Chapter 3

It has been nearly a year since the incident on the ship and so far we are doing pretty good. Our 8 orbital stations are complete and online, the 'E' is on patrol, the 'Connie' is in orbit and the 9024 has returned and brought five more ships like her; all new 'squirt' ships. The trouble is I thought too soon and jinxed it.

The day dawned dark and overcast and as I was on my way to the office suddenly alarms sirens are going off everywhere; we are under attack. Humans are running everywhere and Orlanans are swooping down to stations. As I enter the Ground Control Center the readouts tell me all I need to know. There are more than one thousand ships up there against our 8 stations and 7 ships. As the battle wages I can see that some 200 Skree ships have broken off from the others and are heading for landing sites all around our small city. I detail three of my Space Marine companies to concentrate their defense in the area of the port as it appears the majority of the Skree will land there. The other company of Marines and the Orlanan Rangers will see to the perimeter landings. There seems to be a single minded tactic on the part of the Skree; flood the defenses with as many ships and troops as it takes to just over-whelm them; damn the casualties.

And we are causing them a great deal of casualties. Their body armor is of little or no use against a pulse rifle. And the Rangers are a sight to behold. Imagine if you can a 1.5 to 1.6m tall, 6m wingspan, 70 to 75Kg Peregrine Falcon or Golden Eagle. They come down from above and swooped through the trees; twisting and turning and suddenly you see a Skree in the clutches of those talons. Then before his friends can react he is released and slammed into a tree at 50Kmh or so; SPLAT! If the talons don't kill the impact surely does.