Eldathar instantly complied, and he swung the Liberty 90 degrees, accelerating slightly away from the station and then held position.
Michael looked towards Kinraid who could guess what the captain was thinking, “Still nothing, sir.”
The massive Danitza’s took up strategic positions around the base, as the Alexander class medium cruiser Honduras, and the Jefferson class heavy destroyer Eurinades advanced toward the station and gradually adopted docking positions.
A formation of Ghandhi class destroyers and Mandela class light cruisers continuously patrolled the area. Other than this the entire fleet sat perfectly still, every ships sensors were constantly screening the surrounding space, as if expecting some sudden strike by the enemy.
On the surface of the planet far below Colonel Nikolai Vargev revved the engine of the raider hard, continuing to speed past the enemy held positions. Energy pulses from Krenaran weapons fire continued to blast apart the ground all around them. The roof mounted Armschlager bucked and swayed as it returned fire; raking the Krenaran positions.
Two of the brutal aliens fell, one gurgling as a shot passed through its neck in a spray of white blood, it plummeted to the ground from the high landing pad. The second was thrown backwards as multiple rounds slammed into its chest. Both the driver of the truck and Vargev in the raider floored the accelerator as they sped past the loading area, and the highest concentration of Krenarans. Yet more energy blasts hurtled towards them and Vargev had to steer hard to avoid the incoming fusillade, smoke and dust thrown up by the weapons fire hammering into the ground all around them. The other commando and the gunner were jostled severely, cursing as he almost lost his grip on the armschlager.
A single lucky shot tore into the roof mounted heavy machine gun, cooking the gunpowder carried within the ammunition and causing it to explode in a bright fireball, showering the occupants in hot metal debris fragments. Vargev very nearly lost control of the vehicle as the force of the explosion rocked the raider violently, causing the A.T. V to veer onto two wheels.
“ Not now!” He shouted in desperation, as he wrenched at the steering, beads of sweat lined his chiselled features as he struggled to get the vehicle back under control. The occupants were thrown around the interior of the speeding vehicle, as it jerked violently.
The gunner fell back hard on the steel floor of the vehicle, choking and coughing up blood as he tried to breathe through his ruined airway, his face was a torn and bloodied mess, a burnt ruin from the explosion and shrapnel. Once the A.T. V had settled again the other commando onboard tried to tend to his fallen comrade as the vehicle sped through the hail of Krenaran weapons fire, Vargev cast a quick glance in the rear view mirror, and saw the other commando solemnly shake his head. Silently he cursed.
They quickly passed the fiery ruins of the command centre, fortunately only drawing minimal fire from other Krenarans advancing through the shattered building. They seemed as though they were more interested in consolidating their position for the big push during the night.
Finally the battered raider and the accompanying truck screeched loudly to a halt in front of the huge munitions buildings, Vargev and his accompanying commandoes from both vehicles quickly dismounted, carrying their injured with them.
A young sergeant approached them, and saluted the colonel.
“ Where is General Steel sergeant?” Vargev asked as he returned the salute.
“ In sickbay sir, he’s badly injured. We didn’t think you would make it either after being cut off like that.”
“ We almost didn’t sergeant; take me to see General Steel.”
“ Of course sir.”
Vargev followed in the sergeants wake, the colonel felt a slight heat in his right leg, as he looked down he could see that his fatigues and a small portion of his flesh had been singed from the Krenaran weapons fire, while he was driving he had not felt it, ignoring the burning sensation he followed the sergeant inside the temporary triage centre hastily rigged up in a far corner of number 2 tank factory, as far away from the fighting as they could manage.
The factory roof had a large ragged hole blasted into it, as a result of the two days of intensive bombardment. The sunny, cloudless sky of Gamma IV was visible through it, and it leaked water heavily. Conditions were less than ideal, but it was the best they had under the circumstances.
The sergeant and two other medics led Nikolai to a bed where Steel lay.
The general tried in vain to struggle into a sitting position, agonizing pain racked his body however and he collapsed back onto the bed; he was weakening.
“ Don’t try to move,” Vargev said solemnly.
His Generals uniform, hung next to his bed was torn and bloodstained, his exposed chest covered in crimson bandages. “You were right colonel,” he coughed.
“ About what sir?”
“ About everything; about deploying the forces in the hills, I’ve been a fool and now I’ve doomed us all.” He sunk further into his pillow, a small tear of sadness ran down his weather beaten, wrinkled cheek.
“ Try not to speak.”
“ I guess this means you’re in charge now Nikolai.” Steel coughed, a small trickle of blood escaped his parched cracked lips.
“ Yes sir, it does.”
“ Just do one thing for me colonel?”
“ What’s that sir?”
“ Win this damned war.”
“ I’ll try my best sir,” Vargev smiled wanly, his dark moustache curling up at the corners as he did so.
Walking slowly away from the bed, and out of earshot of Steel, he spoke to one of the medics. “How’s he doing?”
“ Not good, he has sustained severe shrapnel injuries to his chest and stomach, he has a collapsed lung, a ruptured spleen, and he’s bleeding internally.”
The medic solemnly shook her head as she let out a sigh, “we are doing everything we can for him, but I don’t think he’ll last the night.”
“ Do whatever you can for him.”
“ We’ll keep on trying colonel.”
Vargev and the woman saluted each other and he left sickbay, all Nikolai could think about was the fact that there goes a good man, and he will be sorely missed. He couldn’t allow himself time to grieve, there will be plenty of time for that later.
He walked towards a group of soldiers smoking and leaning upon the pitted track armour of an Apollo main battle tank. He was weary, and in a daze with the sadness he felt at the loss of General Steel.
A young Lieutenant quickly dropped his cigarette after realizing who it was, saluted and asked. “What are our orders sir?”
“ err..what?” Vargev shook his head slightly as if to lift the fog from his mind, before his thoughts snapped back to the task at hand. “We are going to re-organise the entire defence, I want your section to deploy heavy machine gun nests at the front gate, two men per nest; got that.”
“ Yes sir,” the lieutenant snapped to attention. “Is it true what the men say sir?”
“ And what is that lieutenant?”
“ That we may not last the night out sir,” he said weakly.
“ We can; and we will Lieutenant. We’ll fight to the last man if necessary,” Vargev replied, not really believing his own words.
“ Yes sir,” the lieutenant replied, a slightly relieved look spread across his young features.
They both saluted for the last time and the lieutenant immediately set about ordering his section.
Nikolai could hear the distant ‘boom’ of entrenched groundhog artillery pieces resuming their day-long shelling of the Krenaran positions.
Sandbags were quickly stacked up near the front gate throughout the day, with heavy machine guns placed behind them. More sandbags were piled up near the breach in the perimeter fence near the warehouses. Vargev had ordered two Dominator assault walkers, and two more heavy machine gun nests there, manpower was on the
