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Authors: Steven L. Hawk
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the other side, she evicted the occupant, a low-level administrator assigned to her agency, and looked to the north.
What she saw made her squeal with delight.
The sky was filled with thousands of carriers. Each one was either depositing, or had already deposited, its load of armed Minith soldiers.
"Oh, those poor sheep." She laughed.
CHAPTER 8
The carrier swept out of the mothership at last, and Grant got his first real view of the battlefield. The large, open space of the shipyard was littered with the burnt, twisted wreckage of downed alien carriers. Although he knew what those vehicles carried, he tried not to think of the loss of life each one represented. That could come after the fight—if he made it that far. For now, they were just the opponent in a kill-or-be-killed game of life or death.
Scattered among the downed hulks, he saw undamaged craft land and discharge scores of Minith foot soldiers. Several turned their weapons on the human carriers now flying fifty feet above their heads. Most were rushing toward the mothership, intent on taking it and any humans left aboard. They would be disappointed to find her empty of life.
He bid the ship adieu and wished her well. She had served humankind well over the past few years and she would be missed. He then turned his attention to the battle that had already entered the streets ahead. The four lanes they had selected formed a straight line from the shipyard to the Minith leader's supposed location. By now, he could have easily been moved from there, but Grant was counting on the Minith's overconfidence to work in his favor. The Minith held humanity with such disregard, they would likely never consider that Grant's forces could make it that far.
Once again, Grant considered taking his twenty carriers of infantry straight to their target and bypassing the ground troops. Again, he disregarded that idea. He could not leave them to fend for themselves. If the advance forces were correct, the Minith were massing their soldiers to the north and would not stand a chance without reinforcement from the soldiers in the carriers.
"Alpha One, come in."
"This is Alpha One, General."
"What are you seeing out there, Scott?"
"A lot more of the same, General. All fighters are down to pulse weapons," the pilot replied. Grant could hear the captain panting and grunting. Flying between those buildings, while putting effective fire on the enemy, took concentration. "So we have to fly lower to be effective… we're getting torched . . . two more crews are down… not sure how long this can last, General."
"Understood, Scott. Do the best you can. The reserve force is en route, and will be on the ground in five. In the meantime, can you send a couple of yours to the scout the north? I need to know what the enemy forces are like between us and the target. Over."
"Roger. Wait."
Grant listened as the captain ordered two of his pilots to break off their attacks and head north.
Two minutes later, as Grant's carrier entered the same street where Titan and his Telgorans were fighting, he received word back from the two pilots. It was not good.
"Sir, there are Minith ground forces all over the place to the north and more are arriving every second. It looks like they're putting every one of their soldiers in our path."
"Estimate on the number?" Grant asked. His head dropped in anticipation of the answer. Even with less than ninety minutes' notice, the Minith were responding much better than he had anticipated.
"We estimate at least twenty thousand, General."
Twenty thousand?
The five-to-one odds he had estimated had just jumped to twenty-to-one. Even higher, considering the losses they had already sustained.
"At least half of those are in the area immediately surrounding the target's residence, General."
The gig was up, Grant knew. They could not hope to push through that many of the
What she saw made her squeal with delight.
The sky was filled with thousands of carriers. Each one was either depositing, or had already deposited, its load of armed Minith soldiers.
"Oh, those poor sheep." She laughed.
CHAPTER 8
The carrier swept out of the mothership at last, and Grant got his first real view of the battlefield. The large, open space of the shipyard was littered with the burnt, twisted wreckage of downed alien carriers. Although he knew what those vehicles carried, he tried not to think of the loss of life each one represented. That could come after the fight—if he made it that far. For now, they were just the opponent in a kill-or-be-killed game of life or death.
Scattered among the downed hulks, he saw undamaged craft land and discharge scores of Minith foot soldiers. Several turned their weapons on the human carriers now flying fifty feet above their heads. Most were rushing toward the mothership, intent on taking it and any humans left aboard. They would be disappointed to find her empty of life.
He bid the ship adieu and wished her well. She had served humankind well over the past few years and she would be missed. He then turned his attention to the battle that had already entered the streets ahead. The four lanes they had selected formed a straight line from the shipyard to the Minith leader's supposed location. By now, he could have easily been moved from there, but Grant was counting on the Minith's overconfidence to work in his favor. The Minith held humanity with such disregard, they would likely never consider that Grant's forces could make it that far.
Once again, Grant considered taking his twenty carriers of infantry straight to their target and bypassing the ground troops. Again, he disregarded that idea. He could not leave them to fend for themselves. If the advance forces were correct, the Minith were massing their soldiers to the north and would not stand a chance without reinforcement from the soldiers in the carriers.
"Alpha One, come in."
"This is Alpha One, General."
"What are you seeing out there, Scott?"
"A lot more of the same, General. All fighters are down to pulse weapons," the pilot replied. Grant could hear the captain panting and grunting. Flying between those buildings, while putting effective fire on the enemy, took concentration. "So we have to fly lower to be effective… we're getting torched . . . two more crews are down… not sure how long this can last, General."
"Understood, Scott. Do the best you can. The reserve force is en route, and will be on the ground in five. In the meantime, can you send a couple of yours to the scout the north? I need to know what the enemy forces are like between us and the target. Over."
"Roger. Wait."
Grant listened as the captain ordered two of his pilots to break off their attacks and head north.
Two minutes later, as Grant's carrier entered the same street where Titan and his Telgorans were fighting, he received word back from the two pilots. It was not good.
"Sir, there are Minith ground forces all over the place to the north and more are arriving every second. It looks like they're putting every one of their soldiers in our path."
"Estimate on the number?" Grant asked. His head dropped in anticipation of the answer. Even with less than ninety minutes' notice, the Minith were responding much better than he had anticipated.
"We estimate at least twenty thousand, General."
Twenty thousand?
The five-to-one odds he had estimated had just jumped to twenty-to-one. Even higher, considering the losses they had already sustained.
"At least half of those are in the area immediately surrounding the target's residence, General."
The gig was up, Grant knew. They could not hope to push through that many of the
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