Chapter 3b: Blood and Trinium
Part 2

An Hour later
8 KM from Landing Area
Home, Tau Ceti

"Now! Fire at will" Commander Scipius Terranus shouted his order. As the lizard tanks came inside his trap.

After the order the Roman Gladiator tanks that was pursued by the lizard tank. Suddenly stopped, turned around and fired. As that was happening the Roman tanks that was hiding in the sand dunes, from the right and the rear of the lizard tanks showed themselves and fired.

A second later the air became filled with sounds as one explosive round after another was fired from Terranus' heavily out numbered armored division's tanks which were hitting the lizard tanks from three sides.

It was a hopeless scene of carnage as the lizard tanks were destroyed instantly as the high explosive rounds made contact. There were some lizard tanks that were not hit. But as soon as the first salvo of Roman firepower was over, the surviving lizard tank crews didn't even bother to hit back. Most of them just went outside their tanks and assumed the posture of respect.

"The lizards are surrendering!" one soldier shouted.

As Terranus also noticed it, ordered his division "Men! Hold your fire, Instead of fighting like true soldiers, these lizards are just giving up!"

Then screams of cheer came from the men all over the division.
As the screams died down Terranus' driver who was also his friend said "None of our tanks were destroyed, while dealing over eighty percent casualties to our enemies, not bad, for a force outnumbered more than four to one. Not bad at all "

Then both men laughed all so loudly as if the war was over, and decided by this comparably small battle.

After pausing for a deep breath Terranus replied "Not bad Marcus? Alexander the great, himself suffered more casualties when he was facing the same odds; I say it was quite great!"

Then both men laughed again.
But before his driver could reply, their conversation was rudely erupted when a man said, "Enemy aircraft detected, two kilometers from the south"

Then Terranus looked in his viewer, which zoomed at the incoming aircraft to give him a better look. But he was astonished by this site he saw.
"My God! What are those clumsy things?" he asked the hall of his tank.

But strangely it was his driver who replied and his tank said nothing. "They look like... And they must be primitive gyrocopters of some sort."

Then realizing the sense of what his driver said, he replied "I guess you're right, but how can they move fast or be very agile if they fix their propellers like that."

"Honestly sir? They don't, just look at how slow and clumsy these things move" his driver added.

Then realizing the threat of these primitive gyrocopters pose to his tanks, he said on the com. "Men! Retreat or take cover we are about to be attacked by aircraft"

Even if these things are slow and clumsy and even if they are just armed with the same pathetic weapons their fighter plane cousins use. They would still pose a large threat to his divisions for they have elevation advantage and they would attack from above, which is the thinnest portion of a tanks armor. That's why he is not taking any chances, he thought.

As those gyrocopters neared thier comparably short firing range. Terranus suddenly heard multiple very loud noises.
They were sonic booms, he thought as it crossed his mind. He gave a baffled look at his driver, while his driver was giving same look back at him. As if that doing that would answer the question that was going through their minds.

"Who and what the hell did those sonic booms come from?" Terranus asked the hull of his tank again.

Then as if to answer his question.
All twelve enemy gyrocopters were suddenly hit, destroyed and swiped away from the air as the incoming aircraft fired their missiles at the gyrocopters.
So they are our aircraft, he thought.

But where did they come from, all the aircraft from the starship Zeus are busy fighting the dogfight tanking place in the air right now.
His question was answered, when he saw and read the wittings in belly of one of the black and slick looking aircraft.

They were from the Alexandria! He thought, but what were they doing here? Shouldn't they be guarding the starship? He added to himself.

But getting a grip back on to reality, he realized now is not the time to ask those questions, but to finish the task at hand and ask those questions latter. So he pressed his communicator.

He said "Ok men, the battle is won but the war is far from over, squad six, take care of the prisoners and take them to the starship. The rest be busy setting up a defensive perimeter. That's all" He quickly cut the lines.

Following day, March 20 1922 CE
8km from the landing zone
Home, Tau Ceti

"What do you mean that the Alexandria was destroyed? How could they possibly destroy it?" Terranus shockingly replied. As he refused to believe that the lizards could actually destroy an entire starship.

"As what I heard from the reports they were attacked by at least seven hundred lizard aircraft, while their main body of aircraft was out on a bombing run, therefore it was only a skeletal force that came to defend the starship. And the enemy used suicide attacks to deliver their nukes" His driver replied.

"Ahhh, that's why. Do you think it would have turned out better if the leader of this expedition came from one of the other four great families?"

"I don't know about the rest sir, but if he came from the family of Scipius surely it would have turned out better. After all the Family Scipius has produced our greatest commanders and generals and while those who came from the family Julius like our current general are only good at politics."

Terranus took a few seconds to look at his driver. And sure enough he saw the family ring of the family Scipius on one of the fingers of his driver. That's why he answered that way, for they were from the same great family.

The Terranus said,
"Your right but what can we do but follow orders and hope the general is doing the right move. After all we are stuck with him. Now back to our tasks, are the POW's delivered and what's the status of our supply lines?"

"Commander, the POW's were already on board the Zeus and are being attended to, if you know what I mean, and regarding the latter. Our supply lines are secure, we have everything we need and somehow these lizards don't even bother to harass us, like what our usual foes do."

"Very well, it seems that all we are waiting for is the orders to attack or for our enemies to attack first" Terranus replied.

Same time
High Orbit
Starship Odyssey

As Legionary General Julius Licinuis Tiberius was just finished reading the post action report of the initial phases of the invasion, he said.

"These lizards tend to fight like the soldiers of the Chinese satellite empire of Japan."

"How so sir?" his XO replied.

"Don't you read you history centurion?"

"I do but it seems I left that one out" then both men laughed

Then the general explained "Before, during one of our great wars. When nukes were new technology. They were heavy and big. Plus our guidance systems were very crude back then and missiles weren't invented yet. So what the Japanese did, is that they delivered them using suicide attacks of bombers carrying nukes. Therefore they increase the chance of hitting the target and almost double their range. Due to the fact that they dont need more fuel to go back to base."

"Ahh, and these lizards are doing the same, so what do we do sir?"

"The plan is to withdraw most our starships back to orbit within three days, where lizard atmospheric aircraft can't reach them. We only need to leave one behind and convert it into a fortress, which will be the starship Olympus. Then build airfields and bases on the other landing sites for their base of operations and supply centers. Plus we need to limit our bombing runs on enemy forces to ensure that we have enough forces to defend against enemy suicide attacks. Now relay that order to the rest of the legions."

"At once sir!" his XO replied and went to do his job.

While his eyes were looking at the new situation reports. Tiberuis can't help but think and wish that this measures will prevent such things from happening again. Even if these measures will delay their conquest of this planet, but at least it will prevent more of suck damages to occur again.

Next Day, March 21
Outer most defense perimeter
Sector 13

Landcruiser commander Fostev was in battle condition, so was his gunner and driver. For they knew that Roman infantry were comming. He was looking around using his vision gogles while his head was peeping outside his landcruiser. Searching for the slightest traces of the enemy.

Then suddenly he saw faint movement in the distance, could it be? He thought.

And as if hearing his thoughts, his division leader alerted the rest of the landcruisers in his divisions " Roman infantry coming, about two kilometers away, battle stations men."

"As if we weren't already in battle stations." Fostev quietly murmured to himself

Then he continued to watch these Roman infantry as they became clearer and clearer as they came nearer and nearer while marching in a semi loose formation (much like how European armies march pre world war 1).

When they were about a kilometer away, he could see the individual Roman soldier now, he could almost see their individual ugly faces. Although it was useless for he could not tell one from the other.

But he instead concentrated on what they were equipped with. They wore some sort of helmet. Much like in design as what those people from the SQPR of Tosev used in the holograms he saw during the academy.

They brought some sort of firearm, mostlikely an automatic rifle. Its buckler swung around thier body, and one hand holding the grip of the firearm itself. With the firearm facing forward.

The firing end of the firearm was inserted into a firing port located in around the middle of some sort of a metallic shield which faced sideways to protect the torso of the soldier. The shield was attached to the other arm of the Roman infatry. The firing end of the rifle was also mounted with a some sort of knife. (A Bayonet)

As Fostev anxiously watched the enemy infantry collided with their own.

As the Roman infantry came with in range of the guns of the Race infantry. The individual shields of the Romans unfolded themselves to a size that would cover them from the knee to their neck.

Then they seem to bundle together into a tight square formation with their shields overlapping each other making their sides and top also protected from by their shields.

As the machine guns of the Race fired their bullets seem to ricochet harmlessly on the Roman shields.

"Those shields must be made of the same metal as their starships and land cruisers were."

As the Race's bullets hit harmlessly on the moving Roman formation, the Romans are far from harmless when they moved.

As they were moving the Romans were firing from the firing ports located in their shields. Which proved to be very lethal for the race infantry.

Fostev could only watch in horror as his fellow males were helplessly being butchered by these Romans.

Then when all hope seemed lost he heard their artillery firing from the direction of the back of Fostev's landcruiser.

He saw in his vision goggles those rounds hit the roman infantry. And those rounds were far from harmless and killed a lot of the enemy for they were tightly packed together.

Seeing the sight, Fostev hissed in pleasure. In pleasure that the enemy shields weren't invulnerable after all.

Then suddenly the Romans scattered and broke formation. Making them harder to hit from the artillery as they were further from each other. But they were also easier to hit by the Race's guns for their shields were no longer overlapping one another and only their own was protecting them.

But still they were terribly hard to kill for they weren't only well equipped but well trained as well. And were using their shields into angles that provides maximum defense for them.

When the Roman formation neared the Races defensive lines and engaged them in close combat. The artillery stopped firing, for the fear of hitting their own infantry.

The point blank combat situation was just as dire as the previous one. As the majority of the Race's rounds hit harmlessly on the Roman shields. While the Roman rounds hit harmfully on the infantry males.

Fostev hissed as he saw the helpless carnage of his fellow males.

Then out of a sudden one infantry male, maybe due to the frustration of seeing his bullets hit harmlessly on the Roman shields. Fired an anti tank missile to the in coming Roman and infantry.

And surely the missile didn't just killed the Roman soldier whose shield it had hit but also scattered his body as well.

Then all of a sudden more infantry males used more anti tank missiles to kill the in coming Romans.

But all was hopeless, when the both lines crossed Fostev saw carnage as males were killed by bullets, explosives that were thrown (grenades) and there were some who were killed by the sharp metals attached to rifles of the Romans.

As Fostev put down his vision goggles for he could not bear to watch anymore the massacre of infantry males.

He heard the voice of his CO on the radio.

"Landcruiser crews, by order of shiplord Straha, we are to withdraw to a more defensible position. Twenty one kilometers from here."

Then Fostevs gunner said to the other males in the landcruiser while maneuvering to change the direction of the landcruiser for the retreat," Who would have thought that we would be forced to retreat to another location"

"I'm sure no one did" Fostev replied.

Same Time
206th Emperor Yower
Sector 13

On board the command deck his grounded starship Straha was pacing back and forth with his tail stomp swiveling around the place. He was very anxious while waiting for the post action reports to arrive.

Then the door inside the command deck finally opened. It was his agitant.

"Superior shiplord, the reports are in."

"Well, report it to me."

"Superior shiplord, our infantry have taken a lot of beating. They have taken over three-fourths casualties from the enemy, which was less than a quarter their size. But our landcruisers have all moved safely to a more defensible location."

"Very well, at least not all the news are bad, now I want mines to be planted in and around our defense positions. And I want to conserve all killercraft for escort duties otherwise we will have no more killercraft in a week."

End of Part 2