What are they doing turning from the battle? General Dorg yelled. Turn them around immediately and commence firing.
Jeremy and Alonso were approaching their lines when one of the Alliance weapon platforms fired a barrage of heavy slugs at the marines lines. One of the slugs went through Jeremys armor and out his shoulder. He fell and rolled. Alonso stopped and grabbed Jeremys back harness and ran, pulling him toward safety while firing his rifle single-handed. Alonso dropped eight Alliance soldiers before the weapons platform fired eight rounds through his armor. He died on the spot. Jeremy began crawling and pulled Alonso with him. The weapons platform that had hit them was killed by three high-speed rocket power cells that Alpha company artillery targeted on it. Three of Alpha companys troops ran out and pulled the two to safety behind their built-up positions.
Al, Al, answer me, Jeremy pleaded.
The medic looked at Jeremy and said, He wont hear you, son. Hes gone. Jeremy pulled himself up to Alonsos body and pulled the letter out of his harness. He placed it in his armored glove and passed out from the pain.
Colonel, theres just too many, Lieutenant Dunn said. Were close to losing Charlie company. There are only twenty effectives left, and the Alliance is sending troops there to breech our lines.
Gentlemen, were into the thick of it, Richard said. Everyone grab a rifle and lets go join Charlie company. The ten members of Richards staff grabbed weapons, and they sprinted through the screen and then dove behind Charlie companys burned-out weapon platforms. Richard noticed a wounded marine, Jeremy, running with them. Jeremy said on the com, Its only a scratch, Colonel. Cant let you have all the fun, sir. The twelve marines joined the survivors of Charlie Company and started delivering devastating blaster fire into the Alliances advance. The whole perimeter around the Rossville camp looked like a scene from hell. The marines were being hit with constant missile and blaster fire. The entire front looked on fire. Yet they still continued to fire at the Alliance advance. Richard was hit by a rocket that hit close to where he was laying, and it broke his leg and threw him thirty feet off the line. He crawled back and continued firing. Then, slowly at first, then faster, the remaining Alliance ground troops began withdrawing. They disappeared down the valley and Richard commanded, Cease fire. Then there was silence.
A medic turned Richard over and said, Sir, weve stopped the bleeding, but we need to move you out to set that leg.
Richard said, I will not leave my men. Go help someone whos really hurt, Im not moving. All of Richards command heard the exchange. His radio was damaged and stuck on transmit on the general frequency. They heard the medic say, Sir, your leg is broken in four places, you have shrapnel in your left arm, and your armor has lost its screen.
Medic, Im not accustomed to repeating myself, Richard replied. Help my men that really need it. Now leave. The medic left with a heavy heart, and Richards remaining marines felt something in them grow into hardened resolve; they vowed vengeance on the Alliance for what they had done to their commander. Company commanders report, Richard ordered.
Sir, five of our six commanders are either dead or too wounded to fight, Lieutenant Dunn said.
How many men are still combat effective? Richard asked.
Three hundred seventy-five, sir.
Weve lost 625 men, Richard thought with a heavy heart. Then he asked, Have we heard anything from surveillance?
Yes sir. The first regiment the Alliance sent against us was pretty much destroyed. They are massing the second regiment to attack in force through the valley. I think they feel that attacking the whole perimeter stretches them too thin. It appears that the entire regiment is approaching en masse down the valley.
Are our weapon platforms still hidden?
Yes sir, but they wont be enough to stop them all.
Then well just take as many of them as we can. Have all units move to the front, and then please inform the men Im proud of them. They held up to the finest tradition. Richards com was still set on transmit, and his men could hear his pride of their actions. They looked at each other and reached out and shook armored gloves. The Alliance was going to pay a high price, and they were going to sell their lives at a high premium.
Tag was watching as the final Alliance ships were being chased. Then he heard communications say, Sir, the marines at Rossville are taking a beating. Theyve lost two-thirds of their troops and the Alliance is massing another regiment against them. All of the other marine units are tied down and are unable to relieve them.
Kosiev said, All our forces are chasing Alliance ships that are trying to escape. Were the only ship here, and we have to be ready to go after any ship that drives toward the sun to escape. Theyll have to hold out another forty minutes.
The communications officer looked at Tag and shook his head.
Tag left the bridge and went to the hold that was housing the escape pods. He closed his eyes and saw where Rossville was located and entered the coordinates into the pods computer. He closed the door and pressed the activate button on his console. The pod shot through Washingtons screen and headed toward the planet.
What was that? Kosiev asked.
Sir, an escape pod has been activated and is heading toward the planet, Lieutenant Kelley said.
Who was it?
Sir, it was Thomas Gardner.
Get that pod on the speaker now!
Go ahead, Admiral, Tag said.
What in the hell do you think youre doing?
Im going to help a friend.
Tag, youre more important to this war than all of us combined. You cant risk yourself.
Admiral, make sure no one escapes. Im going to help down there. Do not come for me until all Alliance ships are eliminated. Thats a direct order. Then Tag turned off his radio.
The Alliance regiment was advancing through the valley. It was heavily massed and was moving fast. The regiment could sense the end for the human defenders was near, and they wanted this to be over. Suddenly, both sides of the valley erupted into flame and blasts as the naval marine heavy weapon platforms finally opened fire together. Fully half of the advancing forces were wiped out immediately. The survivors returned fire and slowly eliminated the weapon platforms. Then the Alliance survivors continued on an eight-hundred-yard front toward the remaining human defenders.
Richard looked at his remaining soldiers and waited until the Alliance force was seven hundred yards from them and opened fire. The Alliance troops were falling, but so were the marines. Richard could see that there were just too many. They were 150 yards from his troops position when an escape pod dropped from the sky between his lines and the Alliance advance and landed with a blue-green strobe flashing. The Alliance and human forces stopped firing and a human stepped out of the escape pod and waited for the Alliance representative to approach. A regimental command officer approached the human and began talking. Whats going on sir?
I dont know, Richard said.
Tag waited for the Cainth officer to approach him and then said, Sir, Im going to request that you withdraw your men and return to your positions at the head of this valley. Your fleet has been destroyed and we are currently finishing with the last ten Alliance ships. If you withdraw, Ill guarantee the safety of your men and ensure they are treated fairly as prisoners of war.
The Alliance officer said, Look around you, human. We are going to finish your ground troops, then take those civilians hostage, and make sure you behave yourself or well execute every one of them. We may kill some just for fun, to let you know we mean business. You may have won the space battle, but we will win on the ground.