Courage, Commitment, Faith: Tales from the Coalition Defense Force, Vol. 1 by Daniel Gibbs & Steve Rzasa & Stephen T. Gary & Joel Steudler

Author:Daniel Gibbs & Steve Rzasa & Stephen T. Gary & Joel Steudler [Gibbs, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-01-01T16:00:00+00:00

4

For precious seconds, the mortar rounds hung in the air. Every moment allowed Felix’s people to seek safety—inside or behind the damaged lander or ducking low to reduce the chance of shrapnel hits. A few were even saved by those seconds of warning before the first blasts echoed in the air.

One by one, the mortar shells fell to their designated heights. Their fuses recognized the optimized point and went off, spreading shrapnel about at supersonic velocities. Cries of pain came together in a horrible chorus where the deadly metal succeeded in penetrating the combat armor Felix’s troops wore. Something lightly impacted his shoulder, telling him he’d been lucky. One of the projectiles had struck at an angle that had failed to penetrate his armor.

“Corpsman! Corpsman!” He recognized Corporal Mossie’s voice. “Man down!”

Before he could react, a ferocious roar rose from below. The masked fighters ran toward the ridgetop, scrambling over soil and rock and each other. A few opened fire with their rifles, but most seemed more interested in screaming and rushing ahead, brandishing their rifles as if they were lances or some other CQB weapon.

“Light ’em up!” Felix pulled the trigger of his rifle.

The rifle spat rapid streams of pale-blue light toward the oncoming foes, burning and singing into unprotected bodies. Yacoub and some of the Marines and masters-at-arms joined him, creating a deadly rain of bullets and pulse blasts that tore through the masked figures with minimal effort. Their return fire produced nothing in response as the majority of their weapons failed to dent the CDF personnel’s protective armor.

Unfortunately, the mortars were a different story. Another round came from the Droog mortar teams. A series of cries told him some of his people were hurt. Not as many as the Droogs being mutilated by the CDF force’s continuous fire, but given the numbers, Felix was the one facing defeat by attrition.

“We’ve got to take out those mortars!” he called out. “Mossie, hold back a few people to help McKenzie and Phillips get the wounded back to Alpha Lander. Bravo Lander, finish rigging your craft for detonation, but by God, keep those AP guns manned until they’re out of ammo or until I give the order. Everyone else, get up here. We’re taking out those mortars!”

His people moved up. Turning away from Yacoub’s Marines and Kasinski’s immediate team still mowing down cultists, Felix could see he was short eight soldiers. At least four wounded or dead. He pressed aside his grief at the latter possibility to focus on the situation. Given their numbers, his plan would not be easy, but their armor and the firepower of their rifles would at least make up for it.

“Push ahead, and when you’ve got a chance, shoot down those mortar teams!” He scrambled to his feet and rushed ahead, the mixed troops following.

Unlike the Droogs, though, they didn’t just run. Fire and movement was centuries old as an infantry concept, and the CDF drilled it into everyone, even those bound for fleet service. Felix dropped to his belly and brought his rifle up to fire into the Droogs.

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