Terran Armor Corps Anthology by Richard Fox

Author:Richard Fox [Fox, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2018-10-09T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Dinkins slapped a hand over a thigh pocket and his face knit with confusion. He wiggled against the straps securing him to the Mule’s bench and pulled out a data slate in a bulky case. He did a double take at the screen, then unbuckled himself.

“Sir! Return to your seat!” a crewman shouted from the fore of the cargo bay.

Dinkins knocked on Roland’s armor.

“Hello? Are you awake in there? I think I’ve found them—the children!” Dinkins knocked again.

“Sir! Please—”

“Kiss my ass!” Dinkins held the data slate over Roland’s optics.

“What am I looking at?” Roland asked.

“The bio trackers came online. We must be in range of the city’s towers. The request went through and-and—just look!” Dinkins tapped on the slate again. “All fifteen children just pinged. See?”

“They’re one hundred fifty yards above ground level and moving at almost two hundred miles an hour,” Roland said. “They must be in a Kesaht aircraft.”

“Then how do we get them—” The Mule bucked, sending Dinkins face-first into Roland’s side, then nosed downward, losing altitude rapidly.

“You should sit down,” Roland said. He tapped into the Mule’s turret feeds. Auburn City was on the horizon; columns of smoke rose around squat apartment high-rises and the sprawling supply parks surrounding the city.

The foreman struggled back into his seat and buckled himself down.

“Couple Kesaht fighters tried to jump us,” Gideon sent over the lance channel. “Eagles made swift work of them. I’m trying to raise Captain Sobieski, but what channels are open are chaos. The Kesaht just launched an assault on the city and the primary comms towers were the first thing they hit.”

“Sir, Dinkins found the missing children. On an enemy craft moving to the northwest,” Roland said.

“Looks like that’s where they’re going.” Cha’ril sent an image of a massive Kesaht ship flying toward the moon, just beyond the atmosphere, its hull partially obscured by high, thin clouds.

“Can the Eagles catch the shuttle with the children?” Roland asked. “Force it down without—” The Mule’s upper turret opened fire, earning shouts of fear and surprise from the colonists.

“We’ve got our own problems here,” Gideon said. “Stand by…I think I’ve got Sobieski.”

“Fight to save the city or go after the children,” Aignar said. “I know which choice the townies will make. It’s their kids.”

“Battlefield math,” Roland said. “Gideon and Sobieski will send us where we’ll do the most good, save the most lives. Emotions won’t be a factor for them.”

“Sometimes I’m glad I’m just a warrant, not an officer with gold or silver bars. I don’t have to ‘what if’ too many decisions at the bottom of the totem pole,” Aignar said.

“Hey!” Dinkins waved the data slate in the air. “They’re breaking for orbit. Do something!”

“That’s a tracking device, right?” Roland popped a data port open on his right forearm, which was folded up next to his helmet. “Give it to me.”

“But you said—” Aignar began.

“You never know.” Roland cut him off as Dinkins unstrapped himself and stumbled against Roland as the Mule banked hard.

“You snap your neck and see if I care!” the crewman yelled at Dinkins.

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