A Terran Republic Tale: Part 3.5

[Lt Stroytov]

+++Message Log+++
Commissar Pierrick Alexandre
Mao Division, 52nd 'Validus' SOQRF,Red Bravo Two
Date: 29th of May, 2865, 0100hrs
Location: Howling Pass Overlook

+Red Eagle One, Red Two, LZ looks good, ready to plunge, how copy?+

+Red Two, good copy, HAHO Intervention confirmed+

+ Red Eagle One, Red Bravo descending+

+++End of Log+++

”Common sense is not so common”, Voltaire
The first thing that hit Pierrick was the sudden weightlessness. Drop pods were one thing, but a HAHO from a Galaxy was something entirely different. The sky was still silent as the men of Red Bravo fell from the sky, their descent hidden against the backdrop of the midnight sky.

Perrick and Strovd were the first two to make landfall, their helmet NV’s glowing faintly in the dark of night. Moving with quick, practiced movements, they unhooked the small anti-grav lines from their belts, discarding the used packs into the night.

Valentin and Private Raisa were next, the suppressed AMR’s panning the area before the LZ with nervous precision as the four landed troopers set about creating the perimeter.

“Valentin quit shaking and watch the left. Raisa, you take the right, make sure nothing surprises us. Remember you two, if you can’t knock them out close, use the darts.”

No response was needed from either of the troopers, for both were already moving before Strovd finished issuing the orders. The remaining members of Red Bravo landed in silence, each one rallying on either the left or right side of the LZ with weapons raised.

“Red One to all call signs, you know the plan. Code Speak from now on. Echo Team, you take point, take and deliver us to our reward. ”

Moving in silence, Red Bravo One and Two slipped off into the dusky shadows of Indaran Night, their camouflaged forms showing up as mere specks on the landscape dusty landscape.

***

Command Post 891-B was silent, for once. Sitting in the back of the command Sunderer, Major Royston Cletus of the Naum twenty seventh gently drew a finger across the vertical display, his eyes searching the perimeter sensors for any sign of another Republican push.

Steeping up to the back of the Sunderer, another Conglomerate Officer, this time a Lieutenant, wearily stuck his head into the back of the transport. “Major, Sir? The TR seem to have gone quiet for the night, don’t you think that the men can be taken off high alert?”

“Out of the question, mah boy! You don’t need to sleep with dem nanites in your system, just git the Doc to shoot your boys up with them healer guns, and y’all should be fine.”

“Are you sure, si-“

“Are you questioning my Auth-or-it-tay, Lieutenant?” Rising from the his seat, Major Cletus glared down at the baffled Lieutenant, only to watch him sag to his knees and observe his head slam loudly against the bumper of the Sunderer.

“What in the hell?”

A second dart, just as powerful as the first, smacked into the chest of Major Cletus, stabbing through the thick plate of his chest and rendering him unconscious as Red Bravo One closed the distance between the ridgeline and the Sunderer.

From the bushes behind the Sunderer, Borya and Dejan lowered their tranquilizer guns, their expressions void of all emotion. Tapping the com under the wrappings surrounding his face, Borya spoke quickly and silently into the device, “Echo to One, we got ‘em.”

***

From behind the Sunderer, Red Bravo One sat in silence as they observed the twins at their foul craft.

“Echo Team; get those charges planted so we can pull out.”
As silent as the lifeless desert, the two twins de-cloak, moving as swift as men in spandex can. With rifles raised, Borya and Dejan sweep forward, quickly clearing the area around the Sunderer for additional troopers. With the area clear, the silent twins quickly move to place the charges, each placing a small claymore on either side of the Sunderers gas tank.

The prisoners, however, were another matter entirely. Taking each over a shoulder, the two infiltrators quickly sprinted back to the rest of Red Bravo One. Breathing heavily, the infiltrators dropped the pair of prisoners at the feet of Lieutenant Strovd, causing a grunt to erupt from both of the unconscious troopers. “Right, we’ll get these bastards back to the Galaxy, and then we will engage the Ridge Line and blow the emplacements.”

“Red One to Red Two, do you copy over?”

***

Across the way, on the ridge line below and in front of Red Bravo One, Red Bravo Two moved from rock to rock, hiding in the crevices of the ridgeline as they closed the distance between themselves and the Conglomerate forces dug in on the ridge line. Looking up, Commissar Alexandre reaches up to his com, quickly tapping it to allow him to speak.

“Red Two Copy, waiting go command.”

“Copy Red Bravo Two, contact Red Eagle One, Inform them of engagement. Wait for blast to engage, over.”

“Copy Red One, over and out.”

Nodding to the squad about him, Alexandre removes his Commissioner from its holster, spinning the chambers before nodding to his squad. “Red Bravo Two, the Republic calls upon you to die. Let you not be found wanting, or the wrath of the Republic shall be delivered unto you by my hand. Fix Blades, and prepare to charge.”

The men of Red Bravo Two, unfazed by the warning, quickly set about attaching their chainblades to the lugs below the muzzles of their rifles, turning the small blades on, and causing the teeth to chatter as the blades rev up.

Switching the channels on his com, Alexandre quickly speaks into the mic, his pistol held limply at his side while he speaks in a hushed tone.

“Red Eagle One, Red Two, how copy?”

“Good Copy Red Two; sit rep?”

“Preparing to blow package, and knock take out the NC, over.”

“Understood, elements Tomahawk One and Two deploying now to press home the attack, over.”

“Copy Red Eagle One, over and out.”
+++Personal Log+++
2nd Lt. Strovd, Vicas.
Mao Division, 52nd 'Validus' SOQRF
Date: 30th of May, 2865
Location: Howling Pass Cliffs

The explosion was loud enough to wake the dead, which didn’t help the nerves of the men at all. The Conglomerate must have been storing tank munitions in the Command Sunderer, too bad we didn’t blow it up with an air strike and kill the commanders.

We could have wiped them out with one Hellfire Strike, but instead we had to play dirty.

Well, duty calls.

Once more over the breach, I believe is a good term for the end of this log.

+++End of Personal Log+++

The Sunderers explosion split the sky like an orbital strike, sending burning fragments and a hefty amount of soil soaring into the sky. The Conglomerate, still half asleep and exhausted from weeks of fighting, suddenly darted into consciousness, their hands immediately groping for whatever weapon they could find.

The Cliffs above them, however, were already alight as the sounds of gunfire irrupted from the location of the now smoldering Sunderer. Borya and Dejan, armed with their marksmen’s rifles, broke the predawn air with the loud reports of their unmuzzled sniper rifles, each taking their toll from the scattering NC troopers down on the ridge.

Roaring hymns of republic glory, Red Bravo Two charged down the ridge line, their bladed battle rifles ripping into the enemy at both distance and close range, each man taking a toll on the enemy below them.

From the opposite side of the ridge, Red Bravo One followed suit, the charging troopers singing an old Terran battle hymn as their heavy LMG’s barked out a steady rhythm of lead into the scattered foe. Their luck, however, was not as good.

Veterans of this war, the Naum twenty seventh quickly turned to face the attacking troopers; the gauze weapons countering the TR made LMG’s with equal force.

Corporal Bolek was the first to be taken down as an NC Jackhammer blew the top of his head off, showering the rest of the squad in blood. The trooper in question did not last much longer as the rounds from Strovds T16 Rhino returned the favor in kind.

Francisco was the next to drop as an NC MANA Turret shot off his right leg at the kneecap, causing the private to scream in pain before having his heart stopped by the same turret. Running to the aid of his wounded comrades, Nika and Demyan suffered the misfortune of stepping on a Bouncing Betty, the resounding blast blowing both men asunder.

Watching his squad die, Strovd suddenly found tears pouring down his face as he watched good men be blown apart. All was not lost, however, for the forces of the Fifth and Seventh suddenly stormed the pass behind the besieged Conglomerate, the mortars and tank rounds tearing the stones of the pass apart under their heavy bombardments.

Life was stolen; however, from Strovd’s eyes as a Conglomerate sniper took his head off at the shoulders, the lifeless corpse of the Second Lieutenant falling down amongst the corpses of his comrades, before being blasted away by the thundering guns of the Fifth Armored Fist Regiment.

The fighting to clear the pass of the remaining NC units took the rest of the day to accomplish, with the respawn rate of troopers being highest seen on that spit of ground since the start of the war. The forces of Red Bravo, however, were fighting till the end against the rebel scum, all the way to NS Material Storage facility, where the NC finally withdrew in force to protect the outskirts of Rashnu from the marauding forces of the Terran Republic.

***
Darkness, shadows, the roaring of cannon and the stopping of charging feet; all the noises of war and the confusion of battle melt away as Strovd regained consciousness in the back of the battle scarred Sunderer, the form of Specialist Demyan sitting on the chair beside the respawn tube.

“It seems I wasn’t the only one to bite the dust.” Demyan states, a sly smirk spreading across his face as Strovd slowly got out of the tube, shakily stepping onto the floor of the transport.

“How did we do, Demyan?”

“Well, most of Red Bravo One was killed, except for the twins. Red Bravo Two lost no one to enemy fire, but Private Raisa seems to have lost her nerve and deserted. They’ve taken her out of the matrix, and orders are to shoot her on sight.”

Taking a quick breath, Demyan makes to continue his tale before a loud knock is heard at the back of the Sunderer. “Lieutenant! Front and center!”

“That will be the Captain, better wake up Sir.”

With stiff movements, Strovd shuffled towards the rear of the transport, wincing as the midday sun of Indar seared his tired eyes. When his sight returned, the skullmask of Captain Vitali reared before him, his unblinking eyes boring into his soul.

“Good work on the ridge, Lieutenant, Bravo will get a good pat on the back for that action.”

“Thank you Sir, but I think a replacement would be in better taste.”

Grunting, Vitali slowly shook his head in distaste, “Sad business, that, Raisa had so much potential. Echo Team Alpha found her this morning; let’s just say she isn’t on the run anymore.”

“Understood, Sir.”

Dropping down from the transport, Strovd shuffled over to the terminal attached to the side of the Sunderer, drawing forth his gear from within before donning his armor. “Orders, Sir?”

“You’re in luck; we have a transfer coming our way.”

“Really sir? Where?”

Vitali withdrew a small map from within the confines of his composite breastplate. “Hossin, we get to fight those swamp rats on their home turf.”

“That sounds like it will be hell, Sir. When do we leave?”

“Now.”

[Sonny]

Great work Lt Stroytov, a very exciting scene . One suggestion - add links to the start and end of your posts now so that readers can get from one chapter to another with one click!

Sonny