"The Armstrong Campaign"
Episode 12 - The Crucible: Should We Fall...
Day 5 (16 SBO)

"Death from above-I think that's the only way a transport can truly be described, especially the newer breeds that we'd come into contact with; pure, unadulterated death. There would be nights on Armstrong, and though they were few, they existed, when I would stare at the glimmering ships in the sky and wonder if when those in the ships looked down, that was what God felt like. They understood what was happening, they'd brought us to this point in the battle, but it was ours to win and they could only watch on in trepidation."

- Dr. Robert "Paperboy" Higgins, from: The Roughneck Chronicles

ARMSTRONG PRIME
Zim stood alone on the edge of the cliff overlooking the bug mound. He grinned slightly to himself as he flipped down his visor and took all the telemetry on it, it would be a whole lot of fun. He flipped them back up and turned around to Johnny, who was leaning against a rock staring into the stars.

"Find anything?" Zim asked stepping away from the edge.

"Funny," Johnny looked back down. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

Zim shrugged. "Bugs, bugs, and more bugs, probably a thousand warriors, a hundred tankers, and two-dozen artillery. Hoppers wouldn't be much use in this," He waved his hand around in the vacuum. "So I'm thinking we come up underneath them. There's a cave entrance twenty meters down the face of the cliff. You and I can do a quick scouting run, figure out where it leads and then be back in time for evening chow."

Rico stepped up to the edge of the cliff, dropped to his chest and looked down the cliff. He spotted the entrance twenty meters down and forty from the bottom of the plateau. He whistled and stood back up. Turning to face his sergeant he said,

"Nice drop off there, bring the wife often?"

"It could be worse." Zim smirked. "We've been in worse. Remember Hawaii?"

Johnny put up his hand. "Don't remind me, I thought we took care of the bitch then, it was hot as hell down there."

Zim joined Rico at the edge and smiled at him.

"I'll radio base." Rico said flipping his radio on. "Camp Currie, this is Roughneck zero-one, do you copy? Camp Currie, this is Roughneck zero-one, over."

There was a burst of static.

Brutto leaned back in the chair as he spoke. "Go ahead Roughneck Zero-One; this is Camp Currie, Sergeant Brutto speaking. How may I direct your call?"

Rico laughed out loud over the radio. "Sergeant; Lieutenant Zim and I are going to be checking out some holes near the bug hub, see if we can take this thing out in one hit."

"Roger Roughneck Zero-One," Brutto sat up and checked the radar. He waved Murphy over and pointed at it. Murphy started scribbling down the coordinates and walked to another desk and typed them in. "We've got your locator beacon locked in. Should we set a place for you at the diner table or just leave the left over's in the fridge?"

"We should be home in time for supper ma'. Have a place set for us." Rico chuckled slightly. "Standard sweep procedures: Radio up to the Razak and have them tracking us, if we flag this thing, I want the rubble nipping at our heals as we retreat."

Brutto turned back to Murphy who was on a headset and gave a thumbs up.

"Copy that Major, the wrecking ball is ready to swing. Just give the word." Rico copied and cut the line. Brutto swung around and used his stump to stop as he pulled down a clip board with his good hand. He marked the Major's position and the time. He put the board back up and slid into the desk.

"Murph," He said going over the read outs from Zim's helmet. "Get yourself, Doc, and L'Ioo suited up and ready to move out."

"Sergeant?" Murphy asked stepping over to the display. Brutto pointed at the numbers on the screen. "These kind of things never go like they're supposed to and I'd like to have what little bit of a squad we have ready to move out."

"Want me to inform the Wolves?" Murphy asked as he made his way to the door.

"No," Max said getting himself comfortable again. "They're pulling double duty. We can handle this one." Murphy left the room and sealed it behind him. Max leaned back and waited for the trouble to come.

Higgins sat with Corporal Sara Newsome of the Wolves. She was a young girl, beautiful but hard, subtle but loud. She reminded him very much of Dizzy. She smiled as he told her the story about his first time using a weapon in battle.

"...I mean the damn thing just exploded." He said throwing his arms open. She laughed out loud. The two young soldiers sitting at the end of the table, Private's McGuire and Leslie grinned slightly. The other female in the squad, her name was Rachael Tours, walked in and sat down with them. "I just lay on my back, everyone kind of looking at me with shocked faces. I'm sure had I been able to smell I would have stunk to high heaven. But what do I do? I just smile and say 'I think I'm getting the hang of this' like a green rook."

Sara laughed again and took a bite of her food. An uneasy silence fell for a moment. "So are you married Mr. Higgins?"

The three at the end of the table burst out into a fit of laughter. Higgins shot them a glare and they quickly closed their mouths, a few chuckles escaping their lips. Sara began to turn red and clenched her fists. Higgins put his on hers and smiled. She seemed to ease up.

"No Sara," He said softly. "I'm not. I've been married four times in ten years."

"I'm so sorry," she said pulling her hands away. "I'm prying. My mother always told me I was too nosey for my own good." The three started laughing again. Higgins rolled his eyes and grabbed Sara's hand.

"Not nosey to ask about a friend." He stood and pulled her with him. "Come on, it's time for our patrol." He let go of her after she stood and led the way out the mess compartment. When he sealed the compartment he smiled at her and made his way to the locker room with her in tow. When they got there, the able members of the Roughnecks were getting geared up.

"What's going on?" Higgins asked opening up his locker and pulling his helmet out.

Doc tightened the seals and looked out the corner of his eye. "Major's going into a hole. Sergeant wants us ready so when something happens we can get them out."

"Something always happens." Higgins said going to a storage unit with his suit. Sara was already getting hers on. "We're going to be on our patrol. LT should be in soon. If you need help, give us a ring. I think we could manage."

Doc smiled. "You know it. Never a dull moment with the Roughnecks."

Rico slid down the rocks and swung into the open cave. He released the tow gun and in an instant his morita had replaced it. The muzzle swept the cave twice before he flipped on his helmet light. He whistled and Zim swung in too, dropping down to his knee with his gun out. Rico started to move forward slowly. Zim took up a spot behind him. The Cave beyond their lights was pitch black, and Rico knew that just beyond it hell was probably waiting to be unleashed.

They moved slowly for almost a half hour, winding their way down deeper into the planet's crust. Every few minutes Zim would pull the visor down and take readings as they walked. The walk may have been quiet but Rico had something nagging at the back of his mind. Finally he said it:

"How is she Charlie?" He asked quietly. Zim didn't even pause.

"She's good. As stubborn as ever, you know how she is." Zim moved up beside him. Rico's mind began racing through all his memories-all of their memories. He remembered the joy that filled his body when she said she was pregnant. Their little girl... Then the sadness of having to leave. Then there came the utter desolation of finding out that she died.

"You still try and talk to her?" Zim asked.

"At least once a week," Rico said. They came to a small ledge. It was about a five foot drop and the cave split a dozen meters away. Rico scanned it quickly and put the visor back up. They jumped down and made their way to the left.

"And never an answer?" Zim asked placing a small beacon down. The beacons were meant for those on the surface to map the tunnels. They sent out short radio bursts that reflected back and forth through rock and stone back to a listening post. Rico and Zim had set one up in between the camp and the ledge. Brutto should be getting a real nice picture of the colony.

"No." Rico said as they began to walk again. "I don't know if I call because I want to talk to her or if it's because it's what I've been doing for the past couple of years. It's a hard habit to break." Rico took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "I don't even know what I'd say to tell you the truth."

Zim nodded, he didn't know what to say. "Maybe apologize?" He said after a few moments of silence. Rico froze and turned to him, his eyes ablaze with fury. "You think you got what it takes...Major?"

Rico stared intently into Zim, only the sound of breathing and the suit's self coolers could be heard. Finally Rico looked away then back at him; tears running down his cheeks.

"What was I supposed to do?" He asked. He sat on a rock jutting out from the cave wall. "How could I look at her? I knew she blamed me. She blamed me for not being there. And...I guess...I blamed myself. I should have been there."

"And yet you weren't," Zim leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. Rico wouldn't look up at him. "There were at least twenty different ways you could have got home. You know it. I know it. So why weren't you there?"

Rico finally looked up. "I failed," He whispered. "The sickness came from my side of the family. I wasn't there when I should have been. I failed as a husband and as a father."

Zim grabbed him and pulled him to his feet. "You didn't fail," He put his helmet against Rico's. "You fumbled, but you didn't fail. The game still has time left. Don't give up son."

He turned and looked down the cave. "Besides, we've still got an invasion to halt." Zim handed Rico his rifle and the two continued down into the tunnel.

"So," Rico said. "When do we get to see a pack of little Charlie Zims?"

Zim let out a roar of a laugh.

Higgins rounded a large boulder and jogged up to Sara who was surveying the Bug mound. She had jumped ahead a mile to get some readings on seismic activity that Currie had reported.

"How's it look?" He came up behind her just as she stood.

"They're moving." She turned to face Higgins. "They're moving to the surface. But they're doing it slowly. They're in no big rush."

"What about the major?" Higgins stepped up to the edge and looked down over the plain.

"I've got their beacons. Their relay station is about a mile east." They're safe for the moment I'm guessing."

"The transport must be getting ready to move." Higgins looked into the sky. "We don't have much time."

JEAN RAZAK
Carmen was sitting alone in her office, a cold cup of coffee resting next to her right hand and a data pad with the reports on the new offensive by her left. Her head was throbbing, she felt like someone had hit her head again. She pulled the bandage off and rolled it up before tossing it in the small can next to her desk. She touched the gash and winced as a sting shot through her forehead and down her temple and cheek. She pulled out a bottle of pills from her drawer and popped the top off. Four white circular pills fell into her waiting palm. Her eyes examined them as they rolled around in the bowl of her hand. They were simple concentrated aspirin. She tossed them into her mouth and chewed them into a fine powder before swallowing. Her mouth instantly became dry and she drained the last of her coffee, almost spitting it out but swallowing it down. Her desk display beeped and she hit the accept button. The SICON logo was quickly replaced with her communications officer.

"Go ahead." She said putting the top back on the bottle.

"I've got Admiral Holland on a priority one line. He needs to speak with you Admiral." He said keeping his eyes on all the displays around his head.

"Put it through." Carmen pulled some of her hair forward, trying to cover the gash as far as she could tell. Her communications officer disappeared and was replaced with an older man sitting in front of a window that looked out over Geneva. He smiled.

"Looks like you've gotten a little banged up out there. Are you taking care of my ship?"

"Your ship?" She smiled broadly. "You lost her to me fair and square." She paused for a moment. "Maybe I did pull a few strings."

Holland laughed. "I did too; I guess yours were just a bit longer than mine." He waited for a moment then the smile dropped from his face. "I am sorry to say though that this is not a social call. We're issuing order Omega Four."

Carmen looked up for a second then back at Holland. "Are you serious? Why?"

"The Skymarshall feels that we would stand a better chance of repelling the invasion force if we can consolidate our forces at one point. We're spread pretty thin right now Admiral and if all preliminary reports are correct, we've got one hell of an invasion force heading for Earth."

"What about our colonies? What about the Tophetti? We can't just leave them hanging out on their own. We have obligations!" Carmen was furious.

"Do not speak to me about obligations Admiral!" Holland was visibly upset as well. "I know what our 'obligations' are, but Tophet will fall, in two, maybe three days. Their entire governing council has evacuated the planet. They're sending out a recall to all their ships as well and ordering them to Earth. And our colonies…" Holland trailed off. "Eden was easy. We're looking at an eighty per-cent loss right now Admiral, of personnel and material. Your ship is expected back in Earth dry dock by the end of the week."

"That's going to be hard with the damage we've sustained," Carmen said. "Even if we leave within the hour we'll be pushing it."

"Then I suggest you get moving. You have your orders. Holland out." The screen returned to the SICON insignia. Carmen slammed her fists into the table and screamed out loud. She did it again and this time felt a pop in her small finger. She swore under her breath and popped her finger back into joint.

She pressed the ship-wide and ship-to-ship intercom. "All hands, this is Admiral Ibanez, man your battle stations. Repeat, man your battle stations." She released the button and sat in silence for a moment. Moments later the klaxons sounded and she could hear people rushing by outside. She turned around to a small safe and put in the code. There was a slight hiss followed by the sound of locks releasing and the door slid open to reveal a two keys, a security card, and a piece of laminated paper. Her hands wrapped tightly around them and she put them into her pockets.

Carmen stood up, straightened her shirt and made her way to the bridge.

ARMSTRONG PRIME
Max had his feet propped up on the desk while he whistled an old song. He looked down at the radar screen and the mapper. Everything was working as it should. Gossard hobbled into the room on a crutch and fell into a chair. He tossed the crutch into the corner.

"Feeling okay old man?" Max asked looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I should be back in the suit by the end of the week," He said rubbing on his leg. "I can't wait. I'm tired of just sitting around."

Max waved his stump. "Me too buddy boy. I guess no squad is a squad without some sort of missing eye, limb-"

"We're all missing the brains," Gossard chuckled. He rolled his chair up to a computer and went over the readouts.

Max shrugged. "I guess so. But at least some of us got the looks."

"Thanks," Gossard said as he continued to read. "But you're not my type. Have you relayed this information to our teams?"

"Fifteen minutes ago," Max answered. "Why?"

"This is a break out." Gossard said putting on a head set. Just then the communications terminal lit up and the face of the Jean Razak's comm. officer now filled the screen. Gossard ignored it while he punched up Bobby. After a moment, Bobby's voice broke through the hiss.

"Wolf 3-0, go ahead Currie." Gossard sat up as best he could as he read the numbers.

"You confirm those numbers?" He asked. Bobby spoke to Sara then came back.

"Correction: 2.9 at 6 clicks. Rad level, 0.26. Increase to surface: 2 MPM." Bobby said.

Gossard scribbled the numbers down the typed them in as he spoke. "If those numbers continue to increase we could be in for an ugly surprise in about twenty minutes."

"They've increased ten per-cent since we first got the readings."

Gossard simply sighed. "They're planning on making a move." He looked over at Max who was still on the line with the Razak. "Bobby, let me ask you something."

"Shoot," He replied.

"Does anything about the tactics of the bugs seem odd?" Gossard asked looking at numbers Zim had given earlier.

"You mean: 'Why aren't we up to our knees in arachnid?" Bobby asked. "Eden was tough, they were swarming. But it just didn't feel right. Same goes here."

Sara broke through. "They're weak. They're trying to catch us off guard and destroy us in one blow. But why would they do that? Why not just wait until they had the forces they need to wage the kind of war they need to wage?"

"What do you think Goss?" Bobby asked.

Gossard thought for a moment then came back. "I think they've jumped the gun. They want us out of the way and they want it now. But who knows why?" Gossard caught Max out of the corner of his eye as he slammed his remaining hand against the metal table. "I'll call you back Bobby." Gossard cut the line.

"We have thirty minutes to get all personnel back to the camp." Max said. "We've been ordered back to Earth."

Gossard grabbed his crutch. "I'll let Doc know. He can pick up Higgins and the Major in a skimmer."

"The Major is out of contact." Max said flipping through channels. "I'll have to get the paper boy to go in and grab him."

"Do it." Gossard said as he rushed out of the room as quickly as he could.

Higgins swung into the same cave that Rico and Zim had entered almost an hour earlier. Sara soon followed. He looked at her and smiled then turned on his head lamp. They began through the tunnel, slowly at first, then quicker as they continued. They were quickly running out of time.

JEAN RAZAK
Carmen sat in her chair staring out into the space before her. The horizon of a dead planet and transport bug decorated her view. Junker was eyeing a stop watch. The lights dimmed and the klaxons ceased.

"Admiral?" Junker said softly.

"Put me through." She said. Junker nodded and the commander comm. was activated. It was a nice little piece of work that allowed for commanders of separate ships to communicate during battle directly with one another on a separate and secure channel. Carmen grabbed her headset and put it on. "Do you copy me commanders?"

T'Phai was the first to respond followed but the captain's of the Ticonderoga, and Harry Lee. "Awaiting orders Admiral." T'Phai quickly said.

"I want the Harry Lee and Ticonderoga to break first, maximum thrust, then give that sucker a broad side. A fighter wing from the Razak will bombard the dorsal side and The M'Tre and her fighters will approach and bombard the weakened areas with crusher bombs. The Razak will then come in and finish the job with two timed nukes down the hatch. We've set them for thirty seconds, so we should all have time to get away"

The commanders all copied. "Good luck gentlemen. Begin thirty second countdown on my mark..." Carmen held her breath for a moment then released. She noticed her hands were gripping into the chair pretty hard. "Mark."

A countdown clock began to decline toward zero. All the bridge officers began to relay orders and prepare the ship. It was the longest thirty seconds Carmen had experienced in years. But when the clock hit zero and flashed, all hell broke loose.

The Harry Lee and Ticonderoga broke in unison, engines at full. As they neared gun fire from their forward batteries began to arch towards the bug. Its wings quickly came up and it tried to spin around to allow itself a better shot and as it did, the Ticonderoga was hit with a heavy broadside that tore much of the front half of the ship away. Carmen could hear her captain screaming orders to abandon ship and to give him full power to the engines. She heard the captain of the Harry Lee bark orders to watch for life boats and to adjust the ship's bearing. She saw the Harry Lee fired its thrusters, rolled onto its side as it lurched over the top the bug and released a devastating salvo into the soft skin of the transport. Blue explosions rippled across its back as the ingrown plasma bugs erupted at critical mass. The Harry Lee screamed over the transport, her engine bells fueling the flames and tearing the backside apart. But the Ticonderoga was not so lucky as she rammed into the side and erupted into flames.

"T'Phai!" Carmen shouted. "Hold back! Tell our fighters to stay with the M'Tre. Helm, full speed ahead, bearing two-zero-three point two-nine, mark five-zero! Roll us over; I want out missile tubes to have a clear shot at that thing's back. All batteries open fire!" Carmen felt the ship begin to pitch as the artificial gravity struggled to keep up. The transport continued to spin, managing to get a few shots off against the Harry Lee before its guns were aimed at the Razak.

Carmen watched unable to do anything as blue streaks of fire lanced towards the ship and pealed much of the thick armor away from the hull. Oxygen was venting out into space along with a few people. Sparks flew across her field of view and explosion ripped through the skin of the Razak. Her ship was taking a beating he may not recover from. The ship continued to shake violently as plasma impacted on its hull.

"Weapons! Fire at will!" Carmen was trying to keep herself from falling out of her chair. "Helm, I need everything you've got."

"Aye, ma'am!" He weapons officer shouted. He flipped a switch and two nukes shot from the missile tubes and into burning transport. The Razak shot away from the transport and was coming up behind the Harry Lee just as the transport exploded in a nuclear fireball. The ship shook violently from the shockwave but soon calmed. The helmsman brought them about to face the scattered remains of the transport.

"Mr. Junker," Carmen turned to him. He had his hand pressed to his ear as damage reports were being fed to him.

"Deck five through 9, sections A through G damaged, casualty reports are still coming in." he shook his head. "We lost some good people Admiral."

"They're all good people," Carmen said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys and cards. Junker looked at them and nodded. "Flight! I want those people off of that planet ASAP."

"Aye captain!" The flight officer said. He relayed the orders quickly to the flight deck.

"Mr. Junker, order up our Crackers." Carmen stepped down from her chair and handed him a key and the security card. He grabbed them and quickly departed from the bridge. Carmen looked down on the burning wreckage of the transport and Ticonderoga. Several retrieval ships left the Razak and the Harry Lee making towards the debris to look for survivors. Carmen doubted there would be any. Two ships in as many weeks she'd watched burn. It began to hit her.

Two ships, each with close to six hundred crewmen on it. The civilians on Eden, maybe three hundred left behind to be slaughtered. Women and children left behind. She'd been out of actual combat for almost three years, being stationed on Earth waiting for her ship. She hadn't even seen death like this during the war. She knew it had happened though. The Roger Young over Planet P, The Nimitz over Nubia, the Lakota Task Force at Trinity Prime. But to actually watch it happen. She shook her head and walked up the helm. She didn't have time to think about the lives. There were too many others on the line. Soldiers die. It's part of the job.

"Put us in a geo-sync orbit over the camp." She said.

"Yes, ma'am." The officer said as she turned the controls towards the planet.

ARMSTRONG PRIME
L'Ioo was sitting at the controls of the skimmer with Murphy sitting next to her while Doc paced back and forth. They weren't moving, just sitting still, waiting near the entrance to the cave for the Rico and the others. A couple of minutes before they had seen the nuclear explosion above them and they knew that they were running out of time. Murphy had wanted to go in after the Major but Doc told him that two people were already in there, three more wouldn't help anyone. All they could do was wait.

Higgins was following the beacons through the tunnel. He couldn't tell if they were getting any closer to the Major, but he knew they were getting closer to running out of time. They jumped down a small ledge and made their way down the right corridor. The other beacon was down there. Only three more ahead of them.

Rico loaded another clip into his rifle and squeezed the trigger. The two warriors dropped with a thud and three more climbed over them. Zim came up beside him and fired into the three.

"Charges placed!" He yelled. Rico's radar began to beep. He pulled his visor down and it showed signatures coming up behind them. Maybe fifty meters.

"We've been flanked." Rico said as he pulled his visor back up. He squeezed again and let the rounds fly. They started to back up as the bugs continued to come. The others should be up behind them soon.

"Major Rico!" A voice broke through. It was Higgins. "We're coming up behind you. We've been ordered off the planet. We have to get out now."

"What?" Rico asked. "Why?" Higgins and Sara reached them and began firing.

"No idea. Came in fifteen minutes ago," Higgins was out of breath. "That's a long run."

"Not if you had kept up with your training," Zim yelled.

"I'm a reporter! I never went through basic!' Higgins brought down a warrior. It was quiet suddenly.

"Blow it!" Rico said. Zim pulled out the detonator and set the timer for thirty seconds and dropped it. They began to run back the way they came. Finally it blew and they were thrown from their feet by the explosion shaking the ground beneath them. In the low gravity Sara flew up and hit the ceiling and was knocked unconscious. The roof caved in behind them and revealed the stars above. It was maybe fifteen meters up.

"Lieutenant," Rico threw his rifle over his shoulder. "Fire a flare; let them know where we are. We're going up." He grabbed Sara and put her over his shoulder. Higgins helped steady her.

"Not bad Paper Boy," He smiled. Zim launched a flare and began to climb. Rico and Higgins followed close behind.

Doc saw the plain collapse in four spots. From three of them bugs poured out and made their way towards the fourth. He figured that's where the Major would be popping out.

"L'Ioo," said moving Murphy out of the seat and taking his spot. "Get us to that empty one. Murphy, man the hatch, I want them to have cover."

"Yes, sir!" Murphy went to the back and grabbed the bar next to the door as L'Ioo threw the skimmer into full power. Just then a flared arched into the sky. They launched forward and across the landscape towards the flare. Doc saw three figures climbing out of the hole, one was holding a fourth. Two dropped to their knees and began to fire at the incoming warriors. Two tankers were soon on the surface too and spraying their acid at the troopers.

"Let's move!" Doc yelled. L'Ioo maneuvered the skimmer away from their target and spun it around to bring their tail across a large group of warriors, slamming them into the ground and blowing them across the field. Soon they were next to the Major and the others rushed for the door and Murphy dropped it. He jumped out next to Zim and began to fire as Higgins and Rico made their way up the ramp with Sara being carried by the both of them now.

"Both of you," Rico yelled putting Sara down. "Up here now." Murphy broke first and was up the ramp next to Rico firing into the mob of bugs. Zim turned to rush up the ramp. Rico watched helplessly as one warrior broke through and latched it's mandibles around Zim's thigh. Suddenly, he was back on Earth, in San Francisco bay, and it wasn't Zim he was looking at, but Jean Razak. Rico yelled and jumped down, grabbing his arm as Murphy pumped round after round into it and the others around them.

"Hold on LT," He screamed. Zim cried out in pain and the bug squeezed tighter. He pulled out a grenade and flipped the switch. He looked Rico in the eye and shook his head.

"No!" Rico screamed. "Not again!" Rico held Zim's arm tightly then adjusted his suit, transferring all the power to its strength receptors. He released Zim and jumped into the sky and fell onto the bug as it reared its head with his lieutenant still firmly between its jaws. Rico mounted it and grabbed the upper mandible and dug his fingers into in, puncturing the thick hide. He could feel the suit straining as he pulled upwards and tore it from the rest of the body. It dropped Zim and collapsed. Murphy rushed down, grabbed the grenade and threw it into the mob. It exploded, giving them the time they needed. He and Rico then grabbed Zim as the skimmer began to move. They were up the ramp and closed the door just they shot forward.

Zim looked at Rico and smiled. "I guess I'll think twice next time."

Rico readjusted his suit. "Consider it an order Lieutenant." Rico and Murphy helped Zim to his feet. He winced in pain.

"Not broken, just bruised to Hell and back." They reached the cockpit as they ramped up the cliff and came down with a thud. "What is it with these troopers and driving now? Where did they learn this?"

"ETA?" Rico asked sitting down in one of the extra seats.

"Two minutes," L'Ioo responded. They could see three transports coming down from the Razak.

"What is going on?" Rico wondered aloud.

After only three minutes back at the base everyone was loaded onto the transports along with what little equipment they could grab. It was mostly ammo and spare suits. All other equipment had been deemed expendable. The injured were with the Roughnecks. Sara had awoken with a bad headache just as they returned and she and Higgins had rejoined the Wolves. Rico made his way to the cockpit as they broke the gravity of Armstrong. He could see the badly damaged Jean Razak coming into view and shook his head.

JEAN RAZAK
They landed without a problem and the Roughnecks helped to get the wounded and supplies off the transport before leaving for the locker room. Gossard, Muniz and Brutto were all taken to the all ready crowded infirmary, L'Ioo to the skinny deck.

"I am so going to enjoy this shower." Murphy said when they entered the locker room. He tossed his helmet down and fell onto the bench.

"A nice bunk for once too," Doc said. "I don't know about you guys, but those things felt like a piece of cardboard on top of a slab of steel."

"Can't have our soldiers getting soft can we?" Rico laughed. "I'll be on the bridge. You guys get some chow and rest. I want you in the sim-room at 0330 tomorrow."

"Aww, Major!" Murphy whined getting his armor off. "Just a day's break?"

"Major's orders, private!" Zim said pulling his own armor off. "Belly aching wasn't an option."

Rico smiled and left the room as Murphy made his way into a shower stall.

In the weapons room Junker had slid his security card and the locker opened revealing six shelves each with seven thick lead containers. He'd slid the card again on two and the opened to the warheads within. Each was a cylinder about a foot long and three inches wide. He had taken both of them and handed them to the officer behind him who walked carefully to two waiting missiles and put them in. The officer had sealed the missiles back and nodded at Junker.

Junker was now back on the bridge standing four feet away from Admiral Ibanez, his key in the slot. Major Rico was standing on the forward deck looking down onto the planet. Admiral Ibanez nodded and they turned. The computer now spoke.

"Confirmation of release of munitions," It said. "Voice ID required from commanding officer and first officer for firing of two CB-102's."

"Confirm: Ibanez, Carmen, Admiral. Omega-nine-foxtrot-one-seven-echo."

"Confirmed for Admiral Carmen Ibanez." Junker now spoke.

"Confirm: Junker, Calvin, Commander. Delta-six-tango-six-zero-bravo."

"Confirmed for Commander Calvin Junker." The computer went silent for a moment then came back. "Munitions: two C-B-one-zero-twos armed and ready for fire."

"Fire." The Admiral said. The weapons officer pressed the button and two streaks of fire shot from the underside of the ship. Soon they disappeared followed moments later by a brilliant explosion on the surface of the planet. From the point of the explosion large cracks began to expand across the surface until they were glowing from the molten interior making its way to the top. The cracks continued until the horizon and the planet was visibly shaking until pieces of it began to break off. Trails of hot liquid rock were spewing out from the cracks now, almost as though the planet was reaching out in pain for something to help it.

After only two minutes, Armstrong Prime had been destroyed, shaken apart to the point of being nothing but large chunks of rock floating in place of what used to be a planet. Rico shook his head and turned to face Ibanez who was looking straight at him.

"The things we can do," He said.

"We had too." She said as Rico walked up to her and stood next to her.

"Oh I know," He responded as he turned back to what had been a planet. "I'm just happy these things are a last resort."

She whispered. "Let's just be happy that this was an Omega Four, and not an Omega One."

Rico shuddered. "I know." He looked down then at her. "Good day Admiral."

"Good day Major." She said. Rico smiled and left the bridge while Carmen returned to her chair.

"Communications, message to the other ships: set course for Earth, maximum speed." The comm. officer acknowledged her. "Helm, set course. Take us home."

"Aye, Admiral." She said, her hands dancing over the controls. "Course set."

"Engage jump drive." Carmen said.

In space there was no sound as the three ships streaked forward and out of sight from the debris of Armstrong Prime towards Earth. The Jean Razak had accomplished the task. No thing was left alive on the remains of the planet. The Bugs had been disintegrated by the bombs.

TESCA NEMEROSA
At Zegima Beach three MI were looking out into the sea and the night sky. It was beautiful, almost like Earth. They all doubted they'd ever see it again since the ships in orbit had either been destroyed or jumped back to Earth, leaving them stranded. There were twenty MI and maybe twenty thousand bugs.

One pointed into the sky as a streak of fire descended towards them. First they thought it was another transport, but it was too small. Then it was a meteor or something, but it was too controlled. Finally they could tell it was SICON ship. PFC Todd Franklin rushed down to get their commanding officer, Lieutenant Yuri Gates who was cleaning his weapons as he oversaw supply round up.

"LT!" Franklin called. He was a young man, maybe nineteen, who had joined the infantry to see some of the galaxy and in hopes of making a little cash for college when his term was up. It had been three days since they'd been abandoned and he'd seen some horrid fighting. He watched as three men were torn apart by bugs but yet he was keeping his morale up. Gates figured it'd fail soon.

"What is it?" He asked without looking up.

"SICON ship sir!" He called. Everyone froze and looked up at Franklin. Gates stood.

"Where?" He asked. Franklin opened his mouth but then the ship shot overhead with a trail of smoke behind it. They watched as it disappeared then heard the sound of its impact. "Jefferies, McDonald, Pieter, you're with me. Let's check it out." They all grabbed their weapons and went to the front gate. It opened slowly into the dense jungle which was eerily silent.

"Move!" He said and they all ran into the foliage.

Carl was slumped over the controls of his ship. It had barely made the jump before it started shaking apart and he was forced to bring it out in orbit around Tesca Nemerosa. The sound of groaning and stressed steal and forced him to angle it down and towards Zegima Beach. The entry had rough and a piece of flying machinery had hit him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him but he'd managed not to hit the base. Instead he hit a tree and shattered the front glass. He was able to shield himself from the flying glass but was hit by a large piece of tree that knocked him out.

After a few minutes Carl regained consciousness and released his straps. It was hard for him to focus but he managed to grab a rifle and blow the hatch. Stumbling out he managed to stay upright long enough to recognize the forms of six or seven warriors looking at him. He tried to raise his rifle but he just dropped it and fell to his knees. One of them screeched and they all ran at him. Carl heard a series of shots and watched as warriors collapsed from bullets.

Four men rushed out of the jungle and spotted him. He couldn't understand a word they said he just smiled and fell back as everything went dark.

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war
as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not
the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have
divine power..."

2 Corinthians 10:3-4