Beyond Armageddon: Book 03 - Parallels by Anthony Decosmo

Author:Anthony Decosmo
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Amazon
Published: 2011-06-03T05:00:00+00:00

The northern perimeter of Thebes offered three lines of defense.

Furthest out, the remains of a wall broken into isolated pillars of stubborn concrete and piles of debris loosely formed into berms. Stretches of rusting barbed wire, spiked ditches, and crosses that made Trevor think of tank-taps from his home world completed this line of physical obstacles that stood in poor condition, no more than an annoyance to an attacker.

According to Major Forest, explosive charges controlled from the 'Perimeter Command Center' overlooking the battlefield comprised the second line of defenses.

The third and final ring included concrete bunkers and earth works hiding infantry and machine gun nests. However, gaps in this line and a lack of personnel inhibited its effectiveness.

Trevor and Johnny followed Nina to the Perimeter Command bunker, an armored observation platform behind the three rings. There they found Director Snowe as well as an older black man named General Gronard. The General commanded three thousand soldiers of the First Legion manning the northern lines with elements of Snowe's Third Legion in support positions.

As he waited for the battle to begin, Trevor noted that the officers in the bunker spent more time consulting manuals and maps than observing the field before them.

When he expressed concern to Nina about a lack of preparation, she told him that The Committee had authored a booklet on procedures for defending the northern perimeter. The military followed that booklet—each and every time—to the letter.

Fortunately for the defenders of the city, Nina said that the Chaktaw had their own play book and they followed it time and time again. This was a well-learned and oft-practiced confrontation, and both sides knew the steps like country folk at a square dance

"They’re coming in. Heads up; artillery!"

Shouts of "inbound!" echoed across the defensive lines.

Trevor ducked behind the protective plating of the bunker, but still dared a view toward the battlefield. He watched the first artillery bursts hit the lines. Seeing what that artillery did…it filled him with a sick sense of dread.

Not again.

Red balls of incoming fire smacked the ground with seemingly little effect; barely a tremor but leaving a glowing, hovering sparkle. That sparkle sucked in everything within a few meters like air rushing to fill a vacuum; sucked in and vaporized.

"Awe…shit. I hate these guys," Trevor grumbled.

"Huh? You’ve fought the Chaktaw before?" Forest asked.

Johnny, crouched in a protective position, answered, "We never learned their proper names. We dubbed them ‘Vikings.’ I suppose we can update our Hostiles Database."

"What’s a Viking?"

"Never mind. It doesn’t matter. But they were some of the best fighters we faced."

"Yeah, well, some things are the same over here," Nina said

The strange artillery rounds poured in for several minutes but managed to inflict only a dozen casualties. It seemed the men of Thebes had grown accustomed to such a bombardment.

BWOOM! PHFFFTTT!

A ‘shell’ landed close enough to the bunker that the wind from the suction blew through the open viewport, causing papers and loose objects to whip about.

Nina told them, "After the artillery they’ll try to find a hole, charge through, and we'll beat them back.

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