When the Axe Falls (The Omega War Book 7) by Jon R. Osborne

Author:Jon R. Osborne [Osborne, Jon R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Seventh Seal Press
Published: 2018-12-04T07:00:00+00:00

* * *

Decommissioned Mine, Olaf Mining, Alaska

“What is our situation?” Lieutenant Gyatso Enkh asked as he returned to the command center. Old-fashion flat panel displays mixed with Tri-V projections along three walls of the ten-meter-square chamber. Gyatso tried not to think of the hundreds of meters of rock over his head.

“Prime 2 and Prime 3 from the Berserkers are ninety minutes out from Ruby Creek Airfield,” Sergeant Ayna Enkh reported. Ayna gestured toward the large Tri-V display showing the flight paths of the remaining Berserker aircraft.

Gyatso sank into the chair next to the sergeant. “Do we have any more info regarding Prime 4?”

“I have satellite feed if you want to see it,” Corporal Kosta Cvetkov called from behind a console. Gyatso had almost forgotten the Bulgarian was there. One of the large displays on the wall zoomed in on western Canada until the image resolved to show a rural airport. “Here, take a look. You can see the wreckage still burning. Emergency crews from the closest municipality are on scene or en route. Lots of open space, not so much infrastructure—reminds me of home. It appears they managed to bring down a Besquith Vargr-class assault shuttle.” A blot of smoldering wreckage was highlighted in the image.

“They brought down an assault shuttle with an atmospheric transport?” Lieutenant Enkh asked. He glanced at Ayna for confirmation.

“We believe they were transporting an anti-aircraft vehicle and managed to deploy it on the tarmac,” Ayna replied. “Based on the radio chatter from the first responders, the Besquith deployed troops, and the Berserker infantry engaged them.”

Gyatso winced. Bjorn’s Berserkers utilized mixed forces, combining armor, augmented infantry, and regular infantry. CASPer troopers did not engage Besquith lightly, and Besquith against unaugmented infantry would have been a slaughterhouse. “Are there any survivors? Where are the Besquith?”

“The bunker’s BTI is in communication with the BTI with the surviving Berserkers,” Kosta interjected. “Boyka is using a matrix of Aethernet nodes—mostly chatrooms and Yellit boards—to exchange information with the iteration of the BTI with the flight and the BTI remaining at Berserker headquarters.”

“Am I the only one troubled by the fact that Kosta has named the local iteration of the Battlefield Tactical Intelligence?” Ayna asked.

“I am more concerned they are having a cyberspace conference without direction from users,” Gyatso remarked.

“Boyka is derived from my mother tongue’s word for battle,” Kosta said. “Boyka reports there are twenty-three survivors from Prime 4, out of eighty-seven personnel. The officer-in-command is the Berserkers’ chaplain, Lieutenant James Hawkins.”

“The chaplain is in charge?” Gyatso asked incredulously. He was amazed there were any survivors, let alone twenty-three. He reminded himself the Berserkers had lost 172 people in the last few hours.

“Since when do mercenary companies have chaplains?” Ayna asked.

“I don’t know,” Kosta replied.

“Can we speak to him?” Gyatso asked. Kosta was the technical expert, and it was crucial they not give away their own location nor that of the survivors.

“I’ll check. I’m sure we could exchange text-based messages via the two BTI nodes,” Kosta replied. “Live streaming communication could present a security risk.

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