chapter = Chapter 18

author = Cicero_Phelps

dedicate = Jo, Carla, and my other faithful readers.

Rating = AP15

Type = Adventure

fanfic = Chapter XVIII

When Claudia woke up, she saw her comrades in a heap on the ground. There was a dome of rocks above them, a few large ones, a few small ones, which had fallen around all four of them during the explosion of the enemy base. Here eyes focused on a few arms and legs that moved in vain, just to see if they could be moved. The caved-in area couldn’t have had much more room than the four of them laid in a two by two grid, and wasn’t exceedingly high, either. She rather expected to hit her head if she sat up suddenly, so she made no sudden moves. Instead, she whispered ahead, “Vanessa?”

“I know, it’s claustrophobic in here, and I’m working on a way out.”

Vanessa punched at one of the rocks above her head, and, luckily, it was lightly draped over the opening. She moved a few other rocks, enough to stand up, and then aided the others out of the rock pile. The searchlights were still on in a few locations, one directly over them, so they hobbled as best they could towards the tree line, to regain the safety of the shadows.

“Is your radio still working,” Kim asked.

“I’ll try it,” Vanessa replied. Lifting the radio to her lips, she whispered, “Talon Two to Talon One, do you read me?”

No response came, only a hiss and cackle of static. “Talon One, please come in!”

“There’s no response from Talon One, and her beacon’s gone,” came a voice in reply.

“Is that you, Max?”

“The one and only,” he said, rather wearily. “I’m coming out there with a squad to pick you girls up. Hang tight.”

“Not like we have many other options at present, Max. We’ll be waiting. Talon Two out.”

At the final bark of the radio, they heard a voice shout, “Hey, what’s that noise?” Immediately thereafter, there was the hiss and zing of rounds whirring by their ears…

Lisa’s palms sweated heavily as she watched the bomb squad work their magic on the device attached to the reactor. Her eyes stung with salty sweat, nervously observing the technician’s nimble fingers and hands as they scanned, x-rayed, and deactivated the bomb. The radio squawked, “Lisa, what’s happening down there?”

“We’ve got our hands full at the moment, Admiral; there’s an object attached to the main reactor, and I have two techs working on it.”

“Ok, I’ll leave you alone, then. I don’t want to screw it up for you. But get it done as soon as you can, we’ll need the generator soon.”

“Acknowledged, Admiral. Lisa out.”

She turned her head back towards the techies, and noticed one of them grinning like the cat that just ate a bird. “Captain Hayes, Ma’am? We just got it, it’s dead now.”

“Thank you, Sergeant. You just saved the life of every man and woman on this ship.”

Max looked out into the black water as the chopper sped towards Vanessa’s beacon. He knew something was wrong, that this mission was flawed and doomed somehow. He kept a tight grip on the handle of his rifle, cursing the fact that he had been forced to stay on the ship. If only he had gone instead of her!

Out over the edge of the clearing, Max heard shots clanging off the chopper’s side armor. One flew through the open-side cockpit and blew out an instrument or two.

Max gestured wildly to the pilot. “Pull up; it’s too hot down there.”

The chopper gained altitude again, and Max radioed out, “Girls, I’m sorry, it’s too hot down there. We took a few hits, and we’re going to land a little further away and advance with the squad for rescue.”

“Copy that, Talon Prime. Two out.”

“This is getting nutty out here,” Rick said over the intercom.

Admiral Gloval looked out over the battlefield, and considered his next move. The battlefield was becoming chaotic very rapidly, with smoke roiling off of the corpses of downed mecha.

He saw how Rick’s VT came under fire from an enemy mech; it was an Anubis-class scout prototype. He didn’t have much to worry about; he was too close to it for the pilot to use his long-range missiles, unless they had been hot-loaded into the launcher, and the small laser couldn’t do too much damage unless Rick got up close and insanely personal with the opposing pilot.

Henry watched as Rick aimed his cannon at the scout, pressed his trigger and waited for the inevitable result. The scout mech didn’t stand a chance, didn’t even have an opportunity to return fire; Rick’s burst cracked its head wide open. He scanned the area; a column of five Spartan destroids was approaching from the west.

“Skulls two and three, I need you here, pronto,” Rick shouted over the radio.

“Missile batteries, give Captain Hunter some cover fire, he needs it,” Henry ordered. The short-range missile batteries hummed in response to the order. “Commander Hawthorne, get on the horn to the airfield, we need air cover along the waterfront.”

“Aye, sir. Wheeler Field, get those dive bombers out there, pronto. We need cover out there,” Hawthorne spoke into her headset. Static greeted her inquiry. “Wheeler, come in. Do you hear me?”

“…hear you…1…-mand structure was…out by bombers…est inst..tions.”

Henry thought it over for a moment, realizing that he had no air reserves in the immediate vicinity. “Anti-personnel batteries, redirect fire towards the waterfront. And send the armored vehicle reinforcements to attack their flanks.”

The AA batteries kicked in, as another wave of fighters swarmed at the SDF-1. Machine-gun fire and missiles screeched all around, and the thuds of impacts were constant, adding a percussion downbeat to the symphony of combat outside. The gunners started racking up impressive kill scores, as the enemy’s fury redoubled around them. Suddenly, the enemy began withdrawing from the field.

“Admiral,” his aides questioned him.

“Cease fire for the moment; all sensors and scanners at maximum,” Henry ordered.

Max ordered the pilot to set the chopper down at the edge of the clearing, a klick and a half from the last known radio position that Vanessa had given. He crossed himself, praying that the girls would be alright. “Spenser, take Adams and Greene and follow me. Grab your medical gear.”

“Aye, sir,” Spenser replied.

Max looked at the crew chief. “Prep this bird for a medical evacuation. We have casualties coming, and I want them to ride home in style.”

He got a nod from the crew left behind, and led his three-man patrol into the low brush. Every so often, they stopped, trying to get a response on the radio.

CRACK!

The sound of gunfire erupted through the light trees still standing near the volcano’s edge. Max and his group hugged the dirt and returned fire towards the sound of the incoming rounds. He looked up and saw a squad of five enemy troopers firing into the woods. He stood up, aimed in their general direction, and fired at them, scattering them back among the rocks. He saw a colored scrap of fabric fluttering from the edge of the clearing, then whispered into the radio, “Talon Two, is that you?”

“Loud and clear, Prime. Ready to go home.”

“Are you mobile? Do you need assistance?”

“We’ve been knocked about a little, but we’re able to move under our own power. Cover us; we’re coming out.”

With that, Max and his men held their rifles at the ready and motioned for the girls to come out of the brush. Vanessa ran out first, joining the soldiers in drawing her weapon and covering her friends. Claudia was next, but as she ran the last few meters towards the cordon, one of the enemy troopers rose from the rocks and shot her in the back. Vanessa led Max and the others in returning fire, crippling the man and sending his cohorts running for their lives.

Or so it seemed. Vanessa then turned her attention to the litter being set up, and felt a warm sensation spread across her lower back. She fell forward and blacked out.

Spenser ran forward with the portable litter, and, with Greene’s help, they got Claudia lifted on it and started the trek back toward the chopper. Max unfolded a second litter, and waved for the remaining two girls to come out into the open. Kim and Sammie made it out okay; Kim assisted Max in getting Vanessa onto the second litter. Once Vanessa was secured, they all started back behind Spenser and Greene. The chopper took off and sped toward the carrier with all due haste, to get its precious cargo home swiftly.

“This has to be some kind of gambit…but for what gain,” Henry asked aloud.

“I think we’re about to find out, sir,” Erin, the communications officer, said. “Incoming transmission from the aircraft carrier parked out yonder.”

“Patch it through.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Henry, it’s been a while since we last spoke,” Maistroff began.

“If I wanted more empty platitudes, Vaclav, I’d go to a Minmei concert,” Henry retorted. “What unholy sins have I committed to rate a call from you?”

“I merely wished to discuss terms of surrender, Henry.”

“Good. You can start by…”

“Not mine, YOURS! You have to see that your situation is helpless; you’re surrounded, your airfields are destroyed, and your senior officers are missing. You’re only delaying the inevitable.”

“This coming from the man that caused all of those situations to happen. What makes you think I’ll grant you that satisfaction?”

“Think of me as a humanitarian, Henry; I don’t want to kill my fellow man, merely the Zentraedi infestation.”

“Unless you offer yourself over to me with a full confession and apology for your actions, Vaclav, I don’t want to hear any of it,” Henry concluded, giving the comm. officer a sharp look. She instantly switched channels away from Maistroff to Skull Leader.

“Rick, reform your squadrons and take out that carrier. Maistroff is on there, and if you sink him, those forces out there have nowhere to rally to or get direction from,” Henry ordered.

“Aye, sir.”

“The main cannon is currently aiming at the air armada, so we can’t use it to assist you against the ship. But Vice Admiral Gates tells me that you should have two waves of reinforcements in your sector right about…NOW.”

“Skull Leader to Arrow Leader, welcome aboard, Rusty. Now let’s be charitable and give that ship some extra munitions we won’t be needing.”

“Beats trying to sell them on eBay, Skull Leader.”

They swung their flight lines towards the ship off in the harbor.

State = Continuará/To Be Continue

feedback = Sí/Yes

email = Lightsaber01ATHotmail.com