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"Right. Button up and stay buttoned. Andy, get me the Eighteenth."
"Eighteenth Brotherhood, Wilson."
"Wilson, they'll be battering hell out of your old position. Get down and stay down. When the bombardment's over, continue your withdrawal."
"Sir, we'd like to go after them."
"Negative. Your mission is to stay intact and stay alive. Just by existing you keep the bastards in the sack they put themselves in. They thought they'd fight through you. They don't know you're still organized and on their flank."
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Good man. Hang in there."
WhumpWhumpWhumpWhump-the bursting charges of the rockets went on longer this time, much longer. The aching moment of comparative silence, and then the long roar of white noise. The sound of the wire shrapnel hitting the sides of the command car was like being inside a steel bucket that was being sandblasted. The seven tons of armor rocked back and forward as the bomblets cascaded off its hull.
A much louder explosion, and for a moment he thought the command van would turn over.
"Sastri here. We lost one of the one-sixty-mm's, something hit the ready ammunition in the pit with the tube," he said. A hint of real pain this time; like most gu
"Stand by to flash the Eighteenth's former area. They'll learn in a minute that they aren't the only ones who can be clever."
"Sir, I have the Third Brotherhood on the push. Secure."
"Owensford here."
"Colonel, they-there was at least a company of them, we ran right into them while the gas attack was on, what shall I do?"
"Stop them," Owensford said. "You know where they are, you still outnumber them, just stop them.
Don't let them through, and it won't be long. Henderson, I gather you went to their support. Report."
"Sir. Fifteen percent casualties."
"Gas situation?"
"We're all right. The Third Brotherhood took some heavy losses. Lot of them down, still alive."
"Leave 'em for the medics. If you don't hold that position, they'll all be dead anyway. Ru
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Consolidate your present position, mop up those hostiles who are giving the Third trouble, then push directly south down the valley towards me, keeping the armored cars on your western flank as close to the forest as possible. Hit the force that's blocking McLaren, and roll in on the rear of the people attacking the Eighteenth Brotherhood's old encampment from the valley."
"Sir."
"Morrentes here, Colonel, the rebs are over the wire, they're over the wire, I've lost two of my observation outposts and Firebase One isn't reporting, they're using some sort of precision-guided light missile, laser or optical or something they're flying them right through the firing slits of our bunkers-"
"It's a damned good thing you're not in them, then. Calm down, Morrentes." Peter watched as data flowed into the map table. The scouts were doing their job, the river base was sending data. A wedge, right through the eastern perimeter of the base, driving straight for the CP and the artillery.
"You can't let them get the artillery, or we've all had it. I know we scattered your troops, now collect what you've got left and get ready to counterattack. Defend those guns. You're to hold them until Barton gets there. Less than an hour."
"Yes sir."
"Good man. Out. Ace?"
"On the river, Pete. They tried to stop us, but we had a surprise for them. ETA as per."
"Thank you."
More bomblets rattled against the command caravan. "The great thing," Peter said to no one in particular, "the great thing is not to lose your nerve."
The third wave of enemy rockets had stopped. The ridge outside was almost swept clean of snow, littered with dead men and mules-others were limping or ru
It was time.
Whunf. The 106mm recoilless gun crashed, igniting the brush behind it. The shell hammered up a gout of dirt two hundred meters ahead, and a platoon of Helot infantry threw themselves forward on the position.
"Keep moving, keep moving!" Niles said again; his throat was hoarse, but it was not safe yet to take off the gas filters; water seemed like a dream of paradise, and rancid sweat soaked his uniform inside the armor, chilling when it came into contact with the outside air.
He dashed forward himself. His troops were firing wildly, charging forward, in among the enemy bunkers- No one was shooting back. The Royalists must have been stu
"Kolnikov!"
"Platoon Leader ben Bella here, sir. Company Leader Kolnikov's dead."
Oh, sodding hell. He had been one of their CD men; only a Garrison Marine officer, but competent in a humorless Russian way.
"Are you in contact with Sickle elements?"
"Yes, sir. They're considerably disorganized, sir, the Fifty-first Brotherhood mauled them pretty bad before they withdrew."
"Well, get them organized, man!"
CRUMP. Shockwave, another, like hammer blows. Downslope a dozen more tall flowers of dirt with sparls of fire blossoming at their hearts. The enemy 160mm's were back in action-astonishing, with the intensity of the bombardment they'd just gone through-and that used up the last of our rocket ammunition. Bloody hell.
The last Helot elements burst out of the wood, a wave a hundred men strong. Niles gri
"INCOMING!"
The troops ran to the enemy bunkers.
"Fuck all, there's nobody here!"
"Empty! No bodies, nothing!"
"INCOMING!"
"Take cover!"
Nlles ran toward the nearest bunker, then stopped. "Stay out of those bunkers!" he screamed. "Stay out, it's a trap, it's a trap!" Too late. His men were diving into the bunkers as the enemy artillery came in.
He dove to the ground and tried to make himself small, as bomblets and VT fell around him.
Empty bunkers. Royalist artillery registered on this position, ready to fire as soon as he got here. They'd known he was coming, and that meant that the bunkers- A bunker ten yards to his left exploded in fire. Then another. And another.
Mines. Command detonated mines. The artillery bombardment continued, as one by one the bunkers exploded in fire and white phosphorus, and Niles's command disintegrated.
Skida Thibodeau dodged behind a lacework of fallen trees and turned her binoculars on the main enemy base down below at the river. Floating curves of fire reached out towards her. While Icepick fought its way through the valley, the headquarters guards units had moved parallel to them. At the last moment she came in from the North in the only helicopter available, flying low to the ground, a terrifying experience but it wasn't likely the distracted enemy would spot the machine before it dropped her off and went back to the base camp.
The Spartan river base was a semicircle backed on the river, lit like day now by burning timber, smashed wagons, the fires from the barges anchored by the shattered piers. Lights sparkled all around the perimeter of it, bulging inward here and there, bulging in furthest from the west, a wedge cut out of the half-pie. The wedge sent out licks of fire, flame-thrower fire, to the strongpoints holding out in its path.