Chapter Thirteen
They had been flying 20 feet off the ground for thirty minutes and the walls of the compound were still not in sight. Speed had to be greatly reduced for the attack run in order to keep control of the fighter planes. The sound of sand bouncing off the Pouncer had held his attention for the past half hour.
It was interrupted.
The sound of the explosion burst out loud, then quickly dissipated as the strike team sped away. Someone had been unable to keep control of their fighter and had crashed into the desert sands. He had lost a pilot.
“Oh shit," Nehemiah’s voice shot through the com.
“Control it, Nehemiah. Radio silence,” Daniel whispered into his com. “No time to worry about it right now, pilots. Keep your damn sticks steady.”
He looked down at his counter and watched another pilot’s life flicker away into a two-digit number. He didn’t even know who it was. He could tell by the size of the explosion that it wasn’t a rearming plane at least. But they couldn’t stop. They had to keep moving towards the compound.
“What the hell was that?” Kiel asked as he and Avahloh watched a quick flicker on the weather monitoring screen.
“What’s the ETA on the Heavy Weapons Team’s arrival to the front wall?” Avahloh asked.
“Seven minutes,” Kiel informed him.
“That will be too late.”
Ten minutes more passed and they could see the walls of the compound. Daniel’s blood began to race. He flipped his Weapons switch and went weapons hot. Jiggling his stick, he signaled the other pilots behind to do the same and slow their approach. Aircraft behind him mimicked the movement to relay the signal all the way to the aircrafts in the back. As they got closer, Daniel squinted his eyes. His eyes were not deceiving him. There was no replacement of the forward guns that had been destroyed by the previous mission. Luck had shined on them today.
A smile creased his face. Daniel swayed his Pouncer from left to right, signaling to the pilots to spread out into attack formation. The group spread into staggered rows. The three reload Pouncers idled back and set down a mile from where the action was to take place. After the formation was set, Daniel hit his switch.
“Weapons hot.” Daniel finally broke radio silence.
“Commander, there's almost no forward guns up top,” Rikki screamed out.
“Yeah, Commander, did they not expect us to come back?” Nehemiah asked.
“No telling. Maybe we caused more damage than we thought on our last run. Either way, it's time to open those gates for the ground troops. Of course the strategy has changed, which leaves us more ordinance for the gates. Rikki, Nehemiah, take care of whatever forward guns are remaining before they have time to spin up the side guns, and then join up with the gate assault."
"We're on it, Commander," Rikki said enthusiastically. She and Nehemiah sped up and split off from the group to tackle the guns.
"Just make sure you all leave us something to pounce on by the time we get back," Nehemiah said.
"Can't promise you that, Nehemiah. This should all go quicker than expected," Daniel joked. "Talia, make sure those reload planes have the second set of missiles ready to go.”
“We got you covered, Commander,” she reassured him.
“All aircrafts - weapons free.” Daniel gave the attack order. The first six Pouncers of the strike team lit up with stream after stream of missile fire. “Light ‘em up, people.”
Wave after wave of missiles struck the front gates, but Daniel could see no change in its strength other than a few falling pieces of rubble. The gates should have at least began to give behind the rubble in front of it.
“I think we’re beating our heads against a brick wall, literally, Commander,” Rikki said as she and Nehemiah joined the group.
“I’m starting to get the same idea,” Daniel agreed. “Hit them again.”
Missiles fired and explosions erupted until the First Wave’s missiles were expended. The wall still stood.
“First Wave, reload.”
The first two lines of six planes peeled off and the second rows pulled up and continued the missile assault. Daniel was confused. Their assessment of the wall’s strength couldn't have been that off.
“Here comes the first wave of aircrafts to reload, people,” Talia said to the reload team as the aircrafts grew closer in her cockpit window. “Make sure those missile loaders are set up and ready to go.”
Two sets of three personnel and missile loaders emerged from the cargo bay and down the ramp of each of the reload planes. First Wave flew behind them and set down.
Daniel jumped out of his fighter and looked back at the ongoing assault a mile away. Personnel quickly got busy rearming his Pouncer with more missiles.
“How long before all the Pouncers are rearmed?”
“Six minutes, sir,” one of the reload personnel informed him.
Daniel glanced back at the attack. It was a distant view. He climbed back up on his Pouncer and jumped in the cockpit, hitting the com.
"Thor, what's the situation up there?" He asked.
"Commander, these gates ain’t budging. Don't understand it, but will keep pounding away at it.”
"Nothing's changed?" Daniel asked.
"Not at all."
"Commander," Minerva's voice shot through the com. “I'm going to rise up and try to get a better assessment of the situation from another angle."
"No, you’re not!" Daniel shot back quickly. “Stay right where you're at, pilot, and keep to your assigned task."
"But Commander, there's got to be a reason," Minerva argued.
"If you dance forward or upward, you'll chance placing yourself in the line of fire of the active guns on the other walls. Right now, you got defilade, so keep your Pouncer where it's at, pilot," Daniel ordered.
"Roger that, Commander," Minerva conceded, the irritation apparent in her voice.
The walls to Central Command shook and soldiers and officers alike looked around confused.
“What the hell is that?” Coto asked.
“That is the strike force,” Avahloh replied calmly as he leaned with his elbows on the Holo table. “Hologram up, please.”
The hologram flickered up and Avahloh could see a small attack force sending wave after wave of missiles to his front door. “How long before the Heavy Weapons Team is at the front gates?” He asked.
Kiel conferred with Reik briefly. “Six minutes, 1st Narce,” Kiel informed.
"Is that the same six minutes as before, Commander?" Avahloh asked without looking up. "Has time stood still since these attack crafts have shown up?"
Kiel knew the sarcasm really didn't require a response.
"Sir, six minutes is the ETA offered to me,” Kiel said meekly. Reik was starting to get nervous. His impressive results of the wall did not mean he was saved from rebuke if His heavy Weapons team did not perform well. After what he just witnessed, he felt his head was now on a chopping block. The whole team was Corporation soldiers. He was slightly embarrassed by Corporation soldier’s response time. No doubt it was being compared to a Reapers' team possible response. He looked over to Coto. They both knew that this could possibly be very bad.
“Then we wait,” Avahloh said
“No other counter measures? You’re not concerned with the attack at the front gates?” Kiel asked.
“I am concerned, that is why the Heavy Weapons Team is on their way." Avahloh turned his head to Reik "The gates will hold.” Reik did find some comfort in the confidence of Avahloh's statement. Reik got on his com and began to communicate the urgency of the matter to the team.
Coto glared at Kiel. Kiel could tell that Coto wanted to give a different order, one that would result in immediate action, but he stayed frozen.