Hilirun grinned, said “Yes, sir!” and stepped backward into the void. The office, modest to begin with, seemed even smaller now. No less than three Thraki officers waited to report. None were happy. Flight Leader Pak Harpu was upset about the fact that the aliens had been allowed to seize the orbital high ground without so much as a shot fired. Base Commander Mot Bara wanted to know what she should do about the invasion of her air shafts. And Armored Commander Stik Colep wanted permission for a counterattack, all of which was quite logical given who and what they were.
But Vice Admiral Ista Rawan had to consider the larger picture, focusing on that which was best for the race, that which was good for those under his command, and that which could actually be carried out. And there was the difficulty. Yes, they could hold for a while, could make the invaders pay, but to what end? BETA018 was a long way from Zynig47 and of limited strategic value. Yes, he could request assistance, but even if Andragna decided to send some, what would the relief force find? A Confederate ambush? And the smoking ruins of a devastated base?
No, it didn’t make sense. Unfortunately, and me thought pained him, it was time to retreat—to take what he could, run while he could, and head for home. The word surprised him. Like it or not, for better or worse, his people had a home. A place from which they would refuse to run. Something worth defending.
There was silence in the room, and, judging from the expressions of his subordinates, Rawan knew it had been that way for quite some time. He looked from face to face. “Here’s what I want each of you to do: Base Commander Bara will use part of her security troops to delay the invaders and the rest to prepare for evacuation. Flight Leader Harpu will ensure that the transports are loaded and ready to lift. Commander Colep will engage the enemy in an attempt to delay them for the maximum amount of time.”
Rawan eyed his subordinates. Their pain was clear to see. They wanted to fight. Alt of them. Even the Runners like Bara. “Timing will be critical. All three of you will share the responsibility of making sure that the maximum number of people escape.”
Rawan’s eyes shifted to the Armored officer. “And that includes you ... I expect you and your troops will engage the enemy, fall back, and run as if the gods themselves were nipping at your heels. Understood?”
Colep stood gunbarrel-straight. The orders ran contrary to everything he believed in, everything he was, everything he had ever wanted to be. Here, served from on high, was eternal dishonor. Be that as it may there was only one answer that Rawan would accept. “Sir! Yes, sir!”
“Good,” Rawan finished. “You have your orders. Carry them out.”
Gunnery Sergeant Roily True Bear put a chunk of granite between himself and the enemy, brought his binoculars up to his eyes, and scanned the terrain ahead. The bottom of the canyon was relatively flat, increasingly narrow, and dotted with sizeable boulders. The walls were too steep for a quad to climb and were covered by loose scree. Everything wore a coat of crusty white snow, thinner where the seldom seen sun occasionally struck, but thick where shadows fell thick and black. Data scrolled down the right side of the screen. It included the range of whatever fell under the crosshairs, the prevailing wind direction, the surface temperature and more. Lots of information, but not what the noncom needed most. Blue Force was stalled. Crab mines, which roam from place to place, would disturb the snow, but there was no sign of that. So, assuming the mines existed, where were they? It was a job for robots ... but none had been issued. The voice arrived over the company push, which meant mat everybody could hear it. “Blue Two to Blue Four... over.”
True Bear grimaced. He didn’t care for Lieutenant Jonathan Alan Seebo872 and knew the feeling was mutual. Maybe that’s why he and his troops were out looking for mines while the clones napped in a heavy. “This is Blue Four... go. Over.”
“What’s taking so long? We haven’t got all day. Over.”
True Bear wrestled with his temper and managed to win. “Roger that, Two. We’ll know in a moment. Hold on. over.”
The noncom broke the link and turned to me legionnaire crouched to his right. “You heard the loot…
we’re in a hurry. Knock on the door.”
Dietrich grinned, raised his drum fed grenade launcher, and fired a six round burst. A mixture of snow and soil fountained into the air as the grenades detonated. A loud boom followed the third explosion and echoed off the valley walls. Sand and gravel geysered upwards.
Dietrich shouted “Bingo!” and grinned from ear to ear.
The response was nearly instantaneous.
“Blue Two to Blue Four! Who authorized you to fire?
Over.”
True Bear, no longer able to conceal his feelings, said what he felt. “Common rucking sense, sir. Over.”
Laughter was heard. Lieutenant Seebo sputtered and was about to reply, when McGowan activated the command push. “That will be enough of that, gentlemen ... You can compare the size of your dicks later on. Let’s clear those mines and put this team into high gear.”
