Part 22 (1/2)
”Saviors, we need to fan out in a half moon, covering our flanks and leaving the moon open behind us to the north. That way we can work away from the mansion, giving the AEMs some cus.h.i.+on. Warlords, feel free to jump in there and give us what cover you can!”
”Roger that, Saviors,” Warlord One responded over the net. ”Get down, Nine! Guns, guns, guns!”
Three enemy tanks in bot mode came cras.h.i.+ng through the trees. Deuce hit her thrusters, launching into a backflip. As her bot twisted over the scrambling Warlords, she pointed her DEG in the general direction of the Arcadian tanks. Her directed energy plasma bursts ablated some of the armored hull of the tanks, and her auto-cannons poked holes where the DEG didn't get. One of the tanks was crippled. The other two took on some damage but weren't out of commission.
Auto-cannons, Bobby! she ordered her AIC. she ordered her AIC.
Got it! The AIC tracked the enemy tank on her left, but it was having a hard time locking it up. The AIC tracked the enemy tank on her left, but it was having a hard time locking it up.
”I got the third one!” Popstar burned it down in a mad charge, firing her DEG.
Deuce pursued the remaining wounded one, which then turned on her and one of the Warlords. The enemy tank tried to go to its DEG and shoot from the hip, but the Warlord grabbed the end of the barrel and tried to yank it away, which led to a tug-of-war between the two mecha. Their struggle was enough for Deuce to get the upper hand. She managed to get the end of her DEG pointed into the c.o.c.kpit of the enemy mecha, and then she pulled the trigger.
Great move, Deuce!
”Watch your backside, Deuce,” Skinny's voice buzzed.
Deuce dropped and spun as best she could manage, but a tree trunk caught her in the side of her torso, sending her flying across the battlefield and down. The enemy tankhead was good and managed to keep her too busy to go to offense. Every instant required her to make a new block or dodge.
”Jump up, Deuce!” Skinny shouted. ”He's got help coming in on your seven!”
”Warning, enemy targeting lock imminent! Warning, enemy targeting lock imminent!” said her b.i.t.c.hin' Betty.
”s.h.i.+t, I'm locked up!” Deuce jumped and went full throttle, but she didn't jump away from the enemy tanks. Instead, she attacked the wingman of the one that had just locked her up. Her bot-mode mecha propelled full-force into the enemy tank as it fired its cannons at her. Several rounds splashed against her hull, and a few of them actually tore through her wing. She tackled the tank at the shoulders, spinning it around. His wingman hesitated at that point, which was just enough time for her to push off the tank she had tackled and run into the mix of Army tanks and Marine FM-12s to break up his lock. Or so she thought.
”Warning, enemy missile lock! Warning, enemy missile lock!”
The Arcadian tankhead fired a mecha-to-mecha missile that was locked on her. The missile twisted through the traffic and caught her square in the back as she pulled the ejection handle. Her ejection seat shot out of the explosion at a low angle up through the trees, pounding into them and flipping end over end. Several large tree limbs broke off into the seat and Deuce's body until the seat cleared the tree canopy on a ballistic trajectory that then fell right back through the trees. This time the tree limbs were a blessing, as they slowed her descent, but they weren't blessing enough. Deuce came to a stop against a giant boulder near the river, her neck broken and her heartbeat failing.
I'm a goner, Bobby.
Just rest, Caroline. I'm administering immun.o.boost, stims, and pain medication.
Oh, G.o.d.
I've triggered the beacon. Help will be here soon.
It was great serving with you, Bobby.
The honor has been mine, Colonel.
Deuce flatlined, but the suit managed to bring her back.
Stay with me, Caroline.
As she tunneled out for the last time, she was blinded by a brilliant white light.
Chapter 28.
July 1, 2394 AD Ross 128, Arcadia Orbit Friday, 3:45 PM, Earth Eastern Standard Time ”We're all stop, CO! Approximately three astronomical units from Arcadia out of the ecliptic,” Nav announced.
”Good job, Penny!” the admiral replied. ”XO, COB, get my s.h.i.+p back in order.”
”Aye, sir.”
”Air Boss, how is the QMT of the fighters coming?”
”We'll be at one hundred percent within the minute, sir.”
”Good. As soon as that is done, have the wounded QMT protocols sped up. I don't want to lose a good soldier because we couldn't get them to sickbay in time.”
”Aye, sir.”
Wallace scanned the s.h.i.+p in his DTM, trying to figure out his next move. It wouldn't take long for the Seppy s.h.i.+ps to figure out where they were. The interesting thing would be to see if they attacked them there, or if they took the QMT facility back, or if they'd try to protect the QMT control facility on the planet below at Capitol City.
Whatever the Seppy b.a.s.t.a.r.ds did, he needed a new strategy. Casualty reports from the first wave were huge. The Lincoln Lincoln was dead in the water, and the was dead in the water, and the Tyler Tyler had lost Aux Prop and several DEG batteries. The had lost Aux Prop and several DEG batteries. The Roosevelt Roosevelt and the and the Madira Madira were in the best shape, but they were limping a bit. were in the best shape, but they were limping a bit.
”CO! CDC!”.
”Go, CDC!”
s.h.i.+t, what now? he thought. he thought.
I'm detecting seven hypers.p.a.ce jaunts, sir. I'm sure it's that, Uncle Timmy replied. Uncle Timmy replied.
”Sir! We just detected seven hypers.p.a.ce jaunts. Five from the previous engagement zone and two from the enemy vessels that were waiting in reserve out by one of the moons,” the combat direction center officer explained to him. Wallace didn't like what he was hearing. That was seven s.h.i.+ps; they were coming to finish them off.
”Roger that, CDC.” Admiral Jefferson turned back to his XO. ”Larry! We've got incoming. Let's get ready for it.”
”Aye, sir!”
Sound the call, Tim.
Aye, sir.
”General quarters, general quarters, prepare for incoming attack. All hands, all hands, man your battlestations. Prepare for incoming attack. All hands, all hands, man your battlestations,” Uncle Timmy announced again over the intercom and to all AICs.
The bosun's pipe sounded throughout the s.h.i.+p, sending a chill over the already overworked crew. Considering that the day started with wargames in the desert of Mars and then wound up across the stars in a real shooting war, the admiral realized that his crew were performing like superhuman heroes. Sometimes, that wasn't enough. But according to his orders from the president, it had to be.
”CO, the s.h.i.+ps are coming out of jaunt near us at the following coordinates, sir. Uh, only one of them is coming out close to us. The others are a tenth of an AU off,” the STO shouted over klaxons that started up. Wallace had his AIC turn the annoying things off.
”Roger that, STO.”
”CO! CDC!”.