MuvLuv Alternative Schwarzesmarken Vol 1 Chapter 1

+++January 10th, 1983, 1100 hours

++German Democratic Republic

++Outskirts of Cottbus, 6km west of the Neisse river

++Fort Spremberg

The positions of the 35th NVA [1A 1] mechanised infantry regiment "Ernst Schürer", second battalion, third company, which only today had held them against three tank-cla.s.s BETA a.s.saults, were by then a living h.e.l.l. Narrow trenches with reinforced concrete walls were filled human and alien bodies, and as horrendous as it was, the soldiers did not even have time to separate the dead, much less give them proper burials. The company commander, Oberleutnant Claudia Quirnheim felt the bitterness of despair on her lips. Not more than fifty men, a quarter of the initial contingent, were still capable of holding arms. Considering the fact that they had been engaged in close quarters combat with the BETA the entire day, it was hardly surprising.

Another attack, and we're done for...

During the night the weather conditions worsened considerably, and visibility was effectively limited to less than half a kilometre. Claudia had to make a decision - to retreat to the secondary defence line, or stay and fight, - the latter would inevitably mean the destruction of the entire company. All communications with battalion HQ had been down for a long time already, and the decision was hers to make.

But if we do leave our positions, we could be court-martialed...

The NVA was officially the Parteiarmee, army at the service of the party, so frequently more importance was attributed to following party slogans and proclamations, rather than considering the necessities of warfare. For her, promoted to the rank of 2nd lieutenant after graduating from the national university and pa.s.sing a half-year basic officer course, this was a terrible, unjust burden.

Where are our reinforcements?..

Was the thought that raced in her mind as she looked over her comrades, - former students barely out of the cla.s.sroom, now s.h.i.+vering from cold and fear in the trenches. All of them volunteers who joined the army on the same day, all of them knowing that there was nowhere to retreat to.

"Commander, here they come again! BETA herd, five hundred units or more!"

"G.o.dd.a.m.n them!.."

From the depths of the swirling blizzard they came; on the field, littered with corpses of their monstrous brethren, they advanced; at least five hundred smaller ones, and behind them, ma.s.sive shapes of three dozen grapplers, with their terrible weapon-arms.

" All units, fire at will! Do not target the grapplers - leave them to our support!"

The overwhelming hail of fire that followed almost drowned out her orders. The staccato of sustained fire from NSVs [1A 2] , the regiment's main firepower, was soon joined by the characteristic thumping of mortars, their crews loading their last rounds; and with them, the booming of the main guns of their fire support - a tank platoon entrenched behind their defensive line. Like droplets of blood the tracers sprayed across the enemy lines. But the BETA did not stop. The ones that survived were mostly tank-cla.s.s - better armoured yet sufficiently agile six-legged monsters the colour of dried blood.

The soldiers who were previously busy carrying ammo boxes for the machine guns were already affixing bayonets to their MPi-Ks [1A 3], and in a few seconds the first monstrous tank-cla.s.s creature appeared over the parapet, its forearms reaching into the trench, as if intent on scooping out its defenders.

"Don't you f.u.c.king dare, b.l.o.o.d.y monster!! Stay awa-a-ay!!!"

All of the soldiers crouching in the trench opened fire, and a hail of bullets shredded the beast, leaving the men covered with gore. However, the BETA were too many, and the defenders too few. In the next moments the regiment was engaged in brutal close combat, and cries of pain and anger echoed over the defence lines.

" Aim for the arms! The arms!!"

Claudia tried to shout orders, but could only watch as her comrades died one by one. Then right above her appeared the ghastly form of another BETA, its incredibly strong paw already raised, ready to strike with incredible force. Reflexes saved her - she dived instinctively and rolled over on her back.

" Eat this!! "

A precise burst of fire ripped apart the beast's joint, - infantry weapons were, after all, quite effective against the smaller BETA species. Then - with a nasty metallic sound, the rifle stopped firing, its bolt locked halfway.

"Jammed?!.. No way!!.."

The most reliable automatic weapon in the world, an AK, jamming at this moment?.. She had no time to check, as an incredible force swept and threw her into the wall. Overwhelmed by agonising pain, she spat blood. Broken ribs must have pierced her lungs, she thought distantly, and realised that it was the almost severed arm of the BETA that struck her like a whip. No one could help her. Her comrades were fighting their own opponents - and dying, smashed, eviscerated, beheaded and torn apart.

" No... no!.."

Feeling a primal, animal fear of death, Claudia looked at the alien through a b.l.o.o.d.y haze. And then she heard the sound - the ear-splitting roar of jet engines just overhead.

" They... the fighters!.. They're here!.."

Her heart was suddenly filled with an insane hope.

Finally!.. Help… reinforcements... finally...

Crawling along the b.l.o.o.d.y, grimy floor of the trench, she desperately looked up, trying to find her saviours in the morning sky... and a second later, she saw them. Eight MiG-21s, main tactical fighters of the NVA, their silhouettes clear against the pale sky, cruising above. Graceful and unperturbed, they went on, soon disappearing into the blizzard, unmoved by the tragedy below.

" How... why... why?!" - a desperate cry came from her throat,

" Why aren't you helping us? Why?!.."

In the next instant, powerful jaws closed on Claudia's neck.

Oberleutnant Claudia Quirnheim did not know. This particular unit had pitilessly disregarded allied forces time and again, driven on by their mission, earning themselves more than a few unsavoury nicknames: the Reapers, the Butchers - Tactical Surface Fighter Squadron 666 "Shwarzesmarken".

+++1110 hours

++In the air above Fort Spremberg

As usual, the steady stream of new requests for reinforcement and cries for help went on, as constant as the whining roar of the aircraft's engines. Unterleutnant Theodore Eberbach, a pilot of the 666th TSF squadron "Schwarzesmarken", grimaced and pushed on the control pedals, making his "Balalaika"[1A 4] lurch forward and gain a little speed. Minute after minute, landscapes projected onto his retinae changed: white fields under grey skies, burnt forests, abandoned fields strewn with BETA corpses... and if he looked behind his shoulder, he would have been able to see the vicious battle with the BETA on the front lines. And the only thing he could permit himself was a deep sigh, - he had long since learned not to think too much about what was happening around them.

"Achtung! Schwarz one to all."

On his retinal display appeared a new communication window. A wave of golden hair, fine, aristocratic features and a cold, strict countenance - unmistakeably the ice queen herself, squadron leader Irisdine Bernhard.

" Get ready for enemy engagement. Comms may be spotty under the heavy metal clouds, maintain formation."

"Eight, copy that "

His toneless reply drowned in a chorus of acknowledgement from the other pilots.

The 666th consisted of eight MiGs, and though they were supposed to have twelve machines, by now there were very few units in the entire NVA which had a full contingent. For the same reason, they were now flying in arrowhead formation, four including the commander's machine leading, four following. The commander's MiG-21 was outfitted with additional sensory and communications equipment. The entire head of the machine was slightly different, with the main antenna brought forward, so that it bore a distant resemblance to the legendary unicorn.

Eight kites against the whole b.l.o.o.d.y BETA force?.. Suicide job as usual...

Theodore gave another sigh. He felt the pressure of the coming fight.

In the past several days, triple-six squadron had been mobilised to check a large-scale BETA a.s.sault from the eastern sh.o.r.e of the Neisse river, their mission being Laserjagd [1A 5] - penetration deep into enemy territory with the objective of taking out laser-cla.s.s units that const.i.tuted the main firepower and core of the enemy force. At this time, the squadron, using NOE flight [1A 6] and maneuvering with their jump boosters, was quickly but stealthily proceeding along the shortest route to the predicted objective location, along the left flank of a large group that was advancing west. In the clouds charged with heavy metal particles that had been put in place by preliminary bombardment with AL sh.e.l.ls [1A 7] , the threat of detection and exposure to laser fire was diminished; however, it was not an ideal method either, something akin to taking about a couple of bullets from the revolver when playing of Russian roulette. The heavy metal clouds brought their own problems for TSFs operating under them: increased communications interference meant that data links through which the tactical information sharing system worked were now useless, except at close range. Pilots were only able to maintain communications with their wingmen, and there was no link with the four rear-guard machines that had been trailing four kilometres behind.

The blizzard only seemed to get stronger, and consequently the visibility got worse by the minute. The situation was so bad he got a queer, hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. His nervousness must have shown in his handling of the machine, for moments later a new comm window appeared on his display, from which a pilot's face regarded him sternly.

" Schwarz three to Schwarz eight - keep on course, son! What are you, dreaming?"

Theodore, startled, barely stopped himself from clicking his tongue in frustration and glanced at the speaker, seeing the unmistakeable black hard peppered with grey. The voice belonged to Oberleutnant Walter Krueger, who, a veteran officer at 29, rumoured to be a survivor of Operation Palaiologos, was much more experienced than the 18-year-old Theodore. Being the most senior pilot in the squadron, he was Irisdine's adjutant, responsible for all personnel-related matters.

When will they stop treating me like a kid?..

...but Theodore answered as levelly as he could:

"Eight, roger that."

He knew it was a good idea to watch what he said, because of the recording equipment in his comms. Any and all sounds, including whatever he would whisper to himself, would be picked up and recorded by the sensitive microphones.

Meanwhile, the cries for help continued. Another TSF squadron which was supposed to move around the BETA from the other flank came under laser fire and was pinned, which under the circ.u.mstances meant almost certain annihilation.

" Oi, nugget. Watch your distance, you're coming too close."

Walter was grumbling again. The practice in most units was to keep a certain distance between leading machines and wingmen, with dispersion of forces cited as the main reason.

"The laser-cla.s.s' spread... did they get their predictions wrong again?.."

Inputting the coordinates of the most recent calls for help, with the help of his wide-range datalink Theodore quickly found their source. It was a dreadful, absurd situation that they could do nothing about, - a daily occurrence on this field of battle.

"Ma'am, the 721st's requesting backup--"

" Request denied" - answered Irisdine immediately, without a hint of emotion.

" Any distractions from our main objective will have to be set aside. These aren't the first or the last that we will have to ignore, but we have a mission, a responsibility to save many more lives "

" Shwarz three copy. Everybody heard that? We're proceeding on course."

Feigning impa.s.siveness, Theodore felt disgust somewhere deep down. No, it wasn't the coldness of the two officers towards their allies, - what bothered him much more were the pretty words coming out of Irisdine's mouth. "A responsibility to save many more lives ", bah! Theodore had a good reason to think that way about his commanding officer that way.

Because of them, I--

"Feindkontankt! BETA group, at 010! Heading 170! I read at least fifteen thousand!"

Walter's sudden shout interrupted his thoughts and made everyone check their radars.

The monsters were indeed heading west. Most of them were tank-cla.s.s BETA, with a few warriors and grapplers scattered about. The distinct shapes of the laser-cla.s.s targets were nowhere in sight, though according to intelligence reports, they would be at the back of the horde.

"That's way more than we expected!.."

During the briefing, they were told that this particular enemy formation totalled around thirty thousand. If the radar, however, had already picked up more than half of that number, it was safe to double the predicted total.

d.a.m.n them, they get the numbers wrong every b.l.o.o.d.y time...

" By the way, Walter, you know that joke?" Irisdine spoke in a level tone, as if she hadn't noticed the enemy at all and was asking about the weather.

" Which one?"

" Someone sends a question to the Berlin radio: are the BETA edible at all?"

" ...And?"

" They answer: of course not. Unless you're an Engländer."

Several m.u.f.fled laughs could be heard in the comms. The dreadfulness of the rations distributed to the British army, stationed in the DDR under UN command, was legendary even among East German personnel, and Walter chuckled appreciatively:

" Yes, and there's so many of them here... we should export them to those Inselaffe, they'd probably thank us."

" Right, - so first, let's turn those over there into paste."

Theodore didn't even smile. He understood that Irisdine's words were meant to slightly relieve the tension of the pilots about to engage the enemy in a fierce close quarters battle. As if following his thoughts, Irisdine changed the tone of her voice, and gave the order:

" Schwarz one to all, we'll cut off this group in front of us first!"

" Jawohl! " - answered the chorus of pilots' voices.

" Ready! Down we go!"

Theodore yanked the joystick towards himself, giving the machine full reverse boost. The G forces generated by the abrupt deceleration clamped down hard on his flight suit, designed precisely for such occasions. Four MiGs landed together, sending fountains of snow.

"Deploy s.h.i.+elds!"

" Roger!!"

All four machines of the lead unit instantly put forward huge a.s.sault s.h.i.+elds, in a maneuver reminiscent of the hoplite phalanxes of Ancient Greece. All the machines of the squadron except one carried the standard load out of the NVA's tactical fighters: a multipurpose a.s.sault s.h.i.+eld "Shürzen" [1A 8] in the left hand, a WS-16C a.s.sault rifle in the right, plus an additional weapon on the gun mounts.

Infrared sensors showed enemy signatures approximately a thousand metres ahead and behind the unit. As far as they could see on their radars, the snowy plains were crawling with BETA, a picture reminiscent of tsunami waves coming one after the other.

" All units, feuer frei! Aim at the group in front!"

At Irisdine's command, the four lead machines opened fire. The roar of their a.s.sault rifles drowned out the howling of the blizzard, and an approaching grappler exploded, fountains of blood and gore painting the immaculate snow, - a horrific modernist tableau if there ever was one. Surrounding BETA, perhaps in appreciation of the art, reacted instantaneously, turning to attack Theodore and his comrades.

"Here they come!.."

" Draw them towards us - fire and retreat!"

All four machines, perfectly synchronised, turned their jump unit nozzles forward and gave a short boost, quickly putting an additional couple hundred metres between themselves and the BETA in front, continuing to fire while giving reverse boosts to decelerate. Such back boost jumps were one of the main tactics of anti-BETA TSF warfare.

" Eat lead, Hurensöhne!!!"

With grim satisfaction, Theodore sprayed the enemy with volleys of 36-mm sh.e.l.ls, turning grapplers and tank-cla.s.s monsters into mincemeat. That their diversion was a success quickly became evident, as the stream of incoming BETA only grew, - though, as a matter of fact, thinking about all those creatures coming after him and his brothers in arms did not make him happy. Even concentrated fire could not stop the BETA advance, though it did slow them down, and now red waves of tank-cla.s.s creatures started flowing around the TSFs in an attempt to flank and surround them.

We're running out of s.p.a.ce, won't be able to retreat for much longer...

No sooner had the thought crossed Theodore's mind that a clear voice broke through the tense silence:

" This is Schwarz two, ready to provide covering fire!"

A new window on his display showed the four rear-guard machines landing behind them.

" Feuer frei! Target the flanking tank-cla.s.s!"

The rear-guard promptly followed the order of their leader, first lieutenant and second in command of the squadron, Pham Thi Lan, a German of Vietnamese descent. The appearance of their backup made the situation slightly better - attacking tank-cla.s.s BETA were being decimated, and more and more enemies converged on their location.

If we continue like this, we might draw away most of those that would be covering the laser-cla.s.s...

As if sensing his line of thought, a shrill, angry, almost hysterical voice pierced his ears: " What are you doing, comrade captain?!"

Another comm window appeared, showing the face of a pilot wearing thick horn-rimmed gla.s.ses. She wasn't even trying to hide her irritation.

" Why are we not attacking?! We don't have time to waste on this!"

This only served to create additional tension for the pilots engaged in combat, - but Gretel Jeckeln, the political officer of the squadron and one of the pilots of the lead flight, clearly didn't care.

" We have standing orders - take those Lux down by 1200 hours! I demand that we stop these foolish diversions and proceed to our objective!"

Ugh... there she goes again...

As much as he wanted to snort derisively, Theodore only allowed himself a stoic frown, not risking to let his opinion show. After all, Gretel, as a political officer, was tasked with observing and controlling the pilots' loyalty to the party, counter-intelligence, propaganda and rooting out of anti-communist elements. To ensure that the army acted in line with the policies of the SED, the Politische Hauptverwaltung, main political administration of the NVA, a.s.signed specially trained officers to every unit of the armed forces. As a result, the NVA had effectively two command structures and hierarchies [1A 9] . Political officers were given wide-ranging powers, and even questioning tactical decisions was in their field of competence, not to mention personnel-related matters and such drastic measures as removal of the commanding officers. Naturally, any disobedience towards the political officer would have grave consequences for the offender. Now and then one would hear a story of a commander refusing to give in to unreasonable, absurd demands of their political officers to preserve himself and his unit, who was forced to shoot the PO, - and was then quietly executed by firing squad, his subordinates and relatives taking a one-way trip to correctional camps.

" Our mission is to destroy the laser-cla.s.s! The more we wait, the more troops we lose! It could end in them breaking through our front line!"

Yeah, and she doesn't think for a sec that if we followed everything to the letter, we wouldn't ever stand a chance of making it?..

" Aren't we supposed to complete this mission no matter the cost, comrade captain?!"

" ...Comrade lieutenant."

Irisdine's voice was calm. Only she, as the squadron commander, could speak with Gretel as an equal.

" The enemy numbers are considerably higher than forecasted. Have you considered the fact that this may impede our progress towards the main objective?"

" We don't have time for this! I think we've done enough to divert some BETA here!"

" Tactical considerations are within my competence. Continue diversion." was Irisdine's cold reaction to Gretel overstepping her authority.

It was clear that she was planning to draw as many BETA as possible to one place, and then quickly outmaneuver them, striking at the soft underbelly of the enemy forces and wiping out the laser-cla.s.s.

" Right now on the front line, men are dying to buy us some time! The fact alone that you're ignoring that can be considered treason! Do you understand or not that the party speaks through me?!"

Gretel, only a first lieutenant, was able to threaten an officer that outranked her precisely because of that dual command structure. Seeing that Irisdine was hesitating to answer, Gretel's lips curled up in an unpleasantly triumphant smirk.

" You will follow my advice... or I will a.s.sume direct control of all the squadron's machines."

The main political administration had since the beginning been of the opinion that political officers in all TSF units should have priority control access of all machines of their unit. Thus, if it came to that, a political officer would have the option of remotely controlling all TSFs, - on top of controlling all comms and even injecting drugs into the pilot's suit and disabling the fighter's systems.

However, Irisdine still didn't answer, and Gretel's face betrayed some confusion and suspicion. The tension was broken by Walter's shout:

" Commander! Multiple enemy signatures to the rear! Grappler reinforcements! ..Reading... over two hundred! Distance 1200... 1000... contact in sixty seconds!"

d.a.m.n their timing!..

Thedore cursed under his breath, turning his sights on the new threat. A sizeable horde of BETA evidently separated from the front wave and was heading back. Everyone instinctively looked at the commander's machine.

" Lead flight, move to engage the grapplers! Rear-guard - set up behind them, get ready to provide covering fire!" ordered Irisdine without a hint of hesitation in her voice.

" What the h.e.l.l, comrade captain?! This position has no tactical value, why are we still defending it?! I told you--"

" These need to be destroyed to ensure the success of the operation. All units, schneller! Do not waste time or ammo!"

" We don't have time--"

" We mustn't let them turn back towards our own lines! And they might pursue us and strike from the back when we attack the Lux! We will destroy them here and now!"

Scheisse! Not like we have many options now,

Theodore thought, gripping the joysticks tightly in a bid to stop his hands from shaking. It was a first for him, too - this many BETA, in such poor visibility. One couldn't even predict how effective the squadron's fire would be.

In the next moments, a horde of grapplers emerged from the storm and closed in, - the distance to the first ones was already less than eight hundred metres.

" Target the first ones - let's stop them here! 120-mm, three volleys! Fire!!"

Four a.s.sault guns spat orange flame, and their sh.e.l.ls landed in the middle of the advancing BETA, ripping apart some and injuring others. The monsters weren't all dead, but clearly incapacitated, so that the ones who followed were forced to go around them - their ranks now in disarray, the advance slowed down considerably.

So that's what she counted on!..

He didn't even have time to fully appreciate her plan, when he heard a new order: " Squadron, switch to 36-mm, fire at will! Kill them while they're still confused!"

"Hah! Basta-a-a-ards!!" - he obeyed with relish. The deep booming of the 120-mm was replaced by the staccato of the a.s.sault rifles, spewing a barrage of armour-piercing rounds towards their targets. The exploding grapplers mixed with the snow to create a b.l.o.o.d.y mist that hung like a curtain in front of the horde.

" Die!! Die, you monsters, diiiiiee!!!" Gretel was shouting, wildly spraying the mist, apparently relieving some of her frustration from the previous incident. She was interrupted by a warning shout from Irisdine:

" Careful! There are still live ones!.."

" ...Eh?!"

A group of flanking grapplers appeared from the mist, charging Gretel's machine. Carelessly absorbed by her shooting, she didn't have time to react, - and from Theodore's position, he couldn't hit them without risking friendly fire. The political officer, though above average for a normal TSF squadron level, was clearly the least experienced pilot of the 666th.

Dumme Schlampe!..

Theodore reacted almost instinctively, firing his jump boosters. A split second later he was already between her and the charging beasts, breaking hard in the deep snow.

" Won't get past me!!"

Still sliding across the snow, he aimed and fired at the attackers, - they couldn't have been more than two hundred metres away by now, even ripped apart by bullets they died, but others kept on coming, - and then the last one fell not even ten metres in front of the two TSFs. Theodore exhaled, and glanced over the dead BETA.

"If I missed, we both would've bought it right here..."

" L-lieutenant Eberbach!.."

Ignoring the embarra.s.sed and shocked Gretel, he promptly returned to his position.

Meanwhile, the horde continued their a.s.sault, and by now there was at least a thousand already within visible range. It was clear that despite their losses, they wouldn't stop.

" Achtung, squadron!" Irisdine's voice came through the cannonade.

" We're stopping our diversion! Prepare for jump on our original course, NOE, arrowhead formation! And don't get your head above thirty metres! "

" Roger! " came the reply from all pilots.

Eight fighters fired their engines simultaneously, and jumped. Below them were tens of thousands of gathering BETA - still an obstacle in their way, despite all they had destroyed. But now, they would slip into the breach, and find their real target - the laser-cla.s.s. From readouts on his retinal display, Theodore quickly understood that this diversion cost them around thirty percent of fuel and ammunition.

Now begins the real deal...

The queasy feeling, forgotten in the heat of battle, returned. Between the numerical superiority of the BETA, the worsening weather conditions, and the limited supplies, there wasn't anything that would make him particularly cheerful. And there was the matter of Gretel and her political guidance...

But I will survive.

Trying to rid himself of dark thoughts, Theodore once again gripped the control sticks.

I will not depend on anyone. Only my own strength.

He had always thought the feelings of friends.h.i.+p, attachment or consolation, that his comrades sometimes sought, were only a sign of weakness. The only things that mattered were those that helped survive in this war. Trusting unquestionably, or helping someone, were akin to baring your own throat for the knife.

I know what happens if you trust someone. That's why...

Theodore's eyes glinted with hate for an instant.

He was thinking of none other than the commander of the Schwarzesmarken, Irisdine Bernhard. That day, three years ago, the people closest to him were taken away, stolen, leaving him in the depths of despair. And she was one of the hounds of the system...

+++1125 hours

++German Democratic Republic

++Cottbus area, Cottbus base headquarters

" Confirming flare signal from the 611th squadron. They're engaging. Comms down after entry into metallic clouds!"

The operator's report drew sighs from the people in the small control room.

"This makes four. All TSF squadrons now engaged in combat."

Sighs, again. All those present here, in the main control room of Cottbus regimental command, thirty kilometres behind the front lines, were watching the situation tensely, but it felt as if no one really knew how or even wanted to evaluate it. All eyes were on the huge wall screen, on which was projected the most recent tactical information about the unfolding battle.

" Attack success chance - sixty-six percent... " as if voicing what was on everyone's mind, murmured second lieutenant Marai Heisenberg, frowning.

"We knew, Marai."

"M-major?! " Marai, startled, turned around and saw Major Hannibal Hölzer, commander of the special composite air group 'Hannibal', based in Cottbus[1A 10] . Right now three of its squadrons were in combat, along with the 666th, which ordinarily had been a unit under the direct command of Eastern HQ, in reserve until recently, then transferred to the Oder-Neisse defence line and temporarily attached to the special task force. Marai was also a pilot herself, but was temporarily serving as a staff officer on Cottbus base. She would be commanding a unit on the front lines right now, but her MiG-21's maintenance was falling behind schedule, and she had to switch to staff functions.

" We were ready for the losses. Our duty is to not let the grief influence our decision making."

She noticed that Hannibal's eyes were sunken from fatigue. For four days, ever since the start of the attack, he had not rested for a moment, giving precise instructions to his squadrons.

" And what do you yourself think of this situation, Marai?"- he asked, raising his voice, but keeping a soft, paternal tone. Clearly, through this conversation with her, Hannibal was trying to show the rest of the staff decision-making at the tactical level, since most officers present had little experience.

" Sir. The success of the Laserjagd will depend on their location," - she answered without hesitation, silently thanking Hannibal for an opportunity to save face.

"At this point the situation on the Neisse river line is critical. Mechanised infantry are bearing the heaviest losses."

On the projected map were clearly visible the outlines of the three main fortified sectors - Cottbus, Spremberg and Boxberg, covering an area approximately 60 kilometres from north to south, 15 kilometres deep. Practically speaking, the fortified line had been erected between the Neisse river, former border with Poland, and the Spree, 20-30 kilometres to the west. The line ran along the entire border of the country, and was meant to be its s.h.i.+eld against the BETA threat. After the disaster of Operation Palaiologos in 1978, the fall of Poland the following year, and the BETA advance up to the Oder, the NVA constructed a defence line. Official propaganda called it the "The Eastern s.h.i.+eld", a great wall that would protect European civilisation.

" This prolonged engagement has resulted in approximately sixty percent casualties in forces defending these three sectors. The remaining forty percent have been forced to retreat to the second and last reserve line. The only things that could change the situation in our favour would be airstrikes and artillery support - both impossible with the Lux still active.

Marai looked at another window, showing the current positions of the air force and artillery brigades. Most of them were concentrated on the west bank of the Spree.

"For that purpose were deployed the six rocket artillery brigades, with both the UN and NVA air forces standing by on the Elbe."

" And if the plan fails?"

" We will have to reform all remaining TSF squadrons and attempt a second Laserjagd."

It was easy to see how reckless this plan really was. Squadrons involved in the first operation would have suffered heavy losses, and the pilots' fatigue would be at its peak. However, there was no choice, in the event of failure. The loss of several TSF squadrons to save the breaking front line was quite acceptable from a purely military perspective. In fact, there have been a mult.i.tude of precedents.

"Of course, even now we're already losing two squadrons..."

Marai could only pray for a successful hunt - otherwise, the only result of this acc.u.mulation of casualties would be a complete defeat.

"How many Lux are we looking at? "

"Our estimates are rough, sir, but we expect around five hundred units. Following the AL artillery strikes and the propagation of heavy metal clouds, we expect their numbers had declined to less than three hundred. "

"Which squadron would come into contact first?"

" Triple-six, sir," - answered Marai quickly, not showing a hint of emotions that suddenly swelled within her.

" The 666th was spearheading the a.s.sault from the left flank. I would a.s.sume they have started breaking through by now."

"Hm, those fellows are quite reliable, aren't they..."

"Yes, sir. They're not called the top squadron of the DDR for nothing."

In command of the 666th was the hero of the last phase of the Polish campaign, captain Irisdine Bernhard, who had time and again demonstrated enviable tactical ac.u.men. By this time, the squadron had more BETA kills on record than any other in the NVA, and its reputation for being top-grade aces was well deserved. That did not mean, however, that their brothers in arms bore any affection for them - many, especially in front line units, had different ways of calling them, the least offensive of which were "those d.a.m.n snakes". Marai could sympathise with that feeling, but she also understood that it was, in a way, inevitable.

"Besides..."

From Marai's point of view, Irisdine was difficult to manage as a commander, but at the same time too flawless and beyond any reproach.

" We can only rely on their bravery," she said, turning away to look at Hannibal. She followed his gaze, and had to hide a sudden surge of irritation. His eyes were fixed on one spot on the wall screen - the marker that represented the 666th squadron.

+++1130 hours

++Territory of the former People's Republic of Poland

++22 kilometres east of the Neisse river, in BETA-controlled s.p.a.ce

In the raging snowstorm, the eight MiGs of "Schwarzesmarken" were finding their way through gaps between the BETA, flying at only five metres above ground - one false move, and they would be ploughing those snowy fields. Their engines were blasting up ma.s.sive plumes of snow and dirt behind the machines. Their c.o.c.kpits were filled with the shrill TAWS alarm [1A 11] , - a result of them having to disable the auto balancing system, as it would be too sensitive for this kind of flight.

...Being a target for the lasers kinda seems easier...

Making an effort not to curse into the open comm channel, Theodore saw bright dots on the radar - a group of grapplers, only eight hundred metres in front. He pulled hard on a control stick, maneuvering just in time, managed to swerve and avoid losing speed.

Scheisse, will you ever end?!..

Another group in front of him - this time, in much closer formation. He was coming in fast, and a crash seemed an all too real possibility, - he yanked the joysticks towards himself, swooping up to perform an extreme breaking maneuver over the heads of the BETA, - all in less than 2.35 seconds, which was the maximum time he could stay up before being hit by lasers.

G.o.dd.a.m.n it, just give us the new MiG-23s already, or some of the western kites!

His face, tense because of the G stress, had a singularly fierce expression.

The 21's not made for these b.l.o.o.d.y acrobatics!!

Breaking formation now, among the BETA, would have meant certain death, - after all, in this situation the other machines wouldn't waste time saving their wingman. Theodore himself had to abandon more than a few hapless pilots who made the mistake of getting separated. However, it could have been even worse. If the diversion hadn't worked, they wouldn't even have a gap to squeeze into.

" Outta my way, you b.l.o.o.d.y monsters!!" the shout suddenly came through his headset, followed by the rattling of an a.s.sault rifle burst. Theodore clicked his tongue in disapproval. Walter, guessing what happened, snapped angrily:

" Schwarz six, hold your fire! Did you forget your G.o.dd.a.m.n orders?"

" Negative, sir! Just got rid of a few b.u.g.g.e.rs in my way! Did not forget, sir!" fiercely replied second lieutenant Annette Hosenfeld, piloting the last machine of the rear-guard. Her short hair shook a little with every burst she fired. " I said move, you filthy octopus!!"

That idiot... how dumb d'you have to be to ignore Walter's orders...

Annette continued firing on all grapplers in sight. Several muzzle flashes later, her MiG-21, thrusters at full, swept above the gory mess left of the grapplers she was attacking. Perfect control and flawless execution of the attack, - but if one looked at the bigger picture, it became clear that even without being delayed by such reckless actions, getting through the BETA was not easy.

" Comrade lieutenant Krueger! Do something with that!" Gretel sounded hysterical again. She knew that Irisdine left all personnel matters, including discipline, to Walter, and so didn't even bother talking to the captain.

" These TSFs are precious equipment, entrusted to us by our land and its people! Wasting ammo is treason!! Do you want your subordinate to see a military prison from the inside?!"

" Schwarz six, did you hear that?! Cease fire! Now!! "

" This is Schwarz seven! I'll go with six!"

Another comm window - another face, the one taking initiative this time was second lieutenant Inghild Bronikowski, also a pilot of the rear-guard flight. Like Annette, she was 18, but to Theodore's eyes she looked much more mature, perhaps because of her long, wavy hair and elegant countenance. The three of them graduated in the same year from the same fighter pilot school, and met again in the squadron.

" Annette, please, get a hold of yourself! You're putting us all in danger!"

" I know! I... I know that!.."

The tone of Annette's voice lost all its fierceness. Her psychological state was clearly far from normal - in fact, a pretty common symptom of sh.e.l.lshock. Theodore knew the reason very well: that week Annette lost three people closest to her, three friends from her childhood days. The coincidental death of several friends and comrades with whom she survived the harshest of battles made her lose her balance. In the past several days, her behaviour had been rude, erratic, and generally almost unbearable.

" I... I'm happy only when I kill them, the BETA... a-all of them... and the drugs don't help!.. I dream of them every night... I... if this goes on, I..." by now she was rambling almost incoherently.

Well then maybe you should've stayed out of the b.l.o.o.d.y c.o.c.kpit!

Thought Theodore, holding back his irritation at both Annette and Irisdine. It was widely known that sh.e.l.lshocked pilots put themselves, and by consequence their comrades at risk - there is after all nothing more dangerous than an ally you cannot rely on. Despite that, Irisdine let her fly, citing the necessity to have eight machines for this particular formation. He guessed, that Irisdine did it on her own responsibility, - her continued silence at Annette's outbursts proved that. Perhaps she had even ordered Inghild to keep an eye on Schwarz six. For Theodore, however, this was no excuse, even if otherwise this would have destroyed Annette as a soldier and a person.

While she's whining, her mates'll get killed by BETA!..

" It's all right, Annette, everything's okay. I'll protect you." said Inghild in a very soft, calming voice, which only served to annoy Theodore even more. For Inghild, a child of an old Junker family [1A 12], and as such, always treated somewhat distantly, Annette was the only person with whom she really connected. This relations.h.i.+p perhaps was the link that kept Inghild close to Annette, even despite her current mental state.

Ugh, I'm gonna puke...

These two were really getting on Theodore's nerves. In his opinion, among pilots, who lived with the fear of death at any moment, such things were for weaklings, and would only hasten their departure to the next world.

" Everything all right, Schwarz seven?" Walter asked, his voice tense. Theodore felt that they were just words - the veteran must know feel the same danger as all other pilots. Gretel's face only expressed sincere disgust - she hated former aristocrats with a pa.s.sion.

" Yes, sir, covering Schwarz six... everything will be okay, - right, Annette?" replied Inghild, trying too hard to be cheerful. Annette, her eyes suddenly lifeless, nodded slowly, as if in a daze.

" Copy... hey son, you watch those two as well, all right?"

Walter's unexpected order caught him napping.

"Why me of all people?!.."

" You got it?"

" ... Yes sir, I copy," - Theodore answered, trying very hard to keep his annoyance out of his voice, and grabbed the control sticks so hard it looked like he was trying to squeeze the life out of them.

Not a second later came Irisdine's command: " Squadron, achtung! Two klicks to target. Prepare to clear out LZ in five hundred metres. It's time for the hunt! Do keep me company!"

On the map appeared a concentration of dots, representing the swarms of laser-cla.s.s targets.

"Well, here's where we live or die!.."

With a s.h.i.+ver, he looked at the horde of BETA they were approaching. From now on he and his comrades would have to fight in close quarters, completely surrounded by the enemy.

Several groups of laser-cla.s.s units were surrounded by a sizeable force of other BETA. To complete their main objective they would have to eliminate those first, otherwise the squadron would be crushed between waves of monsters. In the worst case scenario, fort-cla.s.s species from the very back of the horde would reinforce the enemy here. It was imperative to destroy the Lux and egress as fast as possible.

" Not a very pleasant sight, I must say, ma'am. I wonder, how does this compare to a Hive infiltration op?" asked Walter, and Irisdine answered in the same, level tone: " Oh, much easier." " Really? Why so?" " I'm afraid I've no sense of direction."

This time almost no one laughed, but it was a fact that this short exchange did relieve some of the tension after the incident with Annette.

" Canister shot, two volleys! Feuer!!" finally came the captain's order.

The barrage wiped out a part of the herd that was underfoot. Several moments later, the smoke cleared, revealing the dead BETA bodies, - and among them stood eight tactical fighters in perfect battle formation.

+++1135 hours

++Territory of the former People's Republic of Poland

++30 kilometres east of the Neisse river, in BETA-controlled s.p.a.ce

Looking over the dreary panorama, Theodore sighed once again. The retinal display showed his comrades in formation, and the endless sea of enemy contacts around them. Grapplers and tank-cla.s.s species swarmed towards them like flies to a corpse.

And the Lux are on the other side of this... wall?..

He gritted his teeth. Completely surrounded, the unit could not use fire and retreat tactics, and could not attack the laser-cla.s.s from a distance. The only option still open to them was making a perfectly coordinated a.s.sault, using the BETA closest to them as s.h.i.+elds, and breaking through to the pockets where the laser-cla.s.s groups were.

No way in h.e.l.l am I gonna die in this place!..

He grinned savagely, and in that grin were both the bloodl.u.s.t and the mortal fear of a cornered beast.

" All units, achtung! " Irisdine's confident voice rang in his ears " Commencing Laserjadg! First unit will engage in close quarters, second provides covering fire. Bestow upon them our black marks! 666th squadron, vorwärts!! "

At her command, all the machines of the 666th rushed forward as one.

Irisdine was charging ahead across the snowy field, using short boost jumps to gain speed. Walter followed her close, Theodore was behind and to the left of him, and Gretel even further to the left. In front of them was a wedge-shaped group of BETA with ten grapplers with a hundred tank-cla.s.s beasts surrounding them.

" We'll cut through them, Walter! Four and eight, cover us!"

Irisdine was a firm believer in the idea that the commander should be at the forefront of his unit, and under no circ.u.mstances would let anyone else have the honour. Even Theodore had to recognise her bravery and determination... even if it annoyed him oh so much.

Only a dozen metres separated her from the BETA in front, when she gave a triumphant battle cry and activating the rocket engines, she soared above the grappler.

Suddenly reversing her booster nozzles so that they pointed up, she made her machine dart downwards, holding the "Shürzen" so that its bladed edge pointed towards the sensory organs on the grappler's back. Predictably enough, the edge split the beast's filmy skin, and sliced its torso in two. Thick red fountains of whatever pa.s.sed for blood among their misbegotten kind sprayed over her machine, bits of flesh and innards flying in all directions. That grappler was most certainly out of the picture. A moment later, Walter executed the same attack at a sharp angle, and another grappler found itself hacked apart.

d.a.m.n they're good!!..

Theodore, covering the lead machines, had the time to fully admire this display of skill. It was quite clear that no one without the exceptional control over their machine that those two were able to achieve could hope to perform such a feat. Such precisely timed jump booster control was something an average pilot wouldn't even be able to imitate. And thanks to the efficient coordination of the four machines, the grapplers were down in less than sixty seconds. There didn't seem any other BETA capable of doing anything in the immediate vicinity.

" Schwarz one to four and eight! Secure sector 05-8!"

" Roger!! I'm going in, eight!"

"Jawohl!"

This time it was Theodore and Gretel's turn to make a fast jump towards their target. In their sector were a dozen grapplers and fifty tank-cla.s.s BETA, the latter already being chewed up by covering fire from the rear-guard unit, - but the grapplers, noticing the threat, began to move in.

Hah, as if we'd stop here!..

Theodore, giving several bursts from his rifle, almost without aiming, rushed onwards. Annihilation of the BETA was secondary to securing the marked coordinates, so they paid no heed to the enemy, and not a minute later, they landed at their designated point, crus.h.i.+ng some grappler corpses under their iron boots.

" Four and eight, you got incoming at three o'clock! Vorsicht!"

They barely had time to react to the warning, as a small group of enemies emerged from the blizzard. They were barely three hundred metres off.

" Ah, no!.." Gretel moaned.

At this range, it was clear that they wouldn't have time to stop them with fire alone. Theodore instantly took the decision, discarding his a.s.sault rifle, - immediately, an automated auxiliary arm took the CIWS-1A combat knife out of its compartment, and he grabbed it with his right manipulator in a backhand grip.

" L-lieutenant Eberbach?!"

"Please stay back! I will stop them! "Theodore quickly cut her before she could say anything. He normally found having to address her politely very annoying, but in this situation it was the last thing on his mind.

"Support fire, lieutenant!.."

" Roger!!"

To say that taking on a grappler in close combat with a knife made for disposing of the smallest cla.s.ses was reckless, would be an impressive understatement. One hit from their ma.s.sive forearms, and the TSF was sc.r.a.p.

Ready to win or die trying, Theodore waited for the first grappler to approach and lift his arm for the strike - and kicked off from the ground with a hoa.r.s.e battle cry. With split-second timing, he dove under the beast's right shoulder joint, and took the blow on his s.h.i.+eld.

The Shürzen's reactive armour exploded - Theodore's field of vision was filled with a blast of brilliant orange, and half of the beast's claw was blown off. The TSF shook viciously under the terrible impact.

" b.a.s.t.a.r.d!!.."

He glanced at the system monitors - it looked like the pressure on the left elbow joint had spiked beyond critical. Not even waiting for the machine to recover from the blast, he changed his posture, antic.i.p.ating the movements of the grappler, whose left arm was still functional. In the next moment, with another triumphant cry, he dashed forward, slicing clean through the beast's other joint - his blade rent the membranous skin, and the beast's arm was cut off, flailing feebly.

" Next!!"

As if through sheer force of will he righted his machine, which was ready to fall over, and met the next grappler head-on, this time driving the s.h.i.+eld's sharp edge in the middle of its torso. Its whitish skin wasn't a match for that steel.

" And you're finished! "

The remaining reactive armour on the front side of the Shürzen did its task magnificently - the explosion blew the beast to pieces. Any others?..

Looking around, he only saw Gretel finis.h.i.+ng off some stragglers. Realising that the immediate threat was gone, he could finally catch his breath, stowing away the combat knife and picking up his rifle. He was trying to control his breathing to calm himself down, feeling a strange mixture of relief and lingering mortal terror.

Just as Walter and Irisdine were unmatched pilots, Theodore excelled in close quarters combat, especially using the combat knife and s.h.i.+eld together. This mastery was something he needed to survive this hunt for the laser-cla.s.s.

Well, that's it, can't do the same next time...

He glanced at his s.h.i.+eld, scorched by the explosions of the blocks of reactive armour, and frowned. It wouldn’t be able to save him from the laser anymore.

" Schwarz one to four and eight! Move to 05-0!" he heard Irisdine’s urgent voice in his headset.

" Visual on Lux, repeat, visual on main target! Me and Walter are going to draw other BETA from them! Make it fast you two!!"

Finally! We got them…

Theodore didn’t notice himself that his face brightened. He felt as if a ray of light shone upon them in this darkness. Indeed, in the darkness and whirling snow, in-between the other BETA, something greenish wriggled – their main objective, the first group of the laser-cla.s.s species, about thirty units.

" Rear-guard! Cover four and eight!"

" Roger that!"

Only then Theodore noticed the voices of Annette and Inghild among the chorus of those acknowledging orders. The two machines were covering the rear, delaying enemies that came from that direction. Annette’s MiG carried a weapon unusual for European battlefields – a standard PLA Type-77 long sword [1A 13] . In the past, the DDR imported these from China, though very few squadrons continued using it. For ordinary pilots, not too fond of close combat, it was an unwieldy weapon, but Annette had displayed her affinity for it ever since TSF pilot school.

" Take this!!"

Raising the glaive above her head, she slashed down at the grappler in front of her. The grappler raised his arm to block the strike – but the glaive cut through it, sending bits of cracked armour and flesh flying.

" There’s more where that came from!! Diiiieee!!!"

Her heavy glaive rose up slowly, and fell again on another grappler.

" Annette, tank-cla.s.s on your ten! Careful!" shouted Inghild, who had been giving her partner precise covering fire all this time. It looked like she was having a tough time because of Annette’s wild and unpredictable movements. She didn’t let it show on her face, however, and continued her support action, but her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to follow the positions of the forward units at the same time. It placed a great deal of strain on her, and was frankly dangerous – she had to understand it very well herself.

" Forward, four and eight – take those Lux down! I give you sixty seconds!"

Spurred on by Irisdine’s order, Theodore looked forward. The captain and Walter had drawn off two dozen grapplers by themselves, and very few now remained guarding the laser-cla.s.s.

" Roger!! Comrade lieutenant, I’m going in! We’ll use the grapplers on our eight as a s.h.i.+eld, and give a volley of canister shot!"

"Roger!"

With another battle cry, Theodore charged the enemy.

+++1150 hours

++Territory of the former People's Republic of Poland

++30 kilometres east of the Neisse river, in BETA-controlled s.p.a.ce

A vibration… that wasn’t one of our sh.e.l.ls…

Inghild was the first to notice it. Providing fire support for Annette, she was distracted for a split second.

The blizzard and the clouds of dirt and snow that hung above the battlefield made it next to impossible to see anything but one’s immediate surroundings. Inghild didn’t even bother to look at the radar, which was as good as useless under the heavy metal clouds, but instead turned her eyes back to Annette’s machine. Her partner was still swinging around that huge weapon, but she was more and more worried.

Please come back safe…

The thought that at this point Annette was acc.u.mulating a lot of fatigue and stress didn’t leave her mind. The time granted to her was clearly coming to an end, and soon she would be sent back to the base to recover her mental stability. Cases of sh.e.l.lshock were common on this terrible field of battle. What awaited those whose mind broke was a stay in a special military hospital – which, in this country, was little different from a labour camp, where they would meet their end as a human being. The current administration of the DDR did not even want to admit the existence of soldiers whose spirit was broken.

But then if this war ends, and she survives, maybe there’ll be time for her to recover… so I have to keep trying, for her sake!..

Only fifteen minutes from the start of the battle, the 666th had already eliminated two groups of laser-cla.s.s BETA, and were now breaking through to the third and last. The presence of four other groups had also been confirmed, but signal flares indicated that the other TSF squadrons, previously delayed, had successfully made contact with their targets. Ten minutes remained until the planned start of full-scale bombardment from the front lines, and if everything went well, they had largely enough time to finish mopping up any stragglers.

Gah, again!.

She glanced at her comrades’ faces – none of them seemed to have noticed anything. However, even if her MiG-21 was equipped with vibration sensors, with these numbers of BETA around it was simply overwhelmed. It was therefore not surprising that a human felt unusual vibrations first. And sure enough, moments later a graph appeared on her retinal display, showing abnormal vibrations, followed by a shrill warning buzzer.

"It can’t be! Here?!.."

The message spelt death for the entire squadron.

A herd of destroyer-cla.s.s?!..

◊◊◊

"Destroyer-cla.s.s?! " Theodore whispered, looking at the same graph as Inghild, as if unwilling to believe his own eyes,

We’re in the b.l.o.o.d.y middle of the BETA herd!

" No mistake, this is their signature!" shouted Inghild " Around seventy units, distance 2500, speed… over a hundred and fifty kilometres an hour?! In visual range in less than sixty seconds! Proceeding in close formation!"

Theodore growled, gritting his teeth.

Sheisse! Just a bit more time and we would’ve wiped out the target!

A mixture of dread and bitterness boiled up within him. Eight fighters, surrounded by an entire herd, standing against a rush of the destroyer-cla.s.s – one couldn’t call this situation anything other than desperate. Seeing as they weren’t finished with the laser-cla.s.s, they wouldn’t be able to evade by with simple boost jumps, and retreat was out of the question until their target was down. He couldn’t expect the political officer, Gretel, to allow it.

Desertion under enemy fire is punishable by death, after all…

Perhaps the only option remaining to them would be to fight until the last moment, then set their engines to overload and destroy themselves along with any BETA nearby. Was this then the end?.. He gripped the control sticks once again, growling in protest. " Don’t get distracted!" came Irisdine’s sharp command. Her facial expression did not change by one iota. " All units, form on me!"

In the face of imminent destruction, her voice was also perfectly steady.

d.a.m.n it, what’s she thinking?!...

But he himself was already moving, and several short boost jumps later he was standing next to the lead MiG-21. Other machines followed shortly. All of them were quite a sight, covered in BETA entrails. They had on average thirty percent ammunition, though Inghild, covering Annette, was below twenty.

" Why this, comrade captain?!" Gretel was shouting again, pale-faced, clearly aware of the destiny that awaited the squadron. " We should spread out and head towards the laser-cla.s.s! If even one or two machines make it through, our mission would be complete! It’s not too late yet! And if we’re killed, it’s even--"

" We would be killed before reaching them. I cannot accept such a tactical move."

" Then what, are you planning to meet them here?! Impossible!.."

" Listen up, squadron! Fire by rank, switch your 120mm to sabot or squash head [1A 14] ammo!" she ordered, ignoring Gretel completely.

She was the first ready her a.s.sault gun, and Theodore followed reflexively, all the while staring angrily at the commander’s face in the comm window.

Is she insane? Firing by rank is just as suicidal against the Ruitare!..

" …You do realise that stopping them is imp--"

" We will fire at the front group, stop them in their tracks! Then break through to the last Lux group!"

Wha…

Theodore was speechless again. This time he really doubted the captain really meant what she was saying.

…break through them?!...

Not paying heed to all the other pilots, clearly at a loss for words, Irisdine continued:

" Behind the charging destroyers there have to be very few BETA. We’ll use that! We don’t have any other choice for destroying them until the bombardment starts!"

It was essentially, true, - the speed difference between the destroyer-cla.s.s and other BETA made a gap quite likely. Really… no other choice…

Theodore understood the theory behind this move, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t scared. Breaking through a destroyer-cla.s.s wave from the front really wasn’t something commonly heard of… but at this point the only thing he could do was follow orders. No matter how uneasy they made him, or how much he hated the captain.

" All units, fire on my command. Aim at the legs of the leading destroyers!"

" Roger!"

Theodore shouted in reply, feeling despair encroach upon his soul. It might have been the same for the others, too.

" Then, on my order, we will begin the breakthrough maneuver. Do not, I repeat, do not break your element[1A 15]  ! If we stop them, they’re not a threat anymore!"

The trembling of the ground was becoming more and more noticeable, and their TSFs shook.

" Once we break through, we turn towards the Lux, finish them off – and get out of here!"

Walter’s rough voice interrupted her:

" Visual on destroyer-cla.s.s, distance 1000… they’re here!"

In the next moment, the destroyer horde broke through the blizzard in front of them, a living wedge parting the billowing curtain of snow…

Twenty seconds to contact. Theodore’s heart was seized by a dreadful, oppressing feeling.

Stopping… that?!...

" All units, feuer frei!"

" Jawohl!!"

They focussed all their attention on the approaching enemy. Simultaneously, eight bright flashes erupted from their a.s.sault guns, and without waiting to see if the sh.e.l.ls. .h.i.t, they fired one volley after another.

This has to stop them… it has to! Or...

Irisdine’s calculations seemed to be confirmed, as several hits exploded their targets – the destroyers didn’t even pause, and rushed on, scattering bits of gore, but the second and third hits exploded legs, sending them off balance, and one after another they tumbled. The ones that relentlessly came after them tried to evade the fallen, but inevitably got caught and tumbled themselves, - and so did the next wave. In one tremendous