First Strike - An Earth@War Novel
Chapter 10

ESS Nile River (C-94)

Omar System

June 6, 2487, 0512 UT

ESS Nile River slowed as she entered the Omar System, flanked by the destroyers ESS Egypt (D-845) and ESS Finland (D-846). Nile River, commissioned in 2463 and both destroyers, commissioned in 2465, were among the oldest ships in the Navy. All three ships had fought together at Masic Point and it was fitting that all three would once again fight together at Omar. The ships sped past Omar VIII, seemingly undetected by the Batronian ships. Maybe they just aren’t looking, thought Captain Joseph Clark, Commanding Officer of Nile River. Maybe they are overconfident. The ship was large compared to the two destroyers. She was 910 feet long with a 225-foot beam. Her primary weapons, two 325-mm gun turrets, were more than capable of punching holes into even the thickest armor of an enemy ship. Like his ship, Captain Clark, a large man at 6’4” and 245 pounds, had served at Masic Point. Nile River was at General Quarters as were the two destroyers

“Sir, we will be in range of the 325-mm guns in four minutes,” the Quartermaster of the Watch reported.

“Very well,” the Captain acknowledged, his heart pounding as he relived the days of combat.

“Sir, Egypt and Finland report they are within missile range,” the Communications Officer reported over the comm unit from the Communications Shack.

“Have them target the closest carrier and hold fire until we open fire with the main gun,” the Captain said.

Clark analyzed the Batronian force. Fortunately, for Nile River and the destroyers, the Batronians were set up to protect their ships for an attack from Omar IV. The carriers were stationed in a high orbit with the destroyers and cruisers orbiting between the carriers and the planet. This left the carriers open to an attack from Nile River’s position. As Nile River approached Omar VI, the Batronians appeared to finally notice.

“Captain, firing range in two minutes,” the Quartermaster reported

Command Center

Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 0814 Local, 0514 UT

“Ma’am, ESS Nile River, ESS Egypt and ESS Finland are passing Omar VI enroute to enemy positions,” a Third Class Sensor Technician reported. Unlike the commands located on Naval Base Quebec, the ships were not under her direct control. Earth’s spaceships always maintained an independent command to allow decisions to made on the ship by its Commanding Officer allowing him to act on his own authority. The ships were notifying her as a courtesy, not seeking her permission. Still, the ships were the best weapons that were available at the time to try to repel the Batronian invasion.

“Very well,” Captain Harrington said. Over the last 40 minutes, she had managed to get more naval personnel to man the BA-75s and SL-21s that had been manned by the Third Regiment, who had abandoned them when they moved out for Zelerod. “Can we wend some spacecraft to support them?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the Commander of the Fifteenth Attack Wing said as he moved to a comm unit.

ESS Nile River (C-94)

Omar System

June 6, 2487, 0516 UT

Gunner’s Mate First Class Bill Phillips was the gun crew leader for Turret One, the forward 325-mm gun aboard Nile River. The 34-year-old from Laos Beach, Kylar II led a crew of two other Gunner’s Mates in the turret. Unlike smaller gun mounts, turrets required multiple personnel. One person controlled the orientation of the gun, another controlling elevation and a leader who controlled the targeting computer and actually fired the gun.

“Left five,” Bill ordered. The Third Class Gunner’s Mate handling the orientation controls brought the gun slightly to the left.

On the bridge, Captain Clark watched the sensor display. “In range,” the Quartermaster reported.

“Open fire,” the Captain ordered. The Officer of the Deck relayed the order to the Combat Information Center. From there, the order was given to the gun turrets.

In Turret One, Phillips heard, “fire at will,” over his headset. He checked the targeting computer. “Up two,” he ordered the Gunner’s Mate Apprentice on the elevation controls. The barrel of the huge gun moved up slowly and Bill pulled the trigger. For the first time in twenty years, Nile River fired a shot in anger. The 325-mm bolt slammed into the side of the enemy carrier, rocking the ship, although not causing any significant damage.

Bill waited, listening as the gun recharged. A green light came on indicating the gun was ready and Bill fired the gun again, this time punching a hole in the hanger bay. Bodies and other debris were vented through the hole.

“Right two, up one,” Bill ordered as he prepared to fire again.

On the bridge, Captain Clark watched as the enemy destroyers began moving trying to get between his ship and the carrier. Missiles from both of Earth’s destroyers streaked out toward the carrier. Only two missiles were fooled by the decoys the Batronian ship released. The other six found their mark. Explosions appeared on the carrier, silently observed from the bridge of Nile River.

In Turret One, Bill Phillips fired the gun as quickly as the gun could recharge, while the other two Gunner’s Mates performed perfectly, adjusting as soon as Bill ordered them. The gun managed a dozen hits in the first minute of the battle.

The carrier, heavily damaged by missiles and gun fire, pulled out of orbit and began to move away from Nile River.

Ground Transport

Enroute to Zelerod

June 6, 2487, 0820 Local, 0520 UT

The ground transport raced along the road, heading from Naval Base Quebec toward Zelerod. The men in the transport were sitting quietly with no knowledge of the battle raging in space above them. Dave Robert’s hands were visibly shaking. He was trying to keep anyone else from noticing, but of course, Phil did. He looked down, avoiding eye contact when he realized that Phil had noticed.

“Don’t worry, I’m nervous, too,” Phil said. But, the black man had his rifle laying on his lap and looked perfectly calm to Dave. His hands were steady and his jaw fixed with a look of determination not fear.

“You don’t seem nervous,” Dave said.

“Shit, you’d have to be nuts not to be scared. This isn’t like training. Everyone in here is scared. But, we all have each other’s back and we’ll get it done,” Phil said.

Dave looked down and thought for a minute. “Did you see that guy’s leg?”

“Yeah, I saw it,” Phil said looking up. “It was terrible.”

“Do you think we’ll ever get used to seeing stuff like that?”

Phil thought for a moment, then turned and faced Dave. “I sure hope not,” he replied.

ESS Nile River (C-94)

Omar System

June 6, 2487, 0521 UT

As he watched the carrier move away, Captain Clark saw six Batronian destroyers heading toward the three ships from Earth. But, they seemed to be holding back for some reason.

“Come right to 165 by 040,” Clark ordered turning the cruiser toward the enemy ships. The Captain keyed the comm unit to CIC. “Target those destroyers” the Captain ordered. Laser bolts shot out of the two turrets, striking two of the destroyers. Incredibly, the destroyers slowed even further. What are they doing? Joseph Clark asked himself.

“Captain, missiles inbound from multiple headings! Sir we have at least four stealth ships firing missiles at us!” the Lieutenant monitoring the Sensor Display announced.

Shit, I should have thought about stealth ships, Clark thought heading for the sensor display. Stealth ships hadn’t existed during the War at Masic Point and not considering them during the battle may have been the result of the Captain’s prior combat experience. The sensor display showed sixteen missiles heading toward the three ships. “Decoys! Bow thrusters down full! Main thrusters ahead full!”

The ship began to move down. Captain Clark saw the two destroyers taking evasive action as well. Too many, Clark realized as the first missile hit Nile River. The three veteran ships never had a chance. After surviving Masic Point, they were destroyed at Omar by ships they couldn’t see.

ESS Mexico (D-866)

Near Omar System

June 6, 2487, 0525 UT

Captain James Allen shared the shock of the loss of ESS Nile River and the two destroyers with the rest of the bridge crew. The four ships had been stationed together at Omar IV for almost ten months and the officers and crews of all four ships knew each other and often took liberty together. The mood on the bridge turned somber.

“Captain, I have a message,” the Messenger of the Watch announced as he handed the message to Captain Allen.

0606248705156

From: Commander Fourth Fleet

To: Commanding Officer, ESS Mexico (D-866)

CC: Commander Task Force One

Subj: Order to ESS Mexico (D-866)

1. Maintain position outside the Omar system. Do not enter

the system.

2. Monitor all Batronian activity as safety permits.

3. Report to Commander of Task Force One upon his arrival.

Captain Allen found it a hard pill to swallow that he was so close to the battle, and yet, unable to help. Especially when so many people were dying.

Personal Vehicle

Near Malyn, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 0927 Local, 0627 UT

When the Batronian soldiers first arrived in the Village of Lansing, Jack Mitchell had hidden in the woods near his home and observed them from a distance, using his binoculars. The Batronians had assembled the people living in the village, killing several who did not react as quickly as they wanted. It had taken every ounce of Jack’s self-control not to go in firing away with his handgun. After the village’s inhabitants were rounded up, the Batronians ransacked the homes, including Jack’s own home. Julie would have rolled over in her grave if she had seen this, Jack thought.

The main road leading out of Lansing ran almost directly north before splitting to the northeast and the northwest, and each branch linked with the east-west road that connected Zelerod to the east and Malyn to the west. Because of his position, Jack was able to get to his personal vehicle and follow what appeared to be a regiment of soldiers heading toward Malyn. He had noted that another regiment was heading toward Zelerod, which left the remain regiment in Lansing.

Now, just an hour and a half later, Jack watched the Batronians as they entered Malyn. Malyn was one of the four larger cities on Omar IV with a population of about 75,000. Before entering the city, the Batronians had fired artillery rounds into the city for close to half an hour. They were joined by Batronian spacecraft which bombed Malyn as well. There seemed to be no reason for this, since the only military units on Omar IV were stationed at Naval Base Quebec, which was on the other side of the continent. Following the bombing, the Batronians entered Malyn, which offered no resistance. Jack watched from the woods and then crawled over to his private vehicle. He decided to risk using the comm unit in it.

Command Center

Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 0938 Local, 0638 UT

“Ma’am, Mater Chief Mitchell is back on the comm,” the Communications Officer told Captain Amber Harrington

“Mater Chief, do you have something?” Amber asked with the comm unit on speaker.

“Yes ma’am. A regiment of Batronian soldiers has occupied Malyn,” Jack said.

“Okay, what about casualties?”

“There will be many. They bombed the ship and fired artillery for at least a half an hour, probably to take the fight out of them. It sure worked. I saw absolutely no resistance.”

“Okay. Anything else?” Amber asked.

“They have another regiment heading toward Zelerod and one still at Lansing. I would assume they are holding it in reserve for reinforcements because holding Lansing cannot be a priority,” the Master Chief said. He paused for a moment while he considered the situation. “I sure hope we have something planned, ma’am.”

“We do, Master Chief,” Captain Harrington replied.

Naval Space Center

Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 0948 Local, 0648 UT

The twelve attack craft took off and formed up with the 24 fighter escorts. They turned southwest deliberately choosing a flight path over Zelerod to show the people living in the capital that the Navy was defending the planet and allow them a small measure of comfort. It took the spacecraft just four minutes to reach and pass over Zelerod. Then they flew over the Third Regiment and quickly located the Batronians moving in armored vehicles toward Zelerod.

The twelve attack spacecraft dove at the armored vehicles releasing M-31 missiles used for attacking ground positions. Explosions disrupted the Batronian lines and soldiers poured out of the ground transports. Six armored vehicles and three tanks were destroyed. The spacecraft circled around and dove again on the enemy positions, this time dropping bombs on the enemy. Two more armored vehicles were destroyed and dozens of Batronians were killed as the spacecraft circled around for another pass.

Third Regiment/First Battalion/Company C/First Platoon

Five Miles West of Zelerod, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 0953 Local, 0653 UT

Sergeant Pachenko watched the attack craft bombing the enemy who were about three miles away. His adrenaline was pumping as he moved from position to position checking on the troops in his platoon. Despite his seniority, this would be his first time in combat and he was just as nervous as the young troopers under his command. The more he looked at his platoon’s position, the more he liked it. His platoon was set up 150 yards south of the main road, on an incline of about twenty feet above the road. This gave them the high ground and, with the cover from the trees, it was an excellent position from which to ambush the enemy.

Pavlo Pachenko watched as the attack craft began bombing the enemy again. Three more miles. It wouldn’t be long.

Armored Vehicle

Five Miles West of Zelerod, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 0955 Local, 0655 UT

Colonel Byron Nelson observed the bombing of the Batronian forces from his armored vehicle just a half a mile further to the east than Sergeant Pachenko making Colonel Nelson just a little further from the enemy. Colonel Nelson watched as the spacecraft finished their attack, bank and headed back to the Space Center.

“Let’s get some artillery fire on their positions,” the Colonel yelled to a Private manning the comm unit.

“Yes, sir,” the Private replied. Three minutes later, mortar rounds flew overhead from behind Nelson’s position and into the Batronians.

Command Center

Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 1012 Local, 0712 UT

Captain Harrington was trying to keep track of her available resources so that she could continue to hit the Batronians at multiple locations and in different ways. For the time being, she realized, she would have to leave their ships alone and concentrate on maintaining control of ground positions. When she received a report of Batronian spacecraft inbound for the Third Regiment’s position, she immediately ordered all available fighters from the Thirteenth Fighter Wing to get airborne and protect the limited number of ground troops she had. The Third Regiment had consisted of only 648 troopers to try and contain a full division of Batronians, an over three to one advantage for the enemy.

Third Regiment/First Battalion/Company C/First Platoon

Five Miles West of Zelerod, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 1028 Local, 0728 UT

Sergeant Pachenko made his rounds to each position. “Fire only when order,” he told each pair of men. “If anyone fires before I order, I will hang them personally.”

As they hunkered down, Dave felt Phil elbow him. Dave looked over at Phil, who was pointing toward the road, his eyes wide. Batronian soldiers were making their way down the road in two columns, carrying their weapons at port arms. Dave shouldered his L-29, taking aim and flipping the fire control switch to full auto. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Phil taking aim as well. Dave was sweating heavily, nerves rattled as he watched the enemy soldiers. He noticed that he was holding his breath and had to remind himself to take steady breaths.

Dave began silently praying, trying not to move a muscle because he was afraid to make a sound. He saw that Phil had three fresh power packs laying out on the ground beside him rather than in his vest like Dave had. What a smart idea? Dave thought as he pulled two packs out and laid them out as Phil had. He again took aim on the Batronian troops. He had the first Batronian in the near column in his sights.

“Open fire!” Sergeant Pachenko yelled.

Dave squeezed his trigger, seeping back and forth at the Batronians. Laser bolts slammed into the Batronian soldiers from several angles. Dave watched several fall from his bolts. The Batronians seemed to be caught completely off guard as bolts flashed from Company B on the other side of the road. Dave heard screams of pain and shouts of orders in a language that he couldn’t understand, Dave changed his power pack automatically as soon as he drained the first one. Still on auto, he opened fire again, quickly draining a second power pack.

The enemy fell back, moving west, leaving bodies lying on the road. Dave switched his rifle to single fire mode and loaded a fresh power pack. He fired at any Batronian laying on the road who appeared to move. Fewer bolts were fired as the enemy pulled back out of range.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!” yelled Sergeant Pachenko as he surveyed the area. The enemy was no longer firing. The ones on the road appeared motionless. Still, there were only about three dozen bodies in the road and from his position, it was difficult to see where the Batronians that pulled back went. He looked through his binoculars, thinking for several moments before deciding. “Okay, First Squad with me. Second and Third Squads, cover us.”

Dave and Phil grabbed their empty power packs, stashed them and left the safety of their cover joining up with the rest of the squad. The eight men, led by Sergeant Pachenko, began making their way down to the road.

ESS Iwo Jima (AS-38)

1360 AMU from Omar

June 6, 2487, 0735 UT

The forward troop berthing compartment on Iwo Jima was eerily quiet as the seventy plus members of Company A of Second Battalion prepared their packs. They cleaned their rifles and packed extra power packs. And, of course, they waited to hear what was happening on Omar IV. Word had reached the ship a few minutes ago that Third Regiment had engaged the enemy on the ground. Max sat praying for Dave and Phil. It was hard to believe that it had been less than three weeks since the three of them had left Mars together.

Third Regiment/First Battalion/Company C/First Platoon

Five Miles West of Zelerod, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 1038 Local, 0738 UT

At the edge of the woods, Dave, Phil and the others were forced to break cover and move out onto the road. Rifles shouldered, they moved quickly, men pairing off and watching in all directions. There was no one in sight. About three quarters of a mile from their position, the road turned to the left, obstructing their views.

“Start searching the bodies and see if you can find anything useful,” Sergeant Pachenko ordered.

Phil knelt by one of the bodies. It was the first time he had seen a Batronian up close. He was surprised at how tall they were. The one he was searching had to be at least 6’10”. He had also never touched a dead body before. He found nothing of interest on the first body and moved toward the next one. As he was searching the second body, bolts of incoming laser fire zipped around him.

“Take cover!” Sergeant Pachenko ordered. The squad dove into a ditch that ran along the south side of the road. The remainder of First Platoon fired from their positions above First Squad. Phil opened fire on the enemy troops who were on the northside of the road, west of his positions, using a tree line for cover. The Batronians were near the limit of his L-29’s range.

“We need to advance! Stay low!” Sergeant Pachenko ordered. The squad belly crawled along the ditch slowly advancing on the enemy. Getting into position, Phil began firing on the enemy, but the Batronians had great cover and he couldn’t tell whether his rounds were hitting anyone.

“We need artillery!” Sergeant Pachenko yelled into the earpiece that served as a comm unit. As he was giving targeting information, a bolt hit his left shoulder driving him to the ground. “Son of a bitch!” he yelled grabbing his shoulder.

Phil was to the right of the Sergeant when he was hit. Immediately, Phil made his way over to the Sergeant, keeping low as the Batronians continued to fire at the men in the ditch. Phil saw that Pachenko’s wound wasn’t as bad as it could have been. The bolt had passed through his shoulder. The wound was cauterized so there was little blood. Removing a patch from the Sergeant’s first aid kit (“Don’t use your first aid kit to treat others. Use theirs or you won’t have what you need when you get your ass shot!” Sergeant Blake, the Drill Instructor at bootcamp had driven into their heads.), Phil covered the Sergeant’s wound the best he could while ducking from incoming fire. As he worked, mortar rounds passed over his head, exploding into the woods across the road.

“Fifty yards left!” the Sergeant yelled into his earpiece.

Dave, was still firing at the enemy and unaware that Sergeant Pachenko had been wounded when mortar fire began pouring down on the Batronians’ position. Almost immediately, the rate of incoming fire became significantly less.

“Alright, pull back to our original positions,” Sergeant Pachenko ordered.

Dave began to move, keeping his head down, joining the others as they climbed out of the ditch and made their way up the hill. Though the rate of incoming fire was low, suppressed by the artillery fire, some bolts were still being fired at First Squad as they moved toward the tree line. A bolt hit the trooper in front of Dave squarely in the back and the trooper fell silently. Dave moved up to him and rolled him over. The Private’s eyes stared blankly ahead. Dave checked for a pulse and found none. He managed to get the dead man over his shoulders and carried him up the hill. Dave left the trooper behind the line and joined Phil back in their position on the line.

Naval Space Center

Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 1049 Local, 0739 UT

As soon as spacecraft touched down at the Space Center, dozens of personnel descended on it. Pilots were helped out of the spacecraft to allow them to grab food, water and use the head while their spacecraft was serviced. As soon as the pilots were cleared, refueling began. Once the craft was refueled, Ordinance Technicians driving large red vehicles carrying missiles and bombs for the spacecraft moved in to rearm it. Maintenance Technicians checked for damage to the body of the craft, making temporary repairs as needed. An hour after setting down, the spacecraft was refueled, rearmed and ready for the pilot to return for the next mission.

Unfortunately, more and more spacecraft were returning that were too heavily damaged to be repaired or simply not returning at all. The Thirteenth Fighter Wing had lost a number of fighters and a dozen or so were too damaged to fly. They continued to fly cover over the Naval Base, but now a call had come for a new mission. Nearby an AWC-2 Advanced Warning Craft took off escorted by SF-112s.

Command Center

Naval Base Quebec, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 1056 Local, 0756 UT

“Eagle Eyes is over the ground troops,” a Communications Technician Apprentice reported.

“Very well. Tell him to contact Colonel Nelson on 182.6 and give the Colonel whatever he wants,” Captain Harrington ordered.

“Aye, ma’am,” the technician replied.

Third Regiment/First Battalion/Company C/First Platoon

Five Miles West of Zelerod, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 1112 Local, 0812 UT

Dave and Phil were in a foxhole waiting for the action to begin again. The body Dave had brought back was no longer where he left it, apparently having been moved off the battlefield. While there was no incoming fire at the position and the road below was clear, they could hear fire north of the road. Company B was obviously engaging the enemy somewhere. The sun was overhead now and despite the shade of the trees, it was becoming hot. And it was becoming humid. Add to that the stress of combat and the troopers of First Platoon were soaked in sweat. Despite everything, First Platoon was in good shape. They had lost only one man while two others, including Sergeant Pachinko, had relatively minor wounds.

Dave took a long drink from his canteen as his eyes scanned for the enemy.

Armored Vehicle

Five Miles West of Zelerod, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 1128 Local, 0828 UT

“Regiment Commander, Eagle Eyes. The Batronians are making another push both on the north and south sides of the road. Estimated strength is 450 troops,” the voice said over the comm unit reporting what was being seen from the AWC-2.

“Very well,” acknowledged Colonel Nelson. He turned to the Communication Technician on the Unit comm. “Pass the word along.”

“Aye, sir,” came the reply.

Third Regiment/First Battalion/Company C/First Platoon

Five Miles West of Zelerod, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 1135 Local, 0835 UT

Dave Roberts saw the Batronians advancing down the road and opened fire. Several of the Batronians fell while the others ran from the road and into the woods below his position. Bolts hit the sandbags stacked in front of the foxhole that protected him and Phil with a large smack. Dust rose from the bags as the bolts struck them. A cry from somewhere off to his right indicated someone in the platoon had been hit.

“They’re on our left flank!” Phil Moore shouted as he turned left and started firing. There wasn’t as much protection from incoming fire from that direction and bolts were soon flying over Phil’s head. He dropped down on his belly blindly returning fire.

“We’re being flanked! I need artillery!” Sergeant Pachenko yelled into the earpiece as he joined Dave and Phil and began firing himself.

Phil changed his charge pack and once again fired to his left. He was still firing blind, but his primary goal for now was suppressing the enemy’s fire.

Dave was not firing blindly from his position. He could see the Batronians advancing from the road toward his position. There were so many of them that it seemed he could never stop them all. But then, artillery fire slammed into the Batronians. Many went down, but several continued to advance.

“I need help!” Dave yelled.

Phil repositioned himself closer to Dave. He could now see the Batronians less than fifty yards away, slightly downhill. Phil toggled his L-29 to full auto and fired a long burst into the enemy. More artillery rounds fell as Phil changed his charge pack. Sergeant Pachenko joined Dave and Phil, firing at the Batronians with deadly accuracy. As the Batronians continued to close, Sergeant Pachenko threw two grenades, killing three Batronians and forcing the remaining Batronians to retreat down the hill. As the incoming fire slowed, Dave and Phil switched back to single fire mode to conserve charge packs. Over the next ten minutes, the firefight reduced greatly in intensity and finally ended.

AWC-2

In air, Seven Miles West of Zelerod, Omar IV

June 6, 2487, 1208 Local, 0908 UT

The pilot banked the spacecraft looking down at the battlefield. The AWC-2 had been providing targeting information for artillery fire as well monitoring troop movements for the command units on the ground.

“Looks like their withdrawing,” the pilot reported as they watched the enemy continue to pull back from their positions. The pilot could see that the Batronians had lost about a quarter of the regiment that had engaged the humans and it was obvious that the Third Regiment had lost a lot less. “They are out of artillery range. Better call it in.”

In the rear of the spacecraft, a team of six Sensor Technicians and four Communications Technicians worked in the dim lighting. One of the Communications Technicians updated Colonel Nelson of the enemy’s position.

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