Chapter 450 (2/2)

ATOMIC ATOMIC ATOMIC flashed on Vuxten's visor.

”Switching to non-atomic munitions, sir,” Casey replied.

”Casey, fall back and regroup on nearest First Telkan transponder,” Vuxten told the human.

Casey seemed to ignore him.

”I do not recommend that at this time, Casey,” Lozen said.

”Casey, fall back!” Vuxten snapped.

”You heard the orders,” Casey said. ”Fab and load Gridharvolur rounds,” he seemed to look at Vuxten. ”Going to 30mm. Antimatter warning,”

GRAV GRAV GRAV appeared in Vuxten's vison.

”471, I want you to run a replay of all of Casey's munition expenditures,” Vuxten said. ”Look for any pattern.”

471 sent back a face-palm emoji.

The green mantid ran the numbers, basing it off of seismic activity, distance to flash, radiation output, gravitic output, and phasic output.

Another message appeared and Vuxten opened it.

It was Casey telling him to veer off.

A rolling ripping tear of firecrackers went off in the distance, atomic weapons detonating in one long chain.

--after Gridharvolur usage casey resets to t-minus fifteen minutes from first telkan landing-- 471 said. --same messages same weaponfire same detonation same seismic tracking of his suit--

”What's different?” Vuxten asked. The drop pod was already creating half-buried buildings and running cables.

--Gridharvolur detonations have temporal and phasic detonations-- 471 said. --enemy interaction maybe--

Vuxten cursed and thought for a moment. ”Can you fab up a custom drone?” he asked.

--need class II nanoforge or better--

Vuxten moved back over to the Lance Corporal, touching his shoulder. ”I need your primary ammunition nanoforge.”

”Roger, sir,” the Lance Corporal answered. ”I'll tell 992.”

--what need-- 471 asked.

”Mylar stealth drone, do an ultrathin coating of warsteel, just enough to hold a phasic charge. Add a temporal stabilizer for it just enough to create a bubble around it, and a temporal resonance charge,” Vuxten said. He closed his eyes. ”Do a half dozen. Fire them off and head toward Casey. Try to get it near him as soon as I start speaking on the message then fire off the resonance charge.”

--tough order need help-- 471 said. He tapped the greenie datastream, looping in as many of his fellow engineers as were available.

Almost immediately the discussion had a half dozen projected ideas for the shape of the drone.

Vuxten turned back to the Army drop pod, seeing that the grinders were hard at work chewing up the dirt and pumping it into the mass tanks. One of the lieutenants were motioning him into a large blocky structure that was half buried in the dirt.

He was halfway there when it happened.

Trees suddenly appeared, along with large rocks. The dirt and grit and howling wind was gone, the interference suddenly vanished. He could hear First Telkan all talking to one another. In several places the trees appeared in the same place as a Telkan.

In each case there was an explosion that cartwheeled the Telkan away.

He suddenly remembered Smokey No's message.

”All Division elements, status report and GPS coordinate!” he yelled out over the command channel.

The three Telkan who had been thrown by the trees when they had exploded slowly got up.

”Jamming will recommence. Fiber optic linkup underway. Group by company on all Army drop pods, fabricate a fire base,” he ordered. ”441 field artillery, fire off mapping shells, we have a limited time to get a scan of the area. I want the whole thing done in a grid squares, no landmarks. We go to local grid,” Vuxten said, running for the drop pod. ”Be advised, heavy enemy presence. 661 Field Artillery, two miles north of my position is a lake, I want HIT and FOOF rounds on that lake, I don't care what your spotters see.”

CONTACT started being called out and weaponsfire began to pick up.

”Avoid contact with Sergeant Casey at this time. He's under temporal attack, which means they're focusing on us,” Vuxten called out. He was almost to the shelter.

A Dwellerspawn burst out of the brush, charging him, its teeth gnashing, antenna whipping, and six legs churning. This one wasn't covered in warsteel plating, just heavy chitin. Its arms ended in whip-like structures that were glowing purple and snapping at him like a whip.

A burst from the stubber sent it crashing to the ground, blown into chunks.

”This is going to repeat at least twice,” Vuxten said. ”Get near your officers and NCOs, Vuxten out.”

Another creature lunged forward, dripping and greasy, looking almost like a Lanaktallan but a huge mouth at the torso lower joint and the head nothing but a fleshy nub. Before it could get two steps Vuxten put a grenade into the mouth.

He turned over the local Company frequency. ”Heavy weapons, go to plasma, burn the forest away.”

Part of him yearned to turn around, go join his men on the line and push the Dwellerspawn back out of the slowly growing encampment.

But OCS had hammered into him that the time for sweat, blood, and bad breath was either the job of the enlisted or when everything had gone to hell.

He ducked into the shelter.

It wasn't until Vuxten got in, out of the wind, that he realized how loud it had been. There was a holotable just coming online and two greenies were working on adjusting everything that the Army drop-pod was wet-printing as fast as possible.

”Do you have an operational grid up yet?” Vuxten asked the Lieutenant standing by the holotank.

”It's coming in, sir,” he said. He felt more than a little nervous at the sight of the heavy armor with the warsteel eagles and the bullseye on the chest.

”Let's take advantage of the enemy's strategic mistake to get our tactics together,” Vuxten said. He closed his eyes, made sure he was muted, and took time to sigh deeply. He unmuted himself. ”Get a tally of what armored vehicles made it down, what artillery we have, and was air defense we have.”

”Yes, sir,” the Lieutenant said, feeling awkward.

”And warn the men to watch out for trees. They don't like it if they materialize and you're standing in the middle of them,” Vuxten said. The Lieutenant looked awkward and Vuxten shook his head. ”It's a joke, Lieutenant.”

”Oh, yes, sir. Ha ha,” the Lieutenant stammered.

Vuxten looked at the holotank. From the looks of it, First Telkan had gotten down intact. Only minor injuries. Even Casey's rampage hadn't injured anyone.

Vuxten suddenly realized he wasn't seeing any atomic or graviton warnings.

He frowned at first, wondering where Casey went, and suddenly gave a sharp exhale.

That's it. They're shifting the terrain forward and backwards to keep Casey from ripping everything up. That's why he's caught in a loop, he thought.

”471,” he said.

--go ahead for papa palpatine--

”If I'm understanding command's message, we'll have a city, jungle, then back to that dust bowl. When we get to the jungle, I want you to launch the drones near where you think Casey is. We'll see if the drones survive,” Vuxten said. ”If they do, when the terrain returns to dust, fire the temporal resonance.”

He leaned forward against the holotank, closing his eyes.

Eliminate civilian temporal echoes to deny the enemy resources with all prejudice, echoed in his mind.

Kill every civilian we can, he thought bitterly. It doesn't matter that they're shades, I'll be asking my men to slaughter civilians. Once they do that, you don't come back from it.

He reached out and tabbed up 17th Field Artillery. Lieutenant Jekti appeared.

”Sir,” the Lieutenant said.

”Do you have Welkret and Lanaktallan biology profiles?” he asked.

”Yes, sir,” the Lieutenant said, suddenly looking cagey.

”You see the terrain altered,” Vuxten said.

”Temporal bullshit, sir?”

”Yes. The next one will be an urban center,” Vuxten reached up and took off his helmet, setting it down so the Lieutenant could see him. ”That city is from a million years ago. The people in it are dead. You will not be reaching back to kill them, they will be echoes pulled to us by the enemy.”

”Civilians, sir?” the Lieutenant's eyes were hard to read.

”Technically. The enemy uses... well... they pull out brains. They want the brains and if they get them, their effectiveness goes up,” Vuxten said. He stared at the Lieutenant. ”Fab up chemical rounds, Lieutenant.”

”Sir, I need you to repeat your last. Do you wish me to nanoforge chemical rounds specifically profiled for Welkret and Lanaktallan biology,” the Lieutenant asked.

Vuxten swallowed. ”Lieutenant. In an unspecified amount of time the terrain will temporally shift to an urban environment, during which the enemy will attempt to acquire civilian biological components. I am ordering you to nanoforge chemical weapons, specifically, nerve agents and blood agents, that will kill the civilian populace of the temporally shifted city as fast as possible. At this time we know that Welkret and Lanaktallan biologicals will be present. Any other...,” he paused, hating the term he was about to use. ”Any other neo-sapients observed will be added to the chemical weapon profiles.”

”Sir, I ask again, are you ordering the use of chemical weapons within your area of operations,” the Lieutenant ask.

”I say again, I confirm the use of chemical weapons. This conversation has been recorded and will be used for legal purposes,” Vuxten said.

”Orders received, acknowledged,” the Lieutenant said.

Vuxten held his breath.

”Those poor civilian bastards,” he said. ”Scorched earth, sir.”

”Scorched earth, Lieutenant,” Vuxten said.

The channel went dead.

Outside he could hear the sound of heavy weapons and Dwellerspawn screams.

As he picked up his helmet, he felt unclean.