The ORA probably more expected a heavy attack than infiltration. That’s the thing with knowing your enemy. These ORA goons whoever they were, hadn’t taken the time to learn anything about the United Star Systems before firing the first shots in an unprovoked war.
Either by design or by accident that was the reality. From what he’d seen of their ships, they were rudimentary, on the level of the Terran Union and the space navies of the other smaller enclaves. If what they’d seen so far was their line ship, the ORA should quit this war now.
That was the thing with stupid people—they had a false sense of greatness and couldn’t comprehend their own stupidity.
If the ORA ships proved anything, it’s that the USS was ahead technologically.
He kept the suit’s sensors focused on the structure, giving the computer time to probe for any weaknesses.
Sure enough, within fifteen minutes the suit’s sensor suite penetrated the structure’s shielding, and the thermal laser optics processed the interior, highlighting the occupants within. He’d located the crew. The inferences he drew from the thermal displays and data about their condition made him sick.
A query to the computer told him it was ninety percent certain it could scramble the targeting sensors on the turrets. Good odds for any soldier—or marine.
Around him the others waited in silence. Each of them likely absorbing the same information.
Dawes was the marine—an expert on land and ship based combat operations—so he was in charge. He would defer to the sergeant so long as Lee didn’t believe it compromised the rescue.
“Lieutenant,” Dawes said. “We’ll draw away the small base garrison. We’ll make enough noise to bring them out. First, we’ll plant charges on those bigger guns. Don’t want those things ruining us if they penetrate our jamming. We’ll be outnumbered. We’ll have to watch for attempts to flank us.”
Dawes unhooked his turret. “You wait for as long as you need, until you think you’ve got the best opening. See how many we lure out, and you grab our people and lead them out. Take as much stimulants and emergency packs as possible. We don’t know their condition. And they may have a good running fight ahead of them.”
Dawes handed him the stims and e-packs.
“We’ll do our best to withdraw to the extraction point. If that seems impossible, depending on the likely success, we’ll call that ballsy pilot down on top of us and improvise.”
Lee nodded. The time for words was past. He pounded a good-natured friendly fist on the sergeant’s chest and moved off.
Chapter 24 – Light ‘Em Up
“I’m looking for a friend of mine” - Malcolm Lee
Indri-3
Sergeant Dawes had finished planting the charges. He, Ubu and Chen poised from their chosen positions to begin the loud assault.
They’d set up several of their own deployable turrets around the base and each marine took position next to one.
Time to bring the pain.
“Let’s light ‘em up boys!”
Immediately the rapid-firing rocket launchers fired the first six of three six-round magazines. They didn’t do much damage to the structure, but the noise was deafening.
Dawes keyed the sequence to detonate the explosives planted on the base’s turrets. Hot shards of flaming ceramic soared hundreds of meters in all directions.
Another round of rockets took flight, this time skyward and came down on the structure. Sure to make anyone believe they were under heavy attack. The occupants were sure to be rattled by the fact they couldn’t detect anything outside.
The anti-personnel turrets opened up and fired randomly. It seemed they had an endless supply of ammunition. The turrets spewed death in all directions.
Dawes dove behind his barricade. The rounds from those guns went through meters of dirt.
It didn’t take long for operators inside to visualize from the outside optics where the attacks originated and the incoming return fire increased in precision.
One of the base’s walled sections opened and four mechanized giants of death emerged. Equipped with shoulder mounted barreled weapons and arm-mounted turrets, they wrecked the landscape.
If there was ever an “oh shit” moment.
This was one.
***
Lee was certain he could hear Sergeant Dawes yelling over the chaos.
The voice didn’t come from Lee’s earpiece. But the marine sergeant’s actual voice. Sounded strangely like—“get some!”
Lee had no idea what it meant. Maybe it was a marine thing.
Within minutes of unleashing hell on the enclosed base, a sidewall retracted and out stomped four mechanized creatures.
Oh dear, he was going to have to ruin those nice shiny mechs.
Too bad for the ORA—Lee had power scramblers. There was good reason mechanized warfare wasn’t so popular in full on military versus military engagements. You could get away with using those things somewhere else—against someone else.
Here they were just a big target.
Lee loaded kinetic rounds with scrambler tips and took aim with his KR. He fired several shots at each in succession.
A haze radiated around each mechs’ exoskeleton. The mechanized soldiers tumbled one by one. The ones in mid-step hit face first.
One had just taken a grand leap for Sergeant Dawes’ position—it crashed with a loud bang and remained motionless. The other two just froze when the scramblers connected. Then a barrage of rockets from friendly turrets ended their little mechanized hurrah.
The smaller anti-personnel turrets were the only remaining worry. They were enough of them to be spattering crap in all directions. The turrets might make a lucky shot. And turn his new shiny armor and him into Swiss cheese.
Lee couldn’t go through and he couldn’t go around. So he’d go above.
He sized up the mangled wall platform where one of the larger sentry turrets once rested before it took a trip to oblivion. The HUD told him it was sixty feet. Just about right.
He folded his rifle and slung it in its recess. He steeled himself. Vee, I know you can hear us . . . we’re coming.
He adjusted the jump-pack for a longer jump to compensate for the high winds. He dug his armored boots into the mushy surface and pushed off. The jump point loomed.
Last stride.
He activated his pack and leapt at the same time arcing through the air. He was going to overshoot. Damn it.
He deployed flaps from the sides of the suit, the winds slammed into him, and he dropped in a narrow arc onto the corner tower.
Within the walls, a small platoon of ORA goons assembled. One was shouting orders to the rest.
On the far side, more walls had recessed and troops poured out. These were the only ones left inside the inner compound. How fortunate to be so close. Just twenty feet below it was time to smash some goons.
He stepped off.
Lee slammed a short-range energy scrambling grenade into the ground as he hit and rolled with the momentum, still kneeling, he swung his bionic arm into the first armored trooper’s midsection with full force.
The trooper soared away and up as though a bird of prey had snatched him. Armor or no armor, he was on his way to the next life.
The others nearby appeared transfixed by the flying trooper, following him with their helmeted heads as he soared past. They all turned in Lee’s direction at once. He wanted them to see the face of their doom—the last thing they’d ever see. His helmet recessed into his armor. He grinned and stood straight.
“I’m looking for a friend of mine,” he said as he flipped side-ways and kicked the one who’d been barking orders at the end of the group. The man’s neck snapped. Lee landed and held his position. “His name is Vee.”