Iron Angels: Titans on Deck (Ep4)
Five blocks from the edge of Machida, the comm started to clear. I called in the sit-rep. “LZ-4; Echo-1. Intel relay from 3rd—enemy column is only the vanguard. Larger force advancing. Prepare for major assault.”
“Understood, Echo. Bring it in. Do not engage!”
There was no mistaking the crusty voice crackling back through the dissipating static. Colonel Michael Harris. Good man; great leader, but his lack of urgency made me wonder if the message had gotten garbled in the fuzz. “LZ-4; Echo-1. I repeat… Enemy column is—”
“Heard you the first time, Hugo. Now clear the channel and bring it in. Triple-time!”
Guess not. “Copy that, Four. Echo en route. ETA fifty mikes.”
We cleared the city and kicked up the gears as we came into the open. Machida shrunk in my the rear-view panel as we sprinted across the twenty miles of flatland that buffered LZ-4 from the city. Goddamn no man’s land, or had been until today. Come morning, someone was gonna own this space. And there was only one way the Angels would give it up.
We reached the LZ as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the fortified encampment. The place was abuzz, the air filled with sounds of machinery and shouted orders. Engineers and medics scrambled about with a new sense of urgency—reinforcing barriers, prepping stations for the wounded. Looked like they expected a lot of wounded.
Harris was walking out to greet us on deck as we dismounted our Jacks. “Hugo,” he called, emphasizing the ‘-go’ like he always did on greeting. I dropped off the boarding ladder, skipping the last three rungs. My boots landed hard on the packed dirt, and my knees didn’t hesitate to reminded me of my age.
Lines of exhaustion were etched in Harris’ face, but his eyes were sharp as ever. “Welcome back, Echo.” He tipped me a nod and extended a firm hand, looking the rest of the squad over. His gazed locked on Murphy, still descending his ladder. “Gunnery Sergeant Murphy!? Get your ass back in the infirmary. Right now.”
“Yes, sir!” said Murphy, as he hopped off the last rung. He shot me a smirk and shrugged, then slung his gear over his shoulder and headed off.
Confusion rippled my face. I was just about ask when Harris spun around.
“Did you know Doc sidelined him for a concussion and three bruised ribs he picked up in that skirm yesterday?”
“What?” I said, looking past Harris. “Goddamn it, Murphy!”
“Sorry, Boss!” he called back over his shoulder.
Harris’ stern eyes were still fixed on me, waiting for an answer.
“Of course I didn’t.”
He stared, like he wasn’t buying it.
“Seriously, Mike?”
Harris sighed with a shake of his head. “I don’t have time for your crap, Hugo.” He turned and started toward the main camp. “Come on. I’ll fill you in on the way.”
It was clear the “you” meant me, and judging from his line, he was heading for the tactical operations center. “Get some chow,” I told Topper, Cam, and Mu, thumbing at the Mess. It’d been a nine-hour run; we were all starving. “I’ll find you when I’m done in the TOC—shouldn’t take long.”
I jog-stepped to catch up with Harris then matched his brisk pace. He didn’t look my way, just started talking as I pulled up alongside.
“Allied finally broke through in the Pacific—the AFS Unity’s heading our way now, which seems to have gotten us some priority on the sat feed.” He pointed up into orbit, as if I needed the reference. “That’s how we knew about the main element chasing the vanguard. Didn’t want to mention that over comm.”
“We were secure,” I said, brow furled.
Harris snorted. “As can be.” He looked my way. “Still… don’t like broadcasting criticals unless I have to.”
I nodded. The logic was sound. “Well it’s just us now, so… What’s the play, Mike?”
“Fifteen hours till the Unity makes port.” Harris slowed the pace. “They’ll launch air support as soon as they come in range. So… Twelve…thirteen. That’s how long we need to hold.” He crept to a halt, looking around the LZ as if assessing Four’s readiness. “A hundred and thirty-two days holding this patch of dirt.” He exhaled, long and hard. “And now it all comes down to this.”
Controlled chaos best described the atmosphere around the zone. Teams of mechanics and engineers swarmed a formation of parked Jacks. Their floodlights cast stark shadows over the mechanical giants as they ran diagnostics and made last-minute repairs, random units momentarily came to life with a whir of servos and the hum of engines.
“Do we know what’s coming?” I asked, surveying the garrison with a critical eye.
His shoulders heaved. “They’re kicking up a lot dust…smoking along the way, but looks like about forty…fifty autos.”
Figures. Mech units had become standard issue on the front lines of battle, but unlike the Allied Forces, most corporate nations relied heavily on autonomous heavies, and Dytech was no different. If we could offset their numbers, they’d be easy pickins. My head bobbed as I took it all in, the sims running in my mind.
Point-defense was online around the perimeter, and the manned-towers were formidable and well-armed. Several drones were already in the air, and the south wall looked strong and tidy. East Gate was the weak point, a patchwork of hastily prepared fortifications. But overall, we didn’t look too bad.
“Autos all they got? I asked, thinking maybe we’d caught a break.
“The bi-peds,” he replied, in a tone that forecast the hammer about to fall. “Looks like three super-heavies supporting them, though.
I sighed and turned in. The weight of concern must have shown on my face.
“Believe me…. I know,” said Harris. “But it is what it is, so…”
“Angels.”
“Damn right,” he said with a huff. “We don’t quit.” He looked back at the TOC, like he’d had a change of mind then slapped my shoulder. “That’s pretty much it. Go be with your squad—get some chow, make sure their heads are in the right place.” He twirled a finger in the air. “We’ll sound it, when the time comes.”
“Copy that,” I said with a quick two-finger salute. I headed off and was settling into my step when Harris snapped his fingers.
“Oh, Hugo? Almost forgot… See Jathe when you get back to the pool. His monkey’s have been working round-clock bringing units online. Had him sandbag five Titans. I want Echo in ‘em.”
A huge smile crept across my face. “Thanks, Mike!”
He waved it off then turned to enter the TOC, yelling back over his shoulder. “You can thank me by making me proud, Hugo!”
The hatch slid shut, and I chuckled to myself as I headed off to find my crew. A good man, indeed.