the light armour and motorised infantry commanders. "Do not engage the enemy tanks head to head. Those mark-5's may not be state of the art, but they mount big guns. Unless the gunners are really good, they'll have to stop to get a good shot. Mark-5's don't carry advanced fire control equipment" briefed Talannah, taking over "So the golden rule is : KEEP MOVING! Play to your strengths and against theirs! Lia'kla ra'grenaaj!" (Old Scarran : Literally 'Raid and Pillage'; usually used for 'Hit and Run' amongst those commanders still able to speak the language).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Thankfully Lord Brathal and Lord Rahjan were both avid students of history, as many aristocrats tend to be. They knew enough Old Scarran to understand Talannah's directions. Lord Brathal's IFV's released a wave of tak-9 missile from their turret launchers. Both light armour battalions darted forward, adding their medium cannons to the mix before retreating to the company of their colleagues. The Charrid tanks didn't meekly accept this – gunfire from the mark 5's claimed almost one hundred tanks and IFV's in response to the loss of one of their battalions.
"Light armour!" yelled Talannah over the comm "Stay back and cover the IFV's! Their tak-9's outranges your guns AND the enemy's. Keep them safe until the Royal Guard armour reaches us." The Charrid commander realised this as well, but his tanks lacked the speed to catch up. He knew that the whole battle plan was a complete shambles, so he got on the suborbital comm and activated the last ditch backup plan they'd all hoped they wouldn't have to use. A positive response came back – along with an order to remain alive for the next four arns until the ship made low orbit.
The mauled light armour units retreated to the safety of their companions, using their speed to ensure their survival. "Commander?" pressed Lord Lorshul "The ER-pulse cannons on my grav-tanks have a similar range to tak- 9 missiles. We can tilt the balance further in our favour. We won't make the same mistakes this time". "You'd better not, either" Harrigan warned "You're no use to the king dead. Hit hard, move fast, and get back here smartish. Don't get suckered close-in, or the mark-5's will chew you up and spit out the bones".
The grav-tanks screamed off towards the Charrid mark-5's. Lord Lorshul was as good as his word – many enemy tanks were destroyed, with very few casualties sustained in return. Only five tanks had to return to the city for repairs – the others that sustained minor damage went to back-up systems and remained in the fight. They criss-crossed back and forth, picking off the odd tank or two each time and driving the Charrid commander insane with frustration.
Outsystem, the captain gave the order to bring the engines and fire control systems up from standby. He wished that he had been given more time to get used to this ship – it was the first of its kind, radically different to the regular dreadnaughts of the Scarran fleet even if only a small portion of the heavy weaponry had been fitted before this invasion had been authorised. His only real regret was not having any spare pilots on board – all the Charrids they brought with them were infantry, and the A-Team had other business to attend to. A full complement of Strykers, and no crews for them! This just confirmed his viewpoint of High Command in general, and naval detailing in particular. At least all the guns on board were manned.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The Royal Guard armour battalion, led by Aeryn Sun, advanced slowly to meet their lighter comrades. Lord Aranak led his powered armour out in front, scouting for Charrid raiders (though finding none) and scanning the horizon for the light armour units. Three arns later, one PA trooper saw a familiar pair of buggies. "It's the Commander!" she yelled happily over the comm. A little too happily, thought Talannah jealously, listening in. I may be softening up in some ways, she knew, but I get more fiercely protective of my lovely John every momen of every day that passes. She took the opportunity to just gaze at him, taking in the sight of her lover in command of the battle. He sensed her looking over at him from the passenger seat of his buggy, and reached over to run his left hand slowly over her shoulders and down her arm. Talannah just closed her eyes and smiled softly, relaxing into her seat and savouring the feel of Harrigan's touch through her uniform as his fingers wandered over her upper body. She wished he wouldn't stop there, but also knew that once he'd made an in- principle decision, even she couldn't make him change his mind.
A quarter-arn later, the armour units all caught up to each other. While the various armour crews were regaling each other with tales of their battle exploits, a rather frantic call came in from Sikozu on Moya. "Aeryn, Dargo?" she asked. "It's me Sikozu" Harrigan replied "I command here. What's up?" She took a couple of microts to calm down a little, then went on. "Moya detected energy traces of a large vessel moving towards the planet". Harrigan tapped Talannah on the shoulder, then pointed to her ear, indicating she should listen in. "Race of origin?" Talannah asked "Class or type of craft?" Sikozu replied uneasily with "As for class or type of vessel, we haven't a clue. Pilot can't match it to anything from Moya's databanks. Race of origin, well, only one race builds its ships like that".
Neither Talannah or Harrigan liked this. Sikozu was usually so calm and composed, so if she was rattled, it must be really important. "And what race is that?" Harrigan prompted, though he was pretty sure he knew what the answer would be. Nor was he wrong, when Sikozu responded with "Scarrans. The ship is definitely of Scarran origin". Harrigan yelled over at Aeryn on the Royal Guard tank. "Aeryn, stay here! We have to get back to the war room and the space-tracking gear. We should get a better idea of what's out there. I'll call back if we need you!"
Aeryn didn't like that, but threw herself into the task at hand, setting up the positions of her forces and preparing defences against the oncoming Charrids. Harrigan pushed his buggy's engine well past the safe zone, so when he got back to the palace half an arn later the buggy was spewing clouds of grey smoke from the engine and making very suspicious metallic rattling noises. Both him and Talannah bailed out and headed for the palace war room without missing a step. Harrigan straight-armed the door open, almost ripping it off its hinges.
"Space tracking!" he yelled. "We have the contact your Leviathan detected about to enter low orbit" a tech replied "Definitely of Scarran origin, but nothing we've seen before. It's huge, though. Almost three time bigger than a regular dreadnaught. We're in really deep dren now".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "We're going to have to do something about that ship" Talannah said grimly "Nothing on this planet has the firepower to stand up to it. It'll blast the cities apart one by one until those remaining submit to Imperium authority". "We don't have any orbital defences to use," Harrigan mused "so all I can see to do is lead a boarding party to assault the bridge. Perhaps with their Captain dead, they'll leave for long enough for a Command Carrier or two to turn up".
Talannah hugged Harrigan tightly. "I don't want to lose you..." she cried softly "but this seems the only hope. So I'll go with you. Let's see if any of Lord Aranak's Special Forces want to go". It took several momens before Talannah could be persuaded to let go, and by then several scruffy- looking troopers were at the door. "You going for a Forlorn Hope, sir?" he asked "We'll go with you". Harrigan turned towards the new arrivals. "You do realise that you probably won't survive?" he remarked bleakly. "Someone has to stop that thing" one private replied "May as well be us."
"Get a truck from outside ready" ordered Talannah "We're heading for the spaceport. Time to test just how good your ship is, love". "You're taking your wife up?" the only corporal asked, astonished. "We're not married yet, corp. Anyway, she's got more experience than me at this kind of thing" Harrigan explained matter-of-factly "She knows Scarran ships inside out. Plus I'd never hear the end of it if she got left out." While the Ithlin troops were laughing, Harrigan whispered "Plus I'd miss you terribly while we're parted, my love" so only Talannah could hear.
By the time they reached the spaceport, something else occurred to him. "I'm going to check those boxes in the store room. I think there may be something we can use to tip the odds in our favour. Get the troops stashed in the bunkroom and prepare the ship for liftoff". Harrigan spent ten momens rummaging in the boxes. When he found the barrel the armourer had slipped him before they left Earth, he thought Hah! Yes, indeedy! Let's see how that monster's crew handle that!
He rushed back to the small bridge, strapping hurriedly into his pilot's chair. "We head straight for the air recycling junction controls. I've got a little surprise, just for them". He took off as quickly as possible, leaving a cloud of exhaust gasses hanging over the blast pit.
Now we'll really test our mettle! Harrigan knew. Our date with Destiny, in the guise of a Scarran warship, is at hand!
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