Chapter 14: Delta

“You wanted to see me, Colonel?” Kaz asked, saluting as she stepped into the command tower’s ops center. The circular room was filled with blinking consoles that were staffed by a dozen people, the large windows that ringed them looking out over the base, Jarilo’s pine forests swaying in the breeze beyond the fortified walls.

“Yes, Lance Corporal, at ease.”

She relaxed, clasping her clawed hands behind her back as she waited for further instructions. Fischer walked around a table in the center of the room, panels in its flat surface projecting a wireframe hologram of the surrounding terrain in shades of ghostly blue. He stopped, leaning on its edge as he examined the details.

“We’ve managed to restore communications with the Thermopylae using laser transmitters. As you know, the Bugs are still jamming radio signals across the entire valley. The carrier is in geostationary orbit above the continent to maintain line of sight, which should make communicating with her a little easier, but restoring communications on the ground is priority number one.”

He began to walk around the circumference of the table again, deep in thought, Kaz turning her head to watch him.

“We’ve had word back from Alpha, Bravo, and Echo. But Delta either hasn’t found a way to get in touch with Fleetcom, or they’ve been wiped off the map. Alpha and Echo both reported significant Bug activity, but like us, they were able to fight off the attackers. Casualties have been pretty light, all things considered. I don’t think that the Bugs can keep throwing Drones at us in the numbers that they have been, it’s unsustainable. Panic tactics if you ask me.”

He straightened his white cap, the golden wreath on its brim glinting beneath the halogen lights.

“I’m pulling you off scout duty, along with the rest of the Borealans assigned to sniper teams, and I’m making you the acting Alpha of a new squad. You are to make your way across the valley to Delta and find out what’s going on over there. Borealans can move faster than humans over rough terrain, you’ll make good time. Remember that comms will be down, so once you leave the walls of Charlie, you’re on your own. Ascertain the severity of the situation and then report back ASAP. Only engage the enemy if necessary, your primary objective is to report back to me. Is that understood?”

Kaz saluted, standing up straight, her round ears brushing the ceiling.

“Yes sir! We’ll get it done.”

“And LC...”

“Sir?”

“Something about this doesn’t feel right. Gamma pack was stationed at Delta base, their Alpha goes by the name of Korza. He’s a good soldier, reliable, he fought in the war to take Kruger and in the pacification of Hades. I’m told that security chief Moralez thinks very highly of his abilities. If he has not found a way to contact Fleetcom, then something must be very wrong. Keep your wits about you.”

“Understood, Colonel.”

Kaz made her way through the undergrowth, winding between the gnarled trunks of the giant trees as her pack followed close behind her. There had been five other Borealans assigned to scout sniper teams, and now she was their acting Alpha, leading her new squad through the forest towards Delta base. She brought up the holographic display on her wrist-mounted computer, examining the map for a moment. They were a few miles North West of Charlie, on the right track. The Thermopylae had taken scans of the terrain from orbit, and those scans had been supplement by scout reports from the ground, at least while the comms had still been up. There were still some big holes in the map, however, unexplored territory that they would have to traverse.

Fortunately, Equatorials such as herself were evolved for jungle environments. Hopping over the occasional protruding root or fallen branch would not slow them down. The humans were plainswalkers, built for running long distance over flat terrain. She might have mocked them for their clumsiness in dense forests, but she had witnessed their impressive stamina firsthand.

Kaz had taken the Colonel’s ominous warning to heart, and her pack were armed to the teeth. They had their long, bayoneted rifles and all of the ammo that they could carry, along with one of the rare and precious anti-material railguns from the armory. One Borealan carried the battery pack in his rucksack, and another had the massive rifle slung over his back. If they encountered any Warriors, they would at least stand a decent chance of defending themselves.

There seemed to be no life left in the valley, any animals that could escape had done so. The forest was silent save for the rustling of branches and the crunching of twigs underfoot as they made their way through the trees.

Her pack seemed cooperative enough. Fischer had ordered them to obey her, and so they had avoided the usual scuffle that happens when someone takes the mantle of Alpha and their subordinates want to test them. She was likely the strongest fighter here regardless, if anyone gave her any lip she’d carve a lesson in manners into their hide.

“Fan out,” she said, “line formation. Try to keep the wind to your front, the weather favors us today. If you smell anything strange, be it a Bug or something that you don’t recognize, call it out. I’m not taking any chances.”

There was a chorus of affirmations as they assembled into a rough line, weapons at the ready.

“Move out, and let’s make this fast.”

The pack set off into the woods at a brisk pace, striding over the rough terrain on their long legs. Kaz estimated that they would make it to Delta by nightfall.

The sun was setting as Kaz raised her fist into the air, indicating that her pack should stop. She leaned against a nearby tree, taking a breather and pausing to examine her map. They should be close to Delta by now, it was a good time to stop for a break, let the squad get some food in them before they went any further. If things went south, they would need the energy.

“Take ten,” she ordered, “rehydrate and get a few thousand calories in you. We’ll wait until night falls before we move on the base.”

They seemed relieved, taking seats on nearby roots and leaning against tree trunks as they unscrewed the caps of their canteens and tore open energy bar wrappers. They had been running pretty much full tilt since the morning, and while gravity on Jarilo was lower than Borealis norm, it was still pretty hard on them. They had made good time, however. Night was no handicap for her kind, and so they would advance on Delta under the cover of darkness.

She pulled a hunk of beef jerky from her pocket. The UNN produced brick-like hunks of the stuff for use by Borealans in the field, flavored with native oils from Elysia. It was nice to get a little taste of the homeworld, it seemed so far away. Many auxiliaries spent so much time in Earth-standard gravity and atmosphere that they became accustomed to it, the intense heat and gravity of Borealis becoming jarring in comparison. Weight training was the best way to maintain your muscle mass and bone density. Fortunately, the Pinwheel had a great gym.

“Rest here, I’m scouting ahead,” Kaz announced. They hadn’t smelled any Bugs in the immediate area, and the wind still favored them, so there should be no danger. She slung her rifle over her back and pulled her helmet over her head, crouching low and concealing her large body in the undergrowth as she moved forwards.

About two hundred meters from where they had made camp, she came across a rise. There must have been a landslide here at some point in the past, most of the soil had been swept away save for that which was held between the twisted roots of the trees. It would make for excellent cover.

She dropped to her belly, crawling closer and peeking her head over the wall of earth. She spied Delta in the distance, maybe half a mile down into the valley. Her position was at a higher elevation, perfect for observation. She activated the zoom function on her visor, adjusting the dial on the helmet to bring the device into focus. The visor zeroed in on the fortified walls of the base, a rough square in the distance, and she increased the magnification level with the press of a button.

The rays of the setting sun were obscuring her vision, its glare reflecting in the lenses, but she could make out some shapes down there. Remembering that the helmet had a tint function, she dialed it up, counteracting some of the glare from the sunlight.

“Fuck,” she muttered under her breath. The terrain around Delta was a hellscape, littered with what looked like bodies. Dozens of dead humans, the bulk of a felled Krell, and more Bugs than she could count. Their colorful carapaces reflected in the light, gleaming like a macabre rainbow. The forest that had been cleared around the base’s perimeter was pockmarked with craters, the land scarred by mortar fire and explosives. The metal walls were slagged here and there, painted with dark smears from plasma rounds.

She scanned right, trying to get a picture of what kind of shape the compound was in, but she couldn’t see much from this angle. It was obvious what had happened. The Bugs were playing a game of divide and conquer. Without radio Delta would not have been able to call for help, leaving them alone against the horde. They couldn’t contact any of the other bases for reinforcements, nor could they call in railgun fire or air support from the Thermopylae. Charlie had been on the receiving end of one such attack, and it was mostly thanks to the carrier’s orbital strikes and the presence of a fighter-bomber that they had been spared a similar fate.

Whatever had happened, it had been a brutal battle. The Bugs must have thrown everything they had at Delta. She turned on her short range comms, but even that was being scrambled, her earpiece flooded with the loud hiss of static. She slunk away from the rise, returning to her pack to report her findings.

Their ears perked up when she emerged from between the trunks, the sound of low conversation and rustling food packets quietening.

“Delta was hit hard,” Kaz said as she removed the stifling helmet and clipped it to her belt. “No signs of life down there, Bug or UNN.”

“What are your orders?” one of the Borealans asked, a male with dark skin and spots like coffee stains on his brown fur. He obviously wanted to turn back, but was unwilling to make the suggestion himself, fearful that his initiative would be seen as a challenge to her dominance no doubt.

“We move down into the valley, and we take a closer look.”

She sensed that he wanted to complain, but he held his tongue. This one had clearly been operating with a human partner for a long time and was forgetting the old ways. He might be in for a nasty reminder the next time he had shore leave on Borealis.

“We wait until the sun sets, then we move out.”

The pack made their way into the valley under the cover of night, their black body armor concealing them against the shadowy foliage. Their feline eyes made use of what starlight was available, the Borealans preferring to keep their helmets off in order to make use of their sensitive noses. Kaz had put Gorza at the head of the pack, a young male from the Rask region who had a better nose than any of them. Their rifles were shouldered, scanning the forest for signs of movement. As they made their way down the slope, Kaz jogged forward, placing a clawed hand on Gorza’s shoulder to get his attention.

“What do you smell?”

“Burnt meat and blood, Alpha. Some smoke and ash, residue from a firefight.”

“Let’s keep moving.”

They reached the edge of the forest, walking out onto the cratered mud, stepping over and around the dead as they advanced towards the foot of Delta’s fortified wall. The field was a graveyard, mostly UNN Marines and Bug Drones with a few auxiliaries scattered here and there. The guard towers that were visible had been destroyed, leaving nothing but their sagging supports, and the control tower that rose high above the wall had been hammered by shells. The main door was melted through, likely by the same breaching device that the Bugs had employed at the battle for Charlie.

Kaz gave her pack a hand signal that indicated that they should stack, and they lined up to the right of the ruined entrance.

“You smell any Bugs, Gorza?” one of the soldiers whispered.

“Inconclusive,” he replied, keeping his voice low. “Lots of Bugs around, can’t tell if they’re alive or not. Lot of human too, and a lot of rot.”

“Helmets on,” Kaz ordered, “the roaches might have used chem shells.”

They took a moment to pull on their helmets then Kaz waved them forward, the pack filing into the courtyard through the felled doors. Their claws clicked on the metal grating that made up the floor of the base as they fanned out, weapons at the ready. Delta didn’t look much better on the inside than it did on the outside. Many of the prefab buildings had been hammered by mortars, and the tents had been either knocked down or burned.

Kaz knelt to examine the nearby body of a human male, slumped against one of the Hesco bastions that served to minimize mortar damage. They were large mesh boxes filled with soil that would block shrapnel and projectiles. The cause of death seemed to be puncture wounds to his chest cavity, a Bug must have gotten close and knifed him through the breaks in his armor.

There were plenty of Drones too, their alien bodily fluids leaving green and orange stains wherever they had fallen. This had been one hell of a fight, and she still wasn’t sure who had won. The pack hovered around her, their heads snapping this way and that as they scanned the base for signs of life. Kaz stood, wiping her hand on the leg of her pants.

“Search the place, three teams of two. Stay close, remember that the comms are down. Gorza, you’re with me.”

They set off into the base, the bastions and ruined structures blocking their lines of sight. The layout was similar to that of Charlie, mostly prefabs arranged in a grid pattern. She could see the barracks, what was left of the mess hall tent, and the burnt out shell of the field hospital. She kept her rifle at the ready, Gorza watching her back as they crept forward, on the lookout for anything unusual.