The Island
The Imperiam fighter-bomber flew just beyond the tree line as it positioned itself for a second pass. On the ground smoke and fire rose from the bombardment it just delivered. Practically nothing was left from the bodies that had been caught in the immediate blast radius. Destroyed equipment and supplies littered the region, as well. Intermittent machinegun fire rattled through the sky with no effect. Raven was too low and moving too fast. As the craft began to bank, Raven's combat command consol surprisingly flashed with warnings.
"Major, we have company. One inbound bogie …it's at our 8 and coming in hot and fast." the Operations officer stated.
There was a slight pause as the man pushed a few buttons and confirmed the final readings; "Displays are hot! They just fired another ….no wait …imaging confirms two more; one on our 6 and the third is at 3 o'clock. They're triangulating. How in the hell do they have Air defenses? Their tech is supposed to be centuries behind ours."
"Damn it." The senior Imperiam pilot exclaimed under his breath. "Those speculative morons in Intelligence missed something …as usual. Of the three nations, their skill is supposed to be the most primitive; almost prehistoric" He flipped on the crew audio and continued "Ok, we don't have counter measures installed, so hang on everyone. Bob what's their ETA?"
"At our current speed, impact with the first missile will occur in thirteen point three seconds. The other two are about six seconds behind that." the Operations officer replied.
The ship's commander immediately turned to his co-pilot and explained; "I'm bringing us hard to Port, heading; one five three mark zero. We have to climb. We're sitting ducks right here. Follow my lead and as we easy out of the turn, bring her about on course two two one mark six. Arm one of the Hawk missiles and get ready to initiate the ion-thrusters on my command"
Raven-One twisted suddenly as it jerked left in an attempt to avoid the approaching projectiles. The twin atomic engines superheated and the plane ripped upward, almost immediately breaking the sound barrier. The sonic boom echoed backwards towards the earth leaving a deafening roar in its wake. The pilot gripped the controls, pulled back, and Raven climbed even higher into the sky.
"Were clear, Skipper but they're adjusting" echoed through the onboard communications link.
The old American made Radeon III Disrupter shot through the gap Raven once occupied. Its internal smart-guidance interpolated speed, angle, distance and the probable point of intersection. Working in concert, it sent telemetry to the other airborne ballistics. The plane was faster than the inbound rockets but the three missiles were simultaneously coordinating and adjusting as they mirrored the movements and pace of their evading target. Their onboard nuclear cells provided enough power to keep them in flight for decades. Raven could run, but she'd have to trek home at maximum speed to ultimately escape their pursuit. It was either run or take them out.
"Sir Hawk armaments One, four, and five are now hot". The man reported. "The incoming birds are correcting as we move."
Suddenly, without warning, the plane's instruments sent out a dull tone. "We have a problem." He stated. "One has just gone into turbo. At our present course and speed, estimated impact with the first is about four point two seconds."
The pilot didn't answer. He simply hit the throttle and sped forward.
One of the objects banked hard and veered closer as it calculated any starboard movements by the aircraft. The second Radeon missile swerved in the opposite direction as it sought out the intersection point of the plane's present course. The third projectile increased to maximum speed. It couldn't catch the craft but it did get close enough for what its stage-two internal processing had already calculated and premeditated. It closed on the craft and narrowed the angle of embankment. Once it determined the peak yield, it detonated.
Raven jerked for an instance. The vivid blaze from the blast momentary blinded the three men inside. But disabling the plane via an explosion wasn't the weapons select purpose. Shrapnel hit Raven but it only resulted in negligible damage. The real harm came from the radionic pulse that infected the plane's strategic software. The missiles weren't designed as simple ballistics. They were developed as a stage three EMP. That simply meant that they didn't disable machine electronics. It was a more sophisticated pulse. They radionic beam carried a series of binary sequences designed to scramble the existing software.
The plane began to slow. Smoke was billowing from various parts of ship. Inside sparks leapt from the starboard imagers, we've been hit. The Pilot thought. "The other two missiles", he shouted out loud, jumping back into reality. He pulled hard on the stick and once again began to climb, but the craft felt sluggish.
"Sir," the Operations officer stated, "Chronometer, aptitude, guidance, and missile locking have just gone off line. The software is being …rewritten." The man reached down and ripped out one of the circuit boards. "I'm yanking the main and switching to the aux schema. It will take time for it to reintegrate"
"Bob" the ships commander said "We just lost turbo and the other missiles are seconds away. Whatever you're doing, hurry it up! Without Ion thrust I may not be able to outrun them for long."
"You have about 12 seconds, Bob" the copilot added.
Earlier…
"Get down!" March shouted, tackling his collogue. He shoved the man behind the humongous tree and concurrently took cover with him.
As the holographic image faded, the small device blinked, flashed quickly, and sent out a wave that scorched everything in its limited wake. The two men shied away from the large tree they'd taken refuge behind as the heat of the pulsation forced them backwards. The ground, the vegetation, and immediate terrain were completely seared. A blackish green crusty ash was all that remained. The smell was almost as rancid as the damage it had caused.
"A holographic likeness?" Hayes coughed out covering his nose.
The Air Force Captain patted the dirt and dried leaves off his uniform and continued. "That guy actually lured us in with a simulated projection of himself. Where in the heck did he come up with something like that? If I hadn't been stupid enough to fall for it, I'd almost be impressed."
"Who knows how they do it. It's right out of a science fiction movie." March replied. "But if the tracking display on this rifle hadn't warned me, we'd both be dead."
"He's good, Tom" Hayes huffed out wiping the dirty sweat from his face. He took a swallow from a canteen and went on. "Price has been toying with us for almost two hours. First that stunt with the wounded animal he had us chasing and now this. He's playing us for fools and he's seriously injured too. I'd hate to see his work on a good day."
"Remember that British non-com we trained with in the last year of mission prep?" March asked as they moved forward. "Kind of reminds you of him, doesn't it? He'd be just the guy to pull a stunt like that"
"Yes Sir. I remember him well. Master Sergeant Wilfred H. Stiles II" Hayes said, pointing in the direction Price had taken. "You gotta love the English and those elaborate names and titles they all seem to have. He was a slippery SOB wasn't he? …Sure wish he was here now. …All that Johnny Rambo crap he had us do. Sneaking into the enemy camp and slitting the throat of innermost soldier. …Hiding in plain sight of your adversary…I never could get any of it right."
March laughed and nodded as he thought back to their training. "Ok look Mr Rambo" He said jokingly. "Price can't keep evading us, toys or not. These A1X rifles we used in DC may not have any more smart-rounds but they can still track a heat signature and he's close by. They've kept us alive so far. He's just trying to mess with our heads, but that's because he's severely wounded, unarmed and can't fight back with conventional weapons. Otherwise he'd have simply ambushed us. He's playing all his cards, hoping to get lucky."
The Major was correct. Price, AKA, Captain Daniel Summers was desperate and dying. He was leaving behind a set of traps but he was running out of gadgets, energy, and luck. The IBP (Isometric Ballistic Projection) was his last hurrah. He now had nothing left to fight with. But it had bought Price time and that's what he needed. He'd made his way through the ruins of a small fishing town and was now trying to reach the high ground to transmit a last minute message.
Cough - Cough Blood was now coming out with the saliva and mucus. His vision was also becoming blurry. This is bad, he thought as he realized he would soon be standing before his creator. He forced down the last bit of the meds that had kept him going and fumbled for his compass. It had nearly mapped the area via its complicated electronic functionality. Once it was done, he'd be ready to transmit. Price popped open the face, held it close, and prepped for a final V.V.L.
Cough - Cough The man felt faint and lightheaded. The medications weren't working. He was fading out. It was now or never.
"This is Monarch eight one." Price wheezed into the device. "Request Code 16-Q upon receipt. Sending coordinates now. Enemy radar site located. If it becomes operational the enemy will be able to target the Imperiam mainland." He paused slightly as he coughed up more blood … "I'm compromised. Request Code 16-Q immediately."
Bam – Bam.
The first bullet clipped Price in the shoulder. Chunks of flesh, cartilage, and bone spewed from his crimson stained appendage. He twisted backwards and dropped the transmitter. The device shattered as it bounced down the rocky hillside. The second round passed through the empty space that Price's body once occupied and embedded itself into the old debris just behind the dying spy.
March and Hayes were both winded but raced up the side of the hill. Price stared up and spit out his last words in a blood soaked smile; Cough - Cough "Taa …too late. You son of a …Cough - Cough "Imperiam …Fighter-bomb...errr … You're all through" And with that he died.
"Fighter?" Hayes said looking at the dead remains in front of him. "You don't think those rumors of aircraft are true do you, Tom?"
"I don't know" the man answered. "But now we know why Grazot had you working on those SAM missiles. These apes may be primitive but they're not stupid."
OOO
Colonel Brewster was much more comfortable giving orders, than acting as a field combatant. For the last forty five minutes he'd been hustling Grazot's gorillas round like they were his own personal servants. He'd tasked them to clear an area; fifty meters by fifty meters. While some of the apes cleared foliage, others were digging, and the rest were prepping a huge tree trunk he'd ordered them to carry in. It was an efficient use of skills and resources.
The Doctor and Lord Prefect arrived on the island just after March and Hayes had set out after Price. Their initial mission had been to weed out the last remaining Imperiam spy, using the Colonel's device, but the two astronauts had taken care of that problem for them. They were good at killing and for once Sullen was grateful for it. Yet, now they faced an even greater challenge; Aircraft. Initially, The Prefect had no idea how many were coming or when they'd arrive, but Brewster was the former head of Imperiam R & D. Because of that he had firsthand knowledge of, Project Raven.
"…Only one plane, Colonel? Are you certain?" March asked. "That goes against every bit of aerial tactics I've ever studied. What about wing support?"
"It's simple, Tom" Brewster answered. "First, the Imperiam doesn't have an air fleet …yet! They have one and certainly no more than two working aircraft at the present. Second, it's still two more than any other Kingdom on this rock possesses. They'll send a single fighter, not an armada. Why should they? As far as they know, there's nothing that could stop an airborne bombardment. These three relics, as you call them are our only chance. They're designed as predators and that might be just what we need"
"If they even come at all." Hayes added in an unusual optimistic tone. "Maybe the transmission never made it or maybe they'll save its use for some future offensive."
"They're coming, trust me on that, gentlemen." Brewster answered, throwing cold water on any hopes to the contrary they may have had. " . transmissions use the atmosphere. They leap-frog off of it, so to speak. That transmission got through. Our real enemy is time. If they strike before we're set, this will all be for nothing."
"Then get to work, Doctor." Sullen declared curtly. "…Because once you're done, you're going to scan everything that breathes with that device of yours. I don't want any more surprises. I've had enough foxes in my hen house, to last a lifetime." He shot a quick glance at March, who picked up on the subtle double meaning.
Sullen then turned to the gorilla at his side and went on. "General Grazot, I want a full report on the progress with that radar station. Have the human technicians been able to talk to …whatever it is they're trying to communicate with?"
As the apes walked off to discuss the main mission, both Hayes and the Colonel focused on the task of setting up the aerial defensive perimeter. The gorillas acted as muscle while the two techs put their minds to work. Brewster was beyond brilliant but Hayes was a ballistics expert. Between the two men they worked out the particulars.
A few hours later they were completely done.
"Ok" Brewster explained. "They're armed, powered, and I've set up a wireless isometric command interface with this e-pad here. The man explained its functionality and then presented the bad news. "We lack GPS or Atmospheric Ion Locking so they'll only lock at close range… a few Kilometers… Maybe"
He didn't need to finish. Hayes got it long before his boss put two and two together. "We're too far out. We won't get a chance to fire unless they dive." He said.
It had been inescapable. This spot was the only open section in the surrounding area. Not only that, but it also was the only place large enough to allow the projectiles to launch without incinerating the others.
March may not have initially picked up on meaning but he certainly understood how to deal with it once it had been fully explained. "We need to clear that area and get some defenses in place." He said. "We're going to have to shoot at it with some of the 50 cals. Possibly try and make a wall of bullets. Intersect our fields of fire and …"
As March explained his plan the all familiar rumble of jet engines ripped through the air. Seconds later it felt like an earthquake was taking place. The island trembled so hard that even the apes were shaken to the ground. In a flash, the trees off in the distance burst into flames. The craft streaked across the smoldering tree line and in the blink of an eye dotted past the three men.
"It's maneuvering … coming in for another run." March said dusting himself off.
"Fire those missiles …Right now" the Major added, but Brewster was already on it.
The Doctor grit his teeth and spoke to Cade as if the ape were standing right next to him. "This is for my wife you four footed bastard." The first projectile ignited and raced into the air.
"Ok, it's locked" the Colonel shouted. "The others are linking to its signal. Give me a second to sync…"
Shortly after Brewster made similar statements to Cade about his daughters as he launched the other two tactical bullets.
"Surprise, Surprise" he said grinning away. "Let's see how you fly-boys like this."
Present time...
Raven-One curved in a U-shape direction and turned into the flanking rocket. "How are we coming on those thrusters, Robert?" he asked as he leveled the craft slightly. The pilot was waiting for the right moment to manually fire the Hawk missile, but he was cutting it too close.
"Working on it, Sir" the man hastily answered. In reality all he could do was wait. A cold reboot took time and he wasn't even sure the aux schema hadn't been compromised. He pounded at the display as if that might make it work faster.
"Five seconds, Skipper" the co-pilot stated looking at his tactical exhibit.
"Screw this" the pilot whispered. Raven's commander fired the Hawk at almost point blank range. As soon as it was away he jolted into a downward dive. The projectile cut through the clouds like a knife and impacted with the second missile. "Splash one bogie." He said as he watched the object disappear from the display.
"Thank the Good Lord" the operations officer said under his breath.
"We'll celebrate later. We have to level off or well plunge right into the lake at mach 1" He added, but the merry making would never come. Despite the creative talents of the pilot their systems were still off line and the third rocket was in full pursuit. It had already closed and sent out its radionic pulse. Controls in the ship went haywire and a split second later the Radeon III Disrupter ripped through the starboard wing. Raven-One exploded in a ball of flames. What was left of it, spun downward and slammed into the cold waters of the Great Fish Pond. No one survived.
Brewster lowered the binoculars from his face as March slapped him on the shoulder in praise.
"Guess they should have sent that second plane, after all, eh Major?" Brewster asked with a smile.
The Central Old United States – 15 Hours later
Under normal circumstances Polk and his soldiers would have been celebrating. The successful assault on the staging area resulted in a mountain of scientific spoils. Not only that, but from a military standpoint, the operation, had been a brilliant maneuver. The apes suffered little to no losses while delivering a brutally surprising blow to the enemy. …All enemies… He now had enough might to give the Imperiam a black eye and in one day he'd become more than a match for the hated humans. Yes, Polk had just found Aladdin's lamp. The problem was getting the genie to come out of its bottle.
The convoy stopped a day earlier. They'd been initially halted because of the horrifying sandstorm that just passed. The interference was wreaking havoc on the equipment's interfaces. But the circumstances hadn't quite worked out as the ape had hoped. The Imperiam wasn't going to sit by while their forward elements were ambushed. The news of Raven had tipped their hand. Cade was forced to deploy. If he hadn't he surely have been hung.
The hit on the Imperiam staging area was devastating but the Empire was certainly not out of resources. Wide range battlefield scans had detected a large number of simian bios located in the southeast. Polk and his apes had been taken by surprise and were now scrambling to mount some sort of tactical retreat. The ape had run out of time. His soldiers were plentiful, but technicians and scientists were in short supply. They still hadn't fully figured out how the captured equipment functioned. He'd already lost three tanks and five APCs. Several of his soldiers were dead or wounded as well.
The RS7s were of little concern. They'd already had enough exposure to their unique functionality. At least with those, they could punch back. It was the tanks, self-propelled artillery and the vast array of devices they'd stashed in the Carriers that were posing problems. The onboard computerized interfaces were extremely complex. Thanks to Brewster, the apes knew how to immobilize the Imperiam transponders but operating the bio-sensors, isometric imagers, refractive sensors, tactical software and the other paraphernalia was posing more problems than Polk wanted to admit. It had taken an enormous amount of time just getting the vehicles to move. But the chimp had no choice. Fight or die.
"They're coming about Sir. Looks like they're heading for the mechanized infantry support elements of the 197th. I'm picking up intermittent tank fire. They're advancing but it's a little choppy and irregular …only a few vehicles" a voice from the General's staff stated. He poked at the Isometric battle field display and updated the movement in real time. "…Sector 21 golf, Sir. They're Imperiam Dreadnaughts but giving off no frequency IDs"
"They're using mortars and smoke in an attempt to mask their advance" Another voice claimed. "Switching to infrared." The holographic display changed color as its internal filters adjusted the image to a perfect clarity.
General Tods eyeballed the 3-D exhibit. "We caught them with their pants down. They're not familiar enough with our tech. They're fumbling around like a bunch of cavemen who just dug up an e-pad. Give the order to fire those modified ADA cannons." he ordered. "Let's see how they react to an Electro Magnetic Pulse. Follow it up with HE rounds from 45th artillery support. I'm not going to play with these primitives. They want to see what Imperiam tech can do. Let's show 'em"
The V.V.L. radio operator sent the information to the frontline units. Moments later the EM wave rocketed forward disrupting the uneven simian advance.
Inside the lead vehicle, everything went black. Circuit boards, scanners and even propulsion was off line. The seasoned officer, in command, didn't hesitate. He gave the order to evacuate immediately.
"I'm not privy to spending the rest of my existence in a steel coffin." He said "Let's abandon this metallic grave"
Apes spilled out of the hunk of metal like water spouting out of a spring. They scattered for any type of concealment available. A few were hit by incoming small arms fire but most of them made it to an undersized hillside close by.
"Holy Crap" a Corporal cried as he watched his former vehicle along with several other go up in a ball of flame seconds later. "Their artillery is nothing like I've ever seen".
"What are our orders, Sir" and NCO asked the Lieutenant who'd just saved their necks from the incoming salvo.
Before the chimp could reply, more rounds impacted. Chunks of dried earth, rock and sand peppered the surrounding area. The officer had nothing to hold with except the apes crouched behind the midsized hill. His communications gear was not operating. He peered carefully over the hilltop and gazed through the binoculars around his neck. He paused for a second as his eyes adjusted. …Dust, smoke and the periodic flashes of rifle fire.
"We hold, as ordered." He said. "All we have to do is delay them temporarily". We'll probably die doing it but what choice do we have? He added in thought only
Several paces back, Polk shouted as loudly as he could. Directing an organized withdrawal while under heavy fire wasn't an easy task. The ape had one slim chance. They'd passed through a valley about a mile and half back. If they could get their personnel and vehicles back through the pass, he could then fire into the landscape and cause an avalanche. It would stop the Imperiam advance …for the moment anyway. With any luck he'd be long gone before they punched through.
"First Sergeant Kamas" Polk stated as he patted the ape on the back. "Godspeed to you."
And with that the tactical retreat was underway. The First Sergeant and a few select units remained behind to slow the enemy advance while the apes pulled back in mass.
Kamas moved forward and fired indiscriminately towards the Imperiam advance. Polk could hear screams and explosions as he climbed into the vehicle and sped off. Never let them see you sweat, jumped into his mind as he gazed at the soldiers to his side.
Imperiam Tactical Command Center …
"Sir," the Tactical Direction Officer stated "The 197th reports enemy probing raids in sectors; India 3, Bravo 5, 6, and 9, and Charlie 8. They're using hit and run procedures"
"Why?" General Tods thought out loud. "That's suicide. …Wait. It's a rouse. They're stalling us while they pull back. But to where. There's no place they could hide. Except for a few scattered mounds and hills, the terrain is basically flat." The man expanded the battlefield 3-D display and scanned the territory further. He traced a finger across the rout where the moving bio-signatures were headed.
"There" he said sharply. "They're headed for that gulch. We'd be bottlenecked if we followed them in"
Tods tapped his V.V.L. "Colonel Lauds, I'm sending you tactical data. You're to send every available RS7 to these coordinates. Once the enemy enters that cavern, you're to fire at the hillside and bring it down on top of them."
He ended the transmission without waiting he contacted his artillery support. He provided the coordinates and ordered them to develop a firing solution immediately.
As the retreating apes entered the area a familiar buzz of artillery shells could be heard whistling through the air.
Imperiam Military ADA, Sector 31-H
"Welcome Sir" The Imperiam Air Defense commander stated with a brisk salute. "I'm sure you'll be pleased with what I'm about to show you. Although I'm not all that thrilled about you reconfiguring the EH Cannons and sending them out with Tods. As unlikely as it is, we're defenseless if we get hit by an air attack"
"Good to see you, General Kenswick" Cade replied ignoring the complaint. "I've read your reports. I can't stress enough how vital your role is. We don't have an air threat. And with the loss of equipment, those cannons give us the edge we need. However for now, these missiles are your concern."
"I understand, Sir" the chimp replied. "Why Lord Marcus ordered the advance before we fired is beyond me. If we fail to take out their Orbital Network we're through, Cade, but I'm going to question the Monarch. Those who do seem to have, unfortunate, accidents."
"Senator Ghent" Cade huffed as he shook his head. "He should have never openly challenged Lord Marcus like that. And as for the sudden push to the East, after the raid on our staging area and the reports that Raven went down, his Excellency was ready for all of us to experience unfortunate, accidents. You know how badly he wants this war. And this time the Senate is right there with him. I had no choice but to order an advance immediately."
The two officers continued their discussion as they walked into a large shielded room. In the corner, an isometric clock was counting backwards. 15:46…45…44. There was a small buffet of food and beverages next to it. Several high-level government officials, military officers, and scientists were chatting away as they all stuff their faces and exchanged boring stories. The room came to a sudden stop as Cade walked in. He bellowed out a loud, 'as you were' and everyone took a seat. He gave a few words of thanks and encouragement and turned the discussion over to the new R and D commander.
Colonel Parks gave a quick briefing and fielded a few questions. Once that complete the man pressed a button and the shielding on the outer wall contracted, exposing the four launch pads off in the distance. Each pad housed a missile approximately twenty five feet in height.
"Please bear with me gentlemen; I'm adjusting the refractive shielding. We don't need anyone going blind" Parks said as he punched away at the interface. Once that was done he stood and spoke loudly. "Computer, recognize Parks, Timothy A, Commander, 578th Science Division
Voice print match. Parks, Timothy A, recognized.
"Please scan the launch area for any active bio signatures." Parks stated.
Launch buffer is clear. There are no Bio-Signatures within five Kilometers.
"Enable sonic scrambling on all four ballistics. Lock missile one on orbital platform 001, two on orbital platform 002, three on orbital platform 003, and missile four on orbital platform 004. Tie launch protocols within the Isometric Chronometer and fire all missiles when the count reaches zero.
The computer acknowledged and a few minutes later the count down reached zero. The area lit up with a bright light and the four missiles shot upwards and out of sight
"Gentlemen" Parks said "The birds are away. The ODN is about to take its place with the rest of the junk on this desolate rock."