Missing March Page 2

  “There’s two full power cells back there,” he started to go back, “two people each and we’ll be in great shape!”

  “That’s far enough, Private.” Captain Ladore spun, “We no longer have the luxury of picking up every scrap. Let’s just take what we have and get back to the convoy.”

  “Does that include our wounded?” Deves asked.

  “Those two weren’t wounded, they’re dead. We can’t afford to slow down for any reason. Let’s go!”

  “That’s cold Captain,” Opedey said.

  Ladore said nothing but instead stared at their faces for a moment then turned and proceeded down the cut. The troopers were slow to follow but fell into step eventually. The captain did feel bad for leaving the bodies but if they were too slow in moving out there would be thirteen bodies instead of two and she really didn’t want to die out here. The squad moved through and out of the trees in silence with the troopers keeping a watchful eye on the diminishing canopy and undergrowth but keeping a noticeable gap from the Captain. She didn’t notice since she was charging up the hill and not turning around for anything.

  Upon reaching the top of the hill she finally found reason for a quick look around. Private Smith was not still standing on the ridge admiring his magical blue trees; in fact he was nowhere to be seen. She dialed up her suit’s image enhancer to get a clearer look at everything in the half mile range. Nothing.

  “Where’s Smith?” the young private that had saved her hide back at the BRAT asked.

  “Gone, he’s gone. Let’s keep moving people. It’s dark and we still have a long haul,” Ladore waved them on.

  “Wait, what?” Palson stepped up, “We’re just going to leave him?”

  “That’s correct, Private. We’re not going to commit any more resources to this pointless exercise. Especially for some romantic fool who can’t see past a few trees.”

  “That’s unacceptable, Captain! Those things attacked us in there so they probably got him out here. He may be hurt and…”

  “If they attacked then he’s dead.”

  “Commander Martel wouldn’t…”

  “The Commander will agree with me. We survived because the whole squad was down there. He was alone. Maybe one on one he could win out but alone against many he had no chance.”

  Palson was livid and started stomping around the hill waving his arms and apparently screaming inside his helmet though no sound could pin its source on his suit. Somehow he had hit the kill switch for his external speakers before he went off on his rant. The troopers around him shuffled uncomfortably while they watched and backed off to give him room to flail. Captain Ladore was still furious at the insubordination but struggled not to laugh at this display. Finally after a couple minutes Corporal Opedey grabbed Palson and used hand signals to tell him to turn on his communication system. Ladore found a new love for those kill switches, while it was possible to shout out if the suit lost power the kill switch actively blocked communication both into and out of the suit.

  “Now that Mr. Palson is done with his pantomime we’re moving out,” she said.

  “But Captain, Smith is…”

  “Enough, Private. We’re leaving now. If you want to stay and look then consider yourself relieved of duty,” Ladore said then turned and marched back toward the convoy.

  After a brief hesitation the squad fell in line. Palson was the last to join the procession. He routinely looked back to the hill overlooking the blue trees in the hope the missing trooper would reappear.

  Part 2

  Not only were the results of the salvage disappointing but the reports of the personnel losses were disturbing. Martel could have just let all that bottle up inside him like usual but the incident with Smith was too much. The Commander punched the side of one of the disabled BRAT hard enough to dent the side plating and drive the point home.

  “Leaving personnel behind is bad enough when they’ve died but when you abandon a trooper in the field because you didn’t want to be out there anymore is unacceptable. Since we have no courts for a court-martial within hundreds of miles I’ll save the time. Captain Ladore, for failure to execute your duty to safe-guard troopers in your command you are reduced in rank to Lieutenant.”

  “But sir, the threat of attack…”

  “Was minimal. You had a full squad at your disposal to look for any signs of Private Smith and you chose not to. You are hereby assigned to the resupply team under Captain…”

  “Resupply! But I’m a combat trooper!” she protested.

  “Then you should have gone out looking to fight for all your people. We’re done now Lieutenant.”

  The troopers within earshot stood in stunned silence at the venom of the exchange and those further into the camp were awed by the motions and reactions of this field level court-martial. Everyone made themselves busy or at least look busy as Commander Martel stormed out of the encampment for some time to think and cool off.

  Martel couldn’t believe it. Not only was he loosing people left and right but now his officers were tossing them out when those that are left become a burden. Every trooper was a bother at some point, especially officers.

  “Commander!” a trooper called out as he ran to catch Martel.

  “Yes, Corporal Lestton?” he tried to know all the names of his troopers. Admittedly that was harder when Fort Grey still stood but it made it more important to know these people now that their numbers were falling. Now he would make a list of those he’d lost and add Smith to that constantly growing scroll. Someday that list would end.

  “Commander, the east scouts have reported contact with individual Bregan scouts.”

  “How far out?”

  “Two miles at the moment. They appear to be in a search pattern and are closing in on us.”

  “Ok, thanks. It’s time to go,” he patted the trooper on the shoulder and led the way back.

  The troopers quickly finished the loading of equipment, supplies and personnel between the vehicles in record time despite Lieutenant Ladore pausing frequently to fire searing glares at the Commander. The supply Captain was having none of that and put more than a couple dents in her shoulder plating to get her moving.

  “Private Aceves, please signal the convoy to move out,” Martel said to the communication tech in the lead GCR as he took a seat in the back of the vehicle.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Doors slid closed as the ten remaining hovercraft moved away from the two derelict transports at N2:00. The dark did little to slow the vehicles or the effectiveness of the sensors but it did greatly impact the mood of the troopers. Many would have been asleep if they had had a bed to go to. Radar signals at the two mile mark indicated Bregan at an ever increasing frequency. A new contact appeared on the scope every other minute and the seemed to have picked up on their trail.

  Commander Martel ordered the convoy to increase speed to maximum to try to clear the Brossan hills as fast as possible. Exit to the north was too risky given the squad already attacked that way. East held nothing but pulsing green wings closing in on them and south led them nowhere. West was the only way for now. They would turn north in a few miles.

  They managed to keep clear of the Bregan force for an hour and a half before the enemy finally got into firing range. Lieutenant Carken was the first to his switch focus toward the forward radar just as the first beam cannons fired into pursuers. The screen a quick glance looked as if it had been blocked out but as the resolution sharpened it began to show the white-out was actually a mass of enemy contact blocking their path.

  “Commander! Hostiles ahead and there’s a lot!” Carken cried out.

  Martel quickly leaned around the gunnery chair as it whirled to track the targets behind the convoy. He clutched the console containing radar screen and tried to absorb the meaning of the little white dots. He knew the convoy weaponry could handle multiple targets behind it or focused in only one direction but now they were almost surrounded. They would have to fight outside.

 
“Drop the ramps! Light the blades, we have no other option,” Martel ordered.

  “Yes, sir. All units deploy troops!” Private Aceves signalled.

  “Keep a gunner in every chair though,” Martel yelled back from the rear hatch of the GCR.

  Twenty troopers jumped out of the sleds as they slid to a halt. Their blades snapped to life instantly and they braced themselves for the coming wave. The night lit up constantly with the glow from the beam cannons and a dull glow from the blades cutting the air. The troopers didn’t have to wait long before the light from the Bregan’s wings turned night to day.

  The first attack that did not involve a beam cannon shot came from the ambush group to the west with a half dozen creatures jumping onto the troopers. Blades swung franticly at first and managed to stall the attack initially. Scythes of the Bregan continued to slice at the armoured humans. Their blades stopped most of it while the armour took the remainder showing cuts and scratches as a result. As the minutes ticked by the numerical odds rapidly swung from a human advantage to a vast Bregan superiority.

  In a moment of fatigue, mental or otherwise, a Bregan soldier rushed at a trooper and brought him down before a blade could be brought around. He was the first casualty but not the last. These hardened troops had been fighting a long time since the first attack on Fort Grey and were able to handle the barrage fairly well. The constant influx of gargoyles however was enough to press the troopers into a tighter circle.

  The next event to grab the spotlight did so in grand fashion an actually made its own light. Somehow one Bregan got into a GCR, short-lived screams heard over the comm. was the only warning of something gone wrong. When the vehicle’s reactor went critical the whole group knew exactly what happened.

  The blast knocked everyone to the ground including a large group of Bregan that had possibly thought there might be a meal delivered by their friend inside the doomed sled. Massive structural damaged also rendered one of the BRATs little more than a very large accordion. The trooper acting as the transport’s gunner got pinned in the wreck and could be heard calling for help.

  The Bregan force did not fare well with the blast since they did not have concussion protect like that provided by the power armour of the humans. Many were knocked out and most were certainly knocked down. Martel knew this was the moment he needed.

  “Everyone up, load up, we’re leaving!” he ordered.

  The troopers didn’t wait to be told twice. They pushed off the ground and ran to the nearest vehicle. The trooper caught up in the wrecked BRAT heard the order to withdraw but was still pinned. Commander Martel continued to order the troopers to load up even when some balked at not helping the trapped soldier.

  “When those things get up we will die. All of us! Get on a sled now. Pilots start moving!”

  Lieutenant Ladore stopped and stared at the Commander. He was doing exactly what he had just court-martialed her for. He saw her and returned the glare before firing a finger pointing her to a GCR then ducking into his sled. Ladore hopped into her sled but she would remember this point for the future trial there certainly would be.

  The new and smaller convoy took off quickly before most of the Bregan managed to get their synapses to fire in a straight line. A clean get away except for one of the ground-bound Bregan, who got a claw moving enough to grab the ankle of the last of the fleeing troopers. The soldier spun quickly and buried her blade into the head of the creature. That should have ended that problem but more Bregan were coming to and several converged on the trooper. She fought hard but was overcome quickly while buying some time for the convoy to speed away. Sad looks from the crew of the last GCR was the full extent of assistance that could be offered.

  Travel to the west was fast and silent. The cries of the trapped trooper still echoed in the fleeing sleds and killed all chatter long after the convoy got out of range. They were all tired and running on adrenaline almost exclusively. Hours would pass before Martel finally ordered the stop of the escape. He used a small creek as a reference point to make camp, they would turn north after a bit of a rest. The troopers needed a rest since they hadn’t gotten any after the initial Fort Grey attack.

  Quiet milling about was all the troopers could muster after hours of constant attack and the realization of having now left two of their fellows to the mercy, or lack thereof, of the enemy. Their numbers were smaller but they would deal with that in the morning, even Lieutenant Ladore was willing to put off any complaints until first light and after a few winks.

  Part 3

  The dim glow of actual dawn lit the dull green haze in the air but wasn’t necessary to highlight the five Bregan sneaking up on the slumbering camp. Perimeter patrols where the first to see the sparkling eyes of the creatures as they crawled over the gravel in the creek bed. The trooper on the north side of the camp had to absorb the initial attack. While he did kill one the others quickly disarmed him before delivering a series of fatal blows.

  His alert was enough to jolt the camp into action and meet the advancing scouting party. Blades burst to life and seemingly every inch of the Bregan lit up. The creatures discarded their sneaking approach and drove into encampment. Groggy actions by the rudely awakened troopers resulted in the quick death of two more troopers. More were only able to defend themselves despite outnumbering the attackers nearly seven-to-one.

  Ladore was the first to score a kill as she struck home on a Bregan that was beating another trooper against the side of the sole remaining BRAT. Two more gargoyles were cut down by a stream of blue death from the number four GCR that had managed to power up after the start of the attack. With one remaining attacker the troopers finally got on the lead foot. It clearly knew that there was no way it could squeeze out another kill and chose to take to the air. The only active turret fired at the retreating creature but was unable to score a hit.

  “Report! What’s our status?” Commander Martel called out to no one in particular.

  “We’re beat worse than Bane could do, you idiot!” Ladore ripped into him.

  “You’re relieved Lieutenant!” Martel fired back. “Lieutenant Carken, check the wounded, see what can be done. Captain Penet, get the sleds fired up and secure the area!”

  “Oh, now you do something, now you look after the wounded,” Ladore kept on with the verbal attack.

  “That’s it, Private Spel arrest Ladore and lock her into BRAT until we get to Port Mars.”

  Before the Private could slap the cuffs on the Lieutenant drastic actions caught everyone by surprise. Ladore drew her blade and activated it to defend herself. All the troopers stepped back but were alert in the face of a danger no one had expected. Ladore slowly move toward the north side of the camp.

  “You won’t be sticking me in any cage. I haven’t fought this hard just to rot in a box. Commander Martel is leading all of you to an early grave if anyone will ever find your bodies!”

  “Ladore, you will never find safety in any outpost or city as long as I’m alive. You are a disgrace to that uniform and a disgrace to everything under the sun!” Martel calmly walked toward the armed trooper.

  “May be but I’ll be alive,” she closed her blade then backed away from the camp.

  Many troopers stood and stared at the former LT as she walked away. Others knew what they had to do and fussed with the sleds to activate all the turrets and to deal with the troopers killed in the latest attack. A couple stood next to the Commander and watched the trooper pick her way up the creek toward Fort Saturn.

  “She’s full of it Commander. You did what you had to do to get us out of an unwinnable situation. We have to warn everyone else about these things,” the trooper kicked a Bregan body at his feet.

  “Yeah, forget her. What’s our next move sir?” Private Pitsey asked.

  “We need a decoy. The Bregan have managed to track us every step of the way. Let’s see if we can make them track something else.” Martel slowly turned from the mutineer to address his loyal troops.

  “It sho
uld be a pretty big distraction,” Captain Penet spoke out as he patted the BRAT.

  “Yes, Captain. That’s the perfect thing,” Martel clapped his hands once, “Set up the BRAT and one of the GCR for autopilot. We’ll shoot them to the north… east. North-east and give them something to chase.”

  “Yes, sir. That shouldn’t be a problem. Give us twenty at least.”

  “Do it. Lieutenant Sandall, get the other GCRs ready to move. Reduce the decoy fuel to ten percent; they don’t need to go forever.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Martel stood back and watched his troopers work. Twenty-two was the count now. That number was way too low but these ones were top notch. He watched as they worked to prep the sleds for whatever mission lay before each of the vehicles. Not one misstep in the hurried dance despite the trials they had been through and they finished perfectly in only ten minutes.

  “We’re set sir, all hovercraft are ready to go,” Captain Penet saluted.

  “Ok, set them off and bring the perimeter team in. I want to be floating in five,” Martel said.

  With sunlight sparkling through the haze and giving a shine to the small creek just ten feet to the west the convoy started out. The blue of the water darkened by the surrounding red rocks gave a deceptively peaceful backdrop to the start of the day. The bodies of the Bregan left behind were the only reminder that all was certainly not peaceful. Gunners in the six remaining GCR tracked the automated GCR and BRAT as they made their short-lived journey away from the convoy’s escape route.

  Martel kept the sleds pushing hard for the duration of the day. Grass wakes followed each of the escape vehicles again adding to the peaceful imagery. The co-pilots of all of the vehicles took turns in reporting contact with what were likely Bregan scouts pacing them to the north but not making moves to indicate that the convoy was in jeopardy.

  “Sir we’re directly south of Fort Saturn now,” Corporal Dalar called back to the Commander.