Part 31 (2/2)

Meridian holed both the aggressors. Then the forward camera bobbed and the view whirled as Meridian ran off in another direction.

Bren saw holes appearing in the walls as the a.s.sAIL ran down it.

Wham. Boom. Rrrrrrrrip!

Debris started to fly from the holes and ricochets as the machine reached another door.

”Patton is showing damage in its frontal plate ... the starboard leg has been hit by a projectile,” a handler said.

Bren accessed the tactical view. Meridian continued to disengage, but Patton remained in front of the Chinese onslaught.

”Why aren't they coordinating? They're splitting up,” Bren said aloud.

”Meridian is still shooting in that direction,” Hoffman said defensively.

”But it's still moving away,” Bren replied.

Boom.

”Took another hit,” Patton's handler said. ”The starboard cannon is logging fatal errors.”

Bren switched to Patton's camera. The machine listed against a wall, limiting the camera view. The port cannon was still firing.

He could see that at least three things were firing on its position, as holes in the walls formed from several directions. A sheet of flame engulfed the camera bubble, blackening it. Bren switched to another camera, but the feed was dead.

”Taking more hits,” said the handler. ”It's dead. Patton's dead.”

”Then we only have one machine left,” Bren said.

”No, two! Panzer is ready,” Bren heard.

”Get it out onto the concourse connection immediately,” Bren said. The heavy machine started out of its bay, slipping smoothly around the cables and equipment that littered the Guts.

”Henley, we're sending you Panzer,” Bren transmitted. He didn't get a reply, but the tactical showed him that Henley still lived.

Meridian's camera showed rapid progress through the corridors of the station. Probably running for its life. The situation is desperate enough to risk asking questions.

”Meridian, are you disengaging?” Bren asked.

”The enemy force headed for the objective should be considerably disorganized after our engagement. This will give me time to breach the bay and destroy the objective, denying it to the enemy.”

Bren lifted an eyebrow. So Patton had sacrificed itself to buy time? Bren wasn't sure if he believed Meridian anymore.

Bren switched his attention to Panzer as it ran through the umbilical. It came out into the hangar. Bren saw several marine positions set up behind the metal containers that the marines used to carry their supplies. He saw a few relieved looks from the marines as Panzer strode past.

Bren heard the muted rattle of small arms fire followed by an explosion. The sound pa.s.sed along through his link couldn't hurt his ears since they were completely bypa.s.sed. He knew from experience that the sounds of battle wielded eardrum-shattering force for those present in person.

Panzer turned down the newly carved road that ran the short distance from the hangar to the main concourse. The way ahead was filled with smoke. Bren saw men hunkered down behind positions to the left and right. Panzer kept to the right, presumably allowing the laser emplacement room to fire down the road.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Panzer began firing steadily. Suddenly, Bren saw a flash in the corridor as the laser fired into it, igniting the tiny particles of smoke in the air.

Boom. Boom.

Bren couldn't see the targets, but one of the 12mm shots caused an explosion in the gloom ahead.

Are we going to literally shoot the station to pieces?

Several spheres rolled forward through the smoke toward Panzer. Their movement reminded Bren of seeking grenades, but these munitions were considerably larger. Panzer shot one almost instantly then the view filled with smoke and debris.

A second later, Panzer dropped off the tactical.

”Panzer is down,” a handler said.

”Something's gone wrong in here,” Henley said. ”Have they flanked us?”

Bren heard marines respond with conflicting replies. Clearly, confusion reigned supreme in the hangar.

”Meridian is the only one left,” Hoffman said.

”Meridian isn't going to repel the Chinese BCP by itself,” Bren said.

”True,” Hoffman whispered, his enthusiasm dampened at last.

Even Hoffman knows Meridian can't save us this time.

”Meridian, can you make it through to the Vigilant?” Bren transmitted on the a.s.sAIL channel.

”I'm cut off. It'll be some time before I can help,” Meridian said.

An alarm override plastered red windows over Bren's PV. He heard a klaxon, actually heard it from his real ears, in the Guts.

Ouch, that's loud! No chance of my link bias tuning that one out.

The PV warnings were explicit: incursion.

Bren absorbed the messages in shock. Hostiles boarded the Vigilant. It seemed too fast. Hadn't the entire hangar been full of dozens of marines just seconds earlier?

”Oh, frick,” Hoffman said. His comment was followed by other more colorful phrases from other handlers.

”Everybody out of the Guts!” Bren shouted. ”This room has to be the primary target of any action against the s.h.i.+p!”

Or is that just what my training has told me? We only have one machine left to handle from here. And it's out of our control, anyway.

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