Missing March

  MISSING MARCH

  Missing March

  Copyright © 2012 by Andrew Bell

  All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - - not electronically, mechanically, photocopying, recording or any other - - without the prior written permission of the publisher. The exceptions to this are brief quotations in printed reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Digitally crafted March 2012 – Version 1.5

  This story takes place in the middle of the novel

  Originally published by

  RHIZOME PUBLISHING

  Rhizome Publishing, LLC

  120 S, Union Ave

  Pueblo, Colorado 81003

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  Part 1

  Commander Martel’s convoy had made reasonable progress through the fields of peacefully waving long-grass and into the Brossan Hills in the hours after their escape. No sign of pursuit by the Bregan could be detected but that gave little comfort to the men and women crammed into the twelve vehicles. Shock still held its grip on the survivors of Fort Grey, there was little chatter.

  “Stop up ahead private Aceves,” Walter said to the pilot of his GCR.

  “Yes sir. We are pretty exposed up on this ridgeline,” he said as the sled came to a stop.

  “Agreed, however we need to see what we got away with. Corporal Dalar, get the GCRs to form a perimeter around the BRATs so we can start an inventory.”

  “Yes sir,” the corporal popped the rear hatch and began waving and calling orders to the other hovercraft to setup the compound.

  Martel was the next out and surveyed the vehicles and troopers as they moved around. His earlier worries about losing a handful of troopers to a mission gone wrong now seemed almost comical. His base was levelled and as best he could figure these few men and women were all that remained of his command. He thought he would have felt more in this situation, heck, felt anything.

  “Sir, we’ve got the camp set and I’ve ordered one trooper to go through each vehicle to get a list of anything not part of the vehicles,” Corporal Dalar said once the orders were finished.

  “Good, well done corporal,” Martel put a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Assemble the rest of the group in front of the transports. We may as well take inventory of the people too.”

  A few minutes later a group of armoured people stood in loose formation in front of Commander Martel. Including the twelve troopers inside the vehicles the count was down to 32. 32 from over 500. That’s when it really started to sink in for Walter.

  “Well here we are then. The last of Fort Grey. We do not know where Major Harte’s group has gotten to or if they’ve managed to get to Fort Saturn. In light of this morning’s attack my gut says they hadn’t made it in time.” He paused for a moment to steel himself, “Port Mars is a much larger city than the Grey was or even what Saturn hopefully still is. It is also a military facility! Their weaponry is much stronger than ours, their defenses more solid. If mankind it going to make it clear of this latest mess then that is where our stand will be. Our group, our 32, must be the ones to raise the alarm. We must succeed where others have failed. With any luck we will be able to return to pay tribute to those that have given us this opportunity.”

  The group applauded his impromptu speech and quickly began talking with each other about their ordeals during the escape. As the troopers taking inventory returned they were told of the speech and what it would mean for the group. Some participated very little in the chatter opting to stand alone and either stare at the gently swaying grass or out into the hazy horizon. Walter knew it wouldn’t be long before they all started contemplating the future, likely the end of mankind.

  “Sir, inventory from the sleds,” Captain Ladore handed a touch pad to the commander. Walter was pleased to see that she had made it out of the fort’s destruction.

  “Thank you Captain.” Walter looked down the flickering blue list that should have been much longer. Two of the BRATs were civilian transports so not much there past a first-aid kit. He also noticed the most disturbing fact was that all the vehicles were noticeably low on fuel. “To die because we’re running out of fuel is not acceptable. Captain, take the fuel from the two civilian transports and distribute it between the GCRs. I want them as full as you can make them.”

  “Yes, sir,” she saluted then began barking orders. All fuel and equipment were to be transferred to the rest of the convoy. “Sir? Should we detonate the derelicts?”

  “Negative. If those things want to make a nest out of these BRATs and make some brats of their own then let them have it.”

  Walter was happy to have an activity to keep the troopers occupied even if it was mind-numbing equipment transfer. He knew he could make it to Port Mars if he could work out the fuel. He simply had to. All those people lost, how many more would fall?

  “Sir, we’ve completed the transfer and we’re at 60% in the GCRs and 40% in the BRATs,” Captain Ladore said after several minutes running the numbers. “Calculations are showing we may be able to make it to New Terra but not much further.”

  “Damn,” Commander Martel looked to the sky for some guidance but all he found was Bane looking back at him.

  “Commander, I’ve been looking over our charts and we’re pretty close to where Lieutenant Marso’s squad found that convoy,” Private Iody said from a small cluster of troopers.

  “Interesting, they reported a large debris field. I wonder if there may be items lingering despite the destruction?” Martel thought out loud.

  “Sir, if I remember from TJ’s report the wrecks were blown to bits except for the cargo section of one of the BRATs. There won’t be much left especially if that one was looted afterward,” Captain Ladore said.

  “That may be true, Captain but not all vehicles of the original search and rescue dispatch were located before the Second Recon was attacked. I think it’s reasonable to expect more vehicles to be in the area. Assemble a squad to salvage the possible wrecks.”

  “Yes, sir,” she shook her head in a quick flash as she turned to the gathered troopers. “Listen up! You 12 here,” she waved to the four groups of three that had formed, “come with me for salvage duty. The rest of you go through the sleds to ensure they are ready to move once we get back.”

  “Yes, ma’am” they saluted.

  “Stay alert Captain. The Bregan have jumped our squads twice in these hills. It’s entirely possible that they are still waiting.”

  “Understood, Commander,” she saluted.

  The commander stood solemnly as he watched the squad leave. The troopers behind him milled about behind him, completing the work assigned but not in much of a hurry. He didn’t like watching the departing squads normally but he felt he had to this time.

  Captain Ladore wanted to get this walk over with in a hurry. She felt it was a massive waste of resources and a huge delay in the evacuation plan. Too many people had died just doing their job they didn’t need to risk their lives on these secondary jaunts. Her need to expedite the journey got them to the wreckage of the remaining BRAT in just over an hour.

  “Ok boys and girls, have a look around for useful items if there are any. Private Palson, have a look over the north ridge, Smith over the west. TJ came in from the south and we came in from the east so that should cover it.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” they saluted and move
d off.

  The ten troopers that remained in the valley rummaged through the debris. Three troopers went through the remainder of the BRAT with the lack of enthusiasm similar to the troops back at camp. Those outside the wreck meandered amongst the various bits of metal, kicking the odd piece here or there. Captain Ladore watched the uninspired salvaged from the east ridge and shook her head again, what a waste.

  Half an hour into the walk around the troops in the valley began to return to Ladore’s position with little more than a couple handfuls of crystals and a first-aid kit. The only thing Private Smith had when he returned from the west side was a shrug. Ladore threw her hand into the air in frustration at this useless exercise. She looked to the north for Palson to return so they could get back to the convoy and get to Port Mars.

  Ten minutes passed as the last of the squad formed up before Captain Ladore caved in to curiosity and waved to the troopers to follow. She made her way over to the north ridge to see what happened to the Private she had sent over. The far side of hill showed no signs of the guy or any vehicle.

  “Should we send a call out for him Captain?” Corporal Canden asked in an unnecessary whisper.

  “As much as I don’t think we have anything to worry about we should probably keep our communication to short range only,” she said.

  They moved further north looking for any signs of human passage. Several minutes in Corporal Opedey called out to the group on a tight short ranged frequency. They paused for a moment to listen for the tell-tale screech of the Bregan but it never came. With no sign of an impending attack the squad gathered with the Corporal on the eastern edge of the zone where Palson would have come.

  “Report Corporal,” Ladore said as she walked up.

  “I’ve got some tracks heading north, Captain. Both armoured foot traffic and a vehicle skid mark heading further north. Looks like a GCR sized vehicle.”

  “Great, then he isn’t lost just doing his job. Let’s go then. Keep eyes on the horizon folks. It’s getting dark soon so we’ll be able to spot any Bregan pretty easy if they’re moving around with those wings,” she waved to the squad to start moving north. “The sooner we find him the sooner we can get back to actually escaping from these stupid animals.”

  The squad moved forward through the haze with nothing more to track than a line of rusty-beige line through the gently waving long grass of the hills. Spots of crushed grass were the only indication that a trooper had walked ahead of them over the hills.

  They crested the next overly green hill at a full walking pace with the taste of a return trip and the faint hope of some kind of safety growing. The valley beyond quietly stole the hope, the taste and the walking speed when it revealed itself as a deep cut in the landscape filled with trees displaying gently rustling blue leaves. The whispered hiss only infuriated the troopers.

  “Those things must be twenty feet tall in a twenty foot valley. We’re not going to be able to see anything!” Corporal Deves flapped an arm in the direction of the trees as if to shoo it away.

  “It’s like the ground is flat coming off the top of this hill and on to the next. Did they design it that way? Because it’s kinda cool,” Private Smith stepped up to soak in the view.

  “There weren’t any trees when Brossan made these hills. Tell you what, you stay up here and smile at your trees while the rest of us look for Mr. Palson,” Captain Ladore said.

  Smith seemed happy enough to stay up on the rise as a lookout while the others followed the vehicle and trooper tracks into the valley. They entered the trees where something large had plowed into the tree line leaving a massive hole. The path of destruction was extensive, large enough to suggest the disabled vehicle was a BRAT. Even a BRAT was going to be messed up if it drove into this many good sized trees.

  “Opedey, Nemdeneu clear the path. Hoss, Pitsey and Canden take the left. You four take the right. Stay sharp!” Ladore said before taking position at the rear of the formation with Deves. They weren’t going to get much warning if those things were waiting and she didn’t want to be the first to greet them.

  The two troopers at the front had started out with at least a moderate amount of energy but now lazily hacked at the ruined vegetation that was already cut down at a ten degree angle up to the right. Troopers to both sides watched with increasing tension as the foliage and undergrowth intensified and cut visibility to less than 25 feet. A hundred yards into the little forest the angle of the slice into the woods ended only to be replaced by a massive gouge into the ground churning up the taupe coloured soil. 40 feet further on was the mangled and upside down wreck of a BRAT. All the glass of the cockpit was smashed and the roof was caved in meaning they would have to go to one of the other entry points.

  “Captain!” a voice from the wreck called, “Thank the light you’re here. Those creatures are snooping around and more than a couple. I couldn’t get out.”

  “Palson? Get out here,” Ladore moved to the side of the wreck, “Secure me a perimeter.” She shouted to the rest of the squad.

  The troopers grumbled but did their duty and fanned out around the wreck while Private Palson emerged and joined Ladore at the now left side hatch. He was looking around as if he expected to get jumped at any moment but seemed otherwise fine.

  “Report,” she wasn’t too concerned about an attack with the whole squad standing around.

  “I followed some tracks to the BRAT and went inside to check on supplies. I had just finished an initial inventory when I started hearing some scratching on the plating. At first I thought it was the rest of the squad but when I heard some grunts and growls. I stayed low until I heard boot steps up the cut and that’s when I called out.”

  “When did the growling stop?”

  “Only about 10 minutes ago, according to my HUD.”

  “You may have wanted to start by mentioning that point, private,” she turned to the nearest group of troopers and called out, “Eyes up! We have hostiles in the immediate area.”

  “My take on the supplies is limited, Captain. We should be able to load everything into a couple totes, which also happen to be inside. We’ll just have to dump some personal items first.”

  “Fantastic. Opedey and Canden go with Palson into the wreck and gather our goods. We need to be finished with this nonsense scavenger hunt now!”

  The three troopers had been gone less than a couple minutes before a group of heavily muscled Bregan descended from the canopy. Their glowing green spans lit the darkening woods. The rapid drop counteracted the easy targets the auras made of them. While the troopers were ready for a fight the direction of the attack had them on their back foot.

  Corporal Hoss was taken out before the Bregan had even set foot on the dirt. A clean swipe by a forearm scythe split the trooper’s helmet and wedged the armoured body around the creature’s arm. Private Nemdeneu reacted more than thought as he dove at the pinned attacker and pierced it through the chest. While the creature died Nemdeneu stood over it and smiled at his handiwork. When the shards of a blade sprouted from his own chest he continued to smile at the irony and collapsed on top of the growing pile of bodies.

  Captain Ladore took her turn at the grizzly disassembly line and buried her blade into Nemdeneu’s killer’s side. “Regroup!” she called even before looking around.

  The falling body of the Bregan attacker that brushed against her was the only warning she got of a possible attack. The corpse still had a glow on its eyes as it fell but that was likely due to the blade that had been thrust between its wings and was now spewing crystal shards out the thing’s forehead.

  “Thank you private,” she didn’t care what her name was, “grab your weapon and got get Palson and his group out here!”

  “Yes ma’am,” the trooper grabbed the hilt, hit the switch to deactivate the blade and walked into the BRAT.

  Ladore reached down once the trooper had left and picked up her own weapon also choosing to deactivate the shimmering blade rather than trying to pull it out. A quic
k look around gave her the impression that no further danger existed for the squad with a pair of troopers finishing off the last visible Bregan at the front of the overturned vehicle. Their killing blows were excessive but they could vent all they wanted for now. They all just had to get out of here and a couple extra swings wouldn’t slow them down much.

  She turned back to the opening on the side of the BRAT a moment later and waited for the troopers inside to return. Calling out wasn’t an option no matter how badly they needed to get going. The Bregan could certainly hear or sense long range communication and who knew about short range and there were likely more of them in the area so no sense broadcasting their location.

  “Come on, come on,” she muttered and looked up and down the side of the wreck.

  Troopers converged on her as she waited and each relayed their armour status as they arrived. The likelihood of good news lessened with each report. Fuel reserves were starting to show signs of severe depletion and the crystals in the blades were weakening. Where in the dark were those idiots? She had just given up even though it had only been five minutes since they went in when she began waving troopers closer to start a sweep of the vehicle. Maybe Palson and the group ran into another creature in the massive inverted hovercraft.

  “Captain!” Palson called out as he exited finally, loud enough to make most of those outside jump inside their suits. “We got the supplies.”

  “By the light! Sol forget you for yelling like that!” Deves waved a dismissive hand.

  “What?”

  “Forget it, let’s move. We’re getting out of here,” Ladore started to walk off.

  “Captain, there’s still a crate inside.”

  “Leave it. I’m not wasting any more time here. Tell me what we do have but do it while we walk!”

  Private Palson detailed the one crate and four quick packs of crystals totalling 36 individual shards. One box of eight unpowered blade hilts and two charges of reactor fuel for the power armour finished off his list. The squad had fully cleared the wreck by the time he had realized they were moving.