Just a little heads up. This fanfic has violence and some strong language. I think we're all mature enough to handle that though.
Dark clouds loomed in the distance to the west of San Monzez Air Force Base and according to the morning weather report, there was a high chance for strong thunderstorms today. However, Joseph H. McDale was not concerned by the weather as he walked down the second floor corridor of the barracks with a clipboard in hand. More pressing matters were at hand. As the leader of Guardian Squadron, Joe had to meet with his new squad mates before their first mission. The air force pilot was annoyed that he was unable to have the meeting in the briefing room but he had been told that War Hammer, the bomber unit stationed at San Monzez, was using the room. Joe arrived in the lounge at the end of the hall where five other men in flight suits were awaiting him. After glancing over a list, the squadron leader declared, “I see everyone made it here on time. That’s good. Anyway, I’ll try to make this quick since we have things to do. First, when I call your name, I want you to acknowledge so I know who you are. I’m gonna skip this rank crap and just call you by name. You can do the same to me unless there are other officers around or if we are on a mission. Got it?” Joe did not wait for a response and continued, “Max Richardson!”
A tall man with reddish-brown hair and brown eyes raised his hand. He was a big, muscular man, almost too big to be a pilot.
Joe nodded and called, “Derek Malloy!”
Malloy raised his hand and called back, “Here, sir!”
Malloy spoke with a heavy Usean accent.
Joe nodded and replied It’s a pleasure to met you, mate. Me name’s Derek Malloy, callsign Stone.”
Malloy was shorter than Max and the same height as Joe, but a little chubby. He had black hair that covered his ears and the back of his neck. He had cole black eyes and a scar on his cheek that he had received in a bar fight years before.
Joe nodded and looked down at his list again and called, “Charles Lynx!”
Charles Lynx raised his hand and exclaimed, “Second Leiutenand Charles Lynx reporting for duty, Sir! My callsign is Hotrod,by the way, sir!”
Joe had to suppress mirth at hearing the callsign. However, it did seem to fit. Lynx was a short, thin man with a blond crew cut and his eyes were obscured by a pair of dark sunglasses.
Joe replied to Lynx’s answer, “You don’t have to call me sir when we’re off duty.
Lynx nodded and Joe looked at the two remaining pilots, two black men who appeared to be identical twins.
“You must be the Gale Brothers.”
One of the men spoke up, “I’m Michael Gale.”
The other introduced himself, “I’m Bradley Gale.”
Joe nodded and declared, “I’ll definitely have trouble telling you two apart. It says here that you did exceptionally well in air-to-ground combat. I think you’ll do just fin with this unit. Say, your father is a Marine Corps Captain isn’t he?”
Both brothers nodded and Michael Gale explained, “We’ve had a long history of military service. In fact, our father is supposed to be leading a unit of Marines to secure the boarder today.
Joe said with a smile, “I wish him luck then. Something tells me luck is something we’ll all need soon.”
The squadron leader then turned serious and explained, “This morning, Danthuania’s Charvez Mazzol declared war on Beauta. His motives are officially “unclear” but we are now on high alert. We could launch at any time so I want to sort things out. Max, you’re Guardian 2. Malloy, you’re Guardian 3. Lynx, I am putting you in the number four position. Michael Gale, you’re number five and Brad, you will be in the number six position. Are there any questions?”
Lynx raised his hand and asked in a smart tone, “Yeah. Why is there a damn buffalo on our squadron patch? What’s that got to do with a guardian?”
Joe rolled his eyes and could tell this one was going to be a handful.
“Well,” Joe began, “First, it’s a bison, not a buffalo. The bison is the official animal of Beauta. It symbolizes freedom and independence. As for why it is on our patch, according to the native people of Beauta, there was a mythical bison worrier that protected them and blessed them with good fortune like a god. They called it their “guardian.” It’s an incredibly stupid story that I don’t particularly care to tell, but it makes a cool looking patch. Now, we...”
A female voice came over the loudspeaker and ordered urgently, “All fighter pilots please report to the briefing room immediately! I report, all fighter pilots are to report to the briefing room immediately!”
“Dammit!” Joe shouted audibly, angry that he had not even been able to finish his meetign. “Let’s go, men!”
The pilots went outside and made their way to the briefing room as quickly as possible. San Monzez Air Base was located in the Tamoth River Valley, at the base of the 8000 foot Elkwood Peak. The base had two runways. One, Runway 18, was located just at the base of the mountain. The other, Runway 25, was on the opposite side of the base. Scruffy pine trees and a few shrubs lined the hillside overlooking Runway 18 while the Tamoth River ran along the other side of San Monzez. This base, located in the heart of Beauta, was a critical military asset.
Clouds began to block out the sun now, however, the pilots paid no attention to the weather as they filed into the briefing room. The inside of the briefing room looked like a movie theater with an electronic screen on the wall, an overhead projector at the back of the room, and a pull-down screen. A podium stood a the front of the room for a speaker to stand on. The pilots chattered amongst themselves until the base commander, Colonel Andrew Mason arrived in the room. He was a stern looking man, tall and thin. His short grey hair looked like a path of dried grass growing out of his head and his black eyes were like lumps of coal. He was dressed in a Colonel’s uniform with his rank prominently displayed on his right shoulder.
The Colonel banged on the podium with a wooden pointer and shouted, “Attention!”
The room became quiet, the lights dimmed, and the electronic screen light up on the wall. The words “Saint Imaging Industries” appeared on the screen briefly, then faded away, revealing a map of the Verusa Continent. The Federation of Beauta was located in the southern part of the continent just below the equator. To the north was the Socialist States of Kolkove. Kolkove had once been part of Yuktobania but had won their independence during a war in the early 1950s. However, the victory came at a high price and the war left Kolkove’s cities in ruins and its population in poverty. To he west was the Democratic Republic of Dagret, a close ally of Beauta. The Kingdom of Danthuania lied to the south of Beauta. Danthuania had originally been a socialist republic with an unstable government and collapsing economy. Their weak central government had been overthrown in a swift and violent coup d'etat by the crime lord, Charvez Mazzol. Mazzol had been a longtime enemy of Beauta as a result of the Beautian government cracking down on his organization. He was regarded as one of the world’s most powerful and dangerous criminals. He had only recently come to power in Danthuania and the nation was turned from a socialist republic to an authoritarian dictatorship with Mazzol proclaiming himself as king.
Colonel Mason announced, “As you are already aware, at 03:00 hours this morning, Charvez Mazzol, the new “king” of Danthuania, officially declared a state of war on the Federation of Beauta. Approximately twenty minutes ago, a formation of ten Tu-95 Bear bombers and various fighters was detected approaching our southern boarder. After analyzing all possible targets along their flight path, our intelligence nit concluded that their intended targets are the town of St. Johnston located about thirty miles south of this military facility. St. Johnston is the home of Beauta’s primary weapon production plants and our ammunition storage facilities, as well as a lot of civilians.”
An image of a Tu-95 Bear appeared in the upper right corner of the screen and an image of Mig-21 Fishbed fighters appeared below it.
The Colonel continued, “The loss of St. Johnston would leave our nation desperately short-handed on weapon supplies. Your mission is to intercept and destroy all enemy planes as quickly as possible. We predict that the intercept point will be somewhere over the Able’s Pass region. Get to Able’s Pass and intercept those planes ASAP! If we lose St. Johnston, it’s game over. Dismissed!”
The screen went black and the pilots quickly left the room as soon as the lights turned back on.
Joe checked that his flight gear was on properly and placed his pilot helmet on his head.
As the pilots entered the hangar, a mechanic shouted, “Guardian Squadron! Squadron, over here!”
Joe walked over along with a pilot he was unfamiliar with. The mechanic said, “These are your planes. We’ll have them ready for takeoff shortly.”
He pointed to a pair of F-15C parked at the left end of the hangar.
The wind picked up and clouds began to obscure the sun as the storm drew closer. Joe climbed the narrow ladder leading to the cockpit of his aircraft. The ground crews drug the empty ordinance carts, used to carry bombs or missiles to the planes, away to the back of the hanger while the rest of the crews fed bullets into the fighter’s vulcan cannon located on at the root of the right wing. The two F-15Cs were painted in a light grey paint scheme with orange leading edges and tail fins. The emblem of the Beauta Air Force was painted on the sides and the top of the left wing. On the tail were the letters SM for San Monzez Base and the number 27, which stood for the 27th Tactical Fighter Squadron. A charging bison was painted just below the cockpit on both of the planes.
One of the mechanics approached Joe and announced, “We’re almost finished with the plane. She’ll be ready to go momentarily.”
“I appreciate it.” the pilot replied and went through his preflight checklist.
After strapping himself in the pilot seat, Joe hunted for the switches which needed to be set. Joe activated the battery and electrical systems and ran through the pre start checklist. From the other F-15, Max contacted him and said, “Well, I’m starting up now. I think we’d best get a move on.”
Joe responded over the radio, “Got it. Let’s kick the tires and light the fires.”
He flipped the ignition switch and the engin slowly roared to life. The ground crews had left the area and the two jets began to taxi toward the runway.
A male voice crackled over the radio, “This is San Monzez tower here. All planes are cleared for takeoff immediately. Take off as soon as you enter the runway.”
The clouds turned the sky so dark that the taxiway lights had to be turned on for the taxiways to be visible. The turbulent sky overhead had turned a sinister shade of dark grey and black and thunder rumbled across the valley.
Ahead of Joe and Max, the Gale brothers taxied their F-16Cs toward the runway. The F-16s reached the runway and their afterburners ignited, propelling them down the runway. As soon as it was clear, Joe taxied onto the runway, checked his instruments, and pushed the throttle lever forward. The engines roared as the plane’s orange afterburner flame ignited. The F-15 Eagle gained speed quickly. Joe’s plane reached it’s takeoff speed and he pulled back on the control stick. As the plane became airborne, he pulled the landing gear lever and a few seconds later, three green lights on the panel indicated that the wheels had safely retracted into the airplane. Behind him, two Mirage-2000Cs flown by Derek and Lynxlifted off and joined in formation.
As the pilots climbed into the stormy sky, a deep male voice crackled over the radio, “All airborne planes, this is airborne warning and control systems, callsign Dragon Eye. I’m sending you an objective point on radar. Proceed to that location at once. ”
Joe replied, “Cyclone, roger that.”
Max Richardson responded, “This is Razor, I’ll follow you. St. Johnston is my hometown. I’m not gonna let these scumbags bomb it!”
Joe turned to a heading of 187 and pushed throttle lever all the way forward, igniting the afterburners again and rocketing across the sky. Tiny droplets of water began to hit the canopy followed by large, sloppy raindrops. Visibility dropped in a matter of seconds to almost zero. As Joe looked out from his cockpit, the mountain peaks below were just grey masses. A bolt of florescent blue lightning arched across the sky and a crack of thunder could be made out over the noise of the jet engine.
Dragon Eye’s voice broke the monotony of the pattering rain, “All planes, you are five miles from the interception point. Enemy bombers are twenty miles from St. Johnston. You are cleared to engage at will.”
Derek’s voice crackled over the radio, “Colonel McDale, requesting permission to separate and engage the escorts at well!”
Joe thought for a second and responded, “Permission granted. Hotrod, go with him and cover his ass.”
Lynx answered, “Sure thing, Colonel!”
The two Mirage-2000s broke formation and sped out in front.
Joe glanced at the radar screen and could see the enemy
formation.
One of the enemy bomber pilots shouted, “Something indistinguishable on the radio and the escorts acknowledged and broke formation.
Three Mig-21 Fishbed interceptors appeared out of the clouds, their machine guns ablaze. Joe shouted, “Razor, break left! Let them pass between us!”
Razor replied, “Got it, Cyclone!”
Joe rolled the control stick to the right and the plane banked sharply to the right. Razor’s F-15 Eagle banked to the left and the three Migs passed between them. Joe leveled out and continued on his course toward the bombers. He had the lead enemy bomber in sight and drew a bead on its wing. He pressed the trigger and the F-15's machine gun spewed a volley of bullets impacted on the wing and flames erupted from the bomber’s fuel tank.
The enemy pilot yelled something in Danthuanian that Joe could not understand, but he guessed it to be along the lines of, “Oh shit! We’re going down!”
The wing snapped off and the Tu-95 Bear was sent plummeting to the mountains below.
Michael Gale’s voice crackled over the radio, “Guardian 5 here, the escorts fighters are coming around for a second pass!”
Suddenly, the missile alert light lit up and the shrill alarm screamed in Joe’s ear.
“Dammit! Where the hell is it?” he shouted as he looked desperately around for the incoming missile. He spotted it coming at him from the side and pressed the countermeasure button. Three flares dropped from the tail of the fighter to lure the missile away and Joe rolled his plane into a hard right turn. The missile alarm stopped buzzing and he sighed in relief.
Max said, “This is Razor, I’ll get him off you!”
Max maneuvered behind the Mig-21 that was pursuing Joe and opened fire with his machine guns. Two bullets struck the stubby tail of the small fighter and five more struck the left triangular wing. Smoke began to pour from the bullet holes and the engine exploded. Orange flames trailed behind the burning hunk of metal as the wings separated from the fuselage and the plane disappeared into the storm.
Joe turned his fighter around and attacked a second bomber. The bullets tore gaping holes along the fuselage of the Tu-95 and apparently hit the bombs inside because the bomber suddenly exploded in a huge fireball that lit up the clouds. Debris pinged as it bounced off Joe’s plane, but the rugged jet kept going like nothing had happened. Joe spotted two enemy fighters coming at him from a distance and ordered, “Someone mop up those fighters.
Derek responded, “Negative! We’ve got our hands full with the second attack wave!”
Razor shouted, “I’ll get em! No way these bastards are gonna bomb my home town!”
Joe switched from guns to missiles and got a lock on the lead incoming Mig-21.
When the target box on the HUD turned red, Joe shouted, “Cyclone, fox two!”
A sidewinder missile streaked ahead, straight at the enemy plane. The missile struck just behind the wings, breaking the plane in half. The front part spun off in one direction while the tail and a chunk of the wing trailed off in another. Joe quickly rolled his plane, flying between the pieces of debris. Razor fired a missile that struck the second fighter on the wing.
The Fishbed wobbled and then began to lose altitude.”
The canopy jettisoned from the Mig-21 and Joe watched as the pilot’s ejections seat flew from the cockpit.
Dragon Eye announced, “Enemy bombers are fifteen miles south of St. Johnston! Take them out now!”
Joe ordered, ëRazor, cover me! I’m going after the remaining bombers!”
Three bombers remained in formation. Joe approached one of the closest Tu-95s from behind and immediately realized that he had made a grave mistake. The bomber’s tail gun came alive with a volley of bullets. Joe quickly banked sharply to the left and felt his plane shake as two bullets impacted on the fuselage just below the right wing. He checked the controls to be sure everything was still working and then reduced his airspeed. Sighing in relief and silently praising the F-15 for being such a tough fighter, he switched back to his medium range air-to-air missiles and got a lock on the three remaining bombers.
“Cyclone, fox three! Fox three!” he shouted as he fired. Three missiles detached from the hardpoints on the wings and each one hit a bomber.
Dragon Eye shouted, “First wave of enemy bombers is down! Good work, Guardian! Now join up with the others and take down the second wave! The second wave is at vector 170.”
One of the Danthuanian bomber pilots said something indistinguishable and the bmbers all opened their bomb bay doors.
Joe and Max joined the Mirage-2000s and F-16s in a dogfight with the remaining escort fighters.
A Mig-21 fired a missile that exploded behind the tail of one of the Mirage-2000s.
Derik shrieked, “Bloody hell! I’m hit!”
Lynx shouted, “Stone, what’s your status? Are you alright?”
The Mirage began losing altitude and Joe watched just long enough to see the plane heading for base.
Derek answered, “Sorry mates. I can barely keep this damned thing in the air. Returning to base.”
Dragon Eye acknowledged, “Be careful, Stone.”
Joe shouted, “Guardian 1 here! Can anyone cover us? We’re going to finish off these bombers!”
The two F-16s joined formation with the two F-15 and Michael replied, “Roger that, Cyclone. We’ll cover you.”
Dragon Eye ordered, “Here come the last of the escorts. Finish them off. Then shoot down those bombers!”
Guardian 5 and 6 flew ahead and fired missiles at the last two enemy fighters. The two Mig-21s went spinning off into the cloudy sky.
Razor fired two missiles and shot down two of the bombers. Joe watched as several parachutes appeared where the crews bailed out.
One of the three remaining enemy bombers began to bank away from the others.
“Looks like one of them is running for it. Don’t let them get away.” Max said.
Joe fired a missile at one fo the bombers and struck it in the tail. The plane nosedived sharply and crashed into the side of a mountain. Max made a quick attack run on the other bomber and strafed it’s engines. The two left engines exploded and the plane began to sag to sag on its left side. Joe ignored the crashing bomber and turned to the final one. However, before he could even shoot, one of the Gale’s F-16s appeared out of the clouds and fired at the plane’s wing with his machine gun, breaking the tip off. The bomber wobbled and began to lose altitude. The landing gear extended from its belly and Michael laughed, “Ha! It looks like they’re surrendering. Let’s follow it just to make sure.”
The bomber descended and made a rather rough landing on a highway in the valley and Dragon Eye said over the radio, “All enemies are down or no factor. Mission accomplished. All planes, return to base.”
Joe awaited his turn to land and prepared for his final approach. The torrential rain had made the visibility so poor that Joe had to make an ILS approach. Wind buffeted his fighter as he approached the runway. Finally, with a hard thud, the F-15 landed on the runway and Joe sighed in relief.
In the briefing room, Colonel Mason announced in grimly, “Although you stopped Danthuania’s bomber attack on our munitions plant, satellite intel has spotted large numbers of Danthuanian ground forces amassing near our southern boarder. It appears that an invasion is imminent. In response, our president has deployed military forces to the boarder to monitor the situation. Any questions?”
Max Richardson raised his hand and asked, “What exactly does Danthuania want? I mean, what is Mazzol’s motive?”
The base commander sighed and replied, “Officially, we don’t know but if you ask me, he wants power. He thinks that if he could overthrow Danthuania, htat he can do the same to our nation as well. Plus he is angry at Beauta for building that wall on the south boarder and cracking down on his drug trafficking. He’s a madman and I think he may be crazy enough to try and claim our country as part of Danthuania. We won’t know until later and I can’t discuss anymore at the moment. Dismissed.”
That night, at the bar on base, Joe walked in with a cold mug of beer and joined Max and the others at a table in th center of the room. The atmosphere smelled heavily of cigaret smoke as two mechanics were puffing away at a table nearby. The squadron leader took a seat with his squad mates and asked politely, “Mind if I join you?”
Nobody objected so he joined in on the discussion they were having.
“Aye, now this Mazzol fellow...” Derek said as he took another swig of beer, “He’s a few sandwiches short of a picnic I hear. Rumor has it that when he overthrew Danthuania’s presidential family, he took an axe and hacked them all to death in their beds and burned the bodies.”
Lynx laughed and replied, “Now how would anyone know that unless they somehow saw it themselves? It’s probably just a myth. I always thought he had them shot or something.”
Joe mused, “He started out at a lowly drug dealer and worked his way up through the Danthuania Mafia. From what I heard, he bought out some of their military leaders and that’s why his fat ass is sitting in the presidential chair in Kaileti.”
“Oh!” Max interjected. “Did you guys hear what the president of Osea said about all this? He said that while he doesn’t agree with Danthuania’s “aggressive tactics” , he thinks Beauta should try and restore a state of peace with Danthuania. He is talking about imposing sanctions on both countries if the situation gets out of hand.”
“That bloody idiot!” exclaimed Malloy furiously. “If he tries to interfere in our affairs, I’ll show him some real “aggressive tactics”! Harling is a damn hippie and a Yank to boot!”
Joe shook his head and agreed, “I remember when Osea use to actually be something. Then Harling cut back their military and then they got trounced by the Yukes. They’d have lost had it not been for that... what was it called? Razgriz squadron?”
Max nodded and said, “I read about it in Front Line. The Yukes and the Oseans fought tooth and nail and then suddenly teamed up and attacked Belka together. Now figure that one out , will ya?”
Derek spoke up again, counting each problem off on his fingers, “First it was the Belkans, then the bloody asteroids, two years ago it was Youtobania and Osea, and now this Mazzol prick. If you ask me, our government should have just sent a sniper to shoot the bastard. This world has enough problems as it is!”
Derek gulped down the rest of his beer and said, “Well, I’m going to get me some more stout.”
Joe shook his head and suggested, “You probably shouldn’t get drunk, especially when we may have to take off at a moment’s notice.”
“Ah bugger!” shouted Derek as he shoved his empty mug to the center of the table.
Max leaned over and whispered to Derek, “By the way, that was beer, not stout. I don’t think they let pilots have stout.”
Derek said flatly, “We always called it stout where I’m from.”
The pilots continued discussing the condition of the world and their current situation until the bar closed.
“We’d better get some rest.” Max said as he walked off toward his barracks.
Joe nodded in agreement but he didn’t have a roommate. H was surprised because usually bases had more pilots than this. He had no doubt that there would be more coming in soon. Joe yawned tiredly and walked toward his room.
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It was in the wee hours of the night when Rick Bales awoke from a shallow sleep to the sounds of shouting outside his tent. The Beauta Marine Corps sergeant ran his hand through his short brown hair, wiping sweat from his brow, and got up from his cot, wondering what was going on. Suddenly there was a loud bang in the distance and the sound of a projectile whizzing through the air. An explosion lit up the night and shook the ground, sending dirt and rocks flying everywhere. Rick knew what it meant and donned his combat gear as quickly as he could. The marine checked that his M9 was in its holster at his ;eft hip and his Ka-Bar knife was in it’s sheath on his waist. The marine then strapped on his shoulder holster which held his personal Colt Python 357 Magnum. Rick grabbed his M4A1 rifle and dashed outside with the other men in his unit just as a second shell exploded and decimated his tent with shrapnel.
Rick approached Captain Gale, his commanding officer, and asked, “Captain Gale, what are your orders?”
The captain replied, “Enemy tanks and foot troops are trying to breach our boarder fence! We need to hold this position as long as possible! I sent Corporal Hickman to get a Javelin to take out those tanks. You can help by providing him with cover. Now move, Marine!”
“Yes sir!” shouted Rick as he turned to find the corporal.
Captain Gale was a tall black man with a mean looking face, though he was kinder toward his men than the drill instructors had been. Rick was quite happy to have Gale as his captain. However, for the first time since joining the military, Rick was nervous. He had never imagined anything like the shells that were pounding the ground all around him now. He never imagined being sent off to war at only 19 years old. Then he thought of Jack Hickman, whom he had been sent to protect. He had met Jack Hickmen earlier that night and played a game of cards, which he had lost. Presently, he owed Hickman a debt from the gamer so this looked like an opportunity to settle the debt. Rick charged down into a nearby gully where the ammunition was being stored and found Hickman trying to load a missile into the Javelin.
Hickman smiled and said, “Ahh, you again. You still owe me money.”
Rick retorted, “I’m gonna be saving your ass out there. That’s your payment.”
Jack Hickman shook his head and said, “Whatever you say. Let’s go.”
Hickman was short but muscular, and a very fast runner. His short, flaming red hair and brown eyes were concealed under his helmet and night vision goggles. Rick put on his own goggles over his blue eyes, turning the world shades of light green, dark green, and black. He could make out a lump in Hicknan’s left breast pocket in the shape of a rectangle. This was Jack’s trademark playing card deck which he always carried with him, even in battle. Another tank shell exploded nearby, lighting up the night and sending more debris raining down everywhere. Jack stopped at the top of a hill and took aim with the Javelin. Rick stood back and a missile shot from the end of the launcher, streaked high into the air, and then seemed to drop right on top of one of the approaching Danthuanian tanks, sending a shower of debris scattering around the burning hulk. Through his night vision goggles, Rick could see the bright green form of Danthuanian soldiers planting explosives on the fence and then running away. Bright flashes of light and loud bangs lit up the boarder and the fence toppled. An armored personnel carrier began to roll over the remains of the fence and onto Beautian soil. The transport stopped and the front doors opened. Enemy soldiers poured from the transport vehicle and took aim at the two marines. Rick instinctively raised his M4 rifle’s red dot sight to his eye and drew a bead on a Danthuanian soldier. He had never taken a life before and it was difficult to pull the trigger. He held his breath and squeezed. The rifle fired off three rounds and the soldier fell to the ground, never to get up again. There was a hiss then a roar as Jack fired off another Javelin at an approaching T-72 tank.
He turned to Rick and shouted, “We’re not gonna be ale to hold this position for long!”
Rich took aim and gunned down two more Danthuanian soldiers and replied, “Take out one more tank!”
Jack nodded and reloaded the Javelin and fired, this time aiming for a troop carrier.
After confirming that the missile hit, Jack dropped the Javelin and said, “Alright, Bales, let’s get the hell outta here!”
Jack picked up his rifle and began to run back to the relative safety of the gully. Bullets began whizzing by the two marines as they ran.
Rick shouted over the noise, “That was an expensive piece of hardware you left back there!”
Jack replied sarcastically, “True, but I’m not willing to die trying to haul it back over here!”
Rick slid down the slope of the gully while Jack practically dove into it. Danthuanian soldiers charged toward the gully, firing at anyone who dared to peek above the rim of the ditch.
Rick asked Captain Gale, “What now, sir?”
Gale responded calmly, “I’m calling for air support. Then, we’re gonna take cover in the forest until reinforcements arrive. Until then, we have to hold this position.”
Rick was amazed at how calm the captain was, considering the circumstances.
The marine responded, “Right away, sir!”
The unit of about twenty marines took up positions at the edge of the gully ad began to fire back at the enemy. One marine shouted as he looked through a pair of night binoculars, “Captain Gale, two enemy choppers coming this way! Ka-50s, sir!”
Captain Gale ordered. “Someone get the stinger and fire at those helicopters!”
Rick nodded and slid back down the slope to the ammunition stockpile was laid out. He slung his rifle over his back and picked up the stinger and two additional missiles. It was surprisingly heavy and Rick struggled with the device up the hill. The helicopters were practically on top of them now and one began to fire its machine gun at the marines. Everyone ducked for cover but two marines were killed by the first chopper’s strafing run. All around him, machine gun bullets whizzed through the air both from soldiers and from the choppers. Rick took aim and waited for a lock on. A humming sound confirmed the lock on and Rick fired. The missile shot from the end of the stinger and rocketed toward one of the Ka-50s, striking it at the root of the tail. The tail was blown off and the chopper’s engine burst into flames, sending the helicopter spiraling out of control. The downed helicopter vanished from sight behind the tree line and an explosion lit up the area where it had landed. However, the other helicopter pilot was now aware of Rick’s position and turned toward him, taking aim with it’s gun. The marine grabbed another missile and loaded it into the stinger but the chopper fired first. Rick rolled over and bounced down the hill to avoid the stream of bullets and came to a stop at the bottom next to the stream. The helicopter’s gun followed him all the way down the slope, kicking up dirt and rocks as bullets ploughed the ground around him. Jack stood up from behind a large boulder with his rifle and fired at the cockpit, but the bullets just bounced off the helicopter’s armor. However, it distracted the pilot and Rick took advantage of the opportunity and ran behind the boulder with Jack. The Ka-50 fired a steady stream of bullets at the boulder and rounds pinged and ricocheted in all directions. The machine gun stopped firing and Rick hoped it was jammed or out of ammo.
He aimed the stinger missile at the chopper and muttered, “Sayonara, sucker!”
The device hummed when it locked on and Rick fired again. The helicopter dropped flares and attempted th evade the missile but it struck the lower rotor and the chopper began to wobble and spin violently as it’s lower rotor was shattered. The helicopter then began to roll over and landed upside down at the edge of the gully, exploding and sending debris flying everywhere. A shard of metal imbedded itself in the rock behind which Rick and Jack were taking cover. Thinking of how close he had come to being impaled by the shard, Rick took his rifle off his back and began to make his way back to the top of the gully with the other marines, who had by now emerged from their hiding places. There was a scream and one of the marines bounced down the slope with a bullet hole in his forehead, leaving a trail of blood as he slid down. Captain Gale barked, “Alright, Marines! Time to fall back! This way!”
He began to move through the gully and waded across the shallow stream. Rick followed with Jack right behind him. The water was ice cols but fortunately, it was not very deep. Rick did not enjoy the feeling of cold water in his boots but pressed on, knowing that nothing could be done about it. Captain Gale led them up the opposite side of the ditch and toward the woods.
Just as they reached the edge of the woods, someone shouted, “Heads up! Enemy soldiers!”
Everyone turned and saw a battalion of enemy soldiers pursuing them. The Danthuanian soldiers open fired simultaneously. Rick, Jack, Gale, and the other marines returned fire but several more were killed in the open before they could find suitable cover. The captain took shelter in a shallow depression with Rick and Jack and fired his assault rifle at charging enemy soldiers. There was a metallic pinging sound and a grenade bounced into the depression, coming to a stop right between Jack and Rick.
Rick looked down at the grenade and shouted, “Oh shit!”
He was about to throw it back out but Jack beat him to it. Jack seized the grenade and threw it out as far as he could. The grenade exploded at the feet of several enemy soldiers, killing a few and wounding others.
“Nicely done, Corporal Hickman you saved out asses and nailed some bad guys! Sergeant Bales, we need to get into those trees for cover. I don’t know where the hell our air support is but we can’t wait here for it! Follow us and keep the enemy off our asses!”
Rick nodded shakily and replied, “Yes sir!”
An explosion nearby lit up the night and the cries of dying men could be heard nearby.
Rick was terrified now but he knew what had to be done, swallowing his fear, he stood up and sprayed the approaching Danthuanians with bullets from his M4, dropping several more of them. Jack and Captain Gale climbed out of the pit and vanished into the trees. Rick turned to follow and saw several of his fellow marines lying lifeless on the ground. Some had been literally blown apart by grenades and mortar fire. Rick turned away and ran into the forest. Two surviving marines joined them and Captain Gale shouted into his radio, “Dammit, command, where the hell’s our air support? We’re down to five men!”
A male voice on the other end replied, “We’re sending helicopters for evac. You are ordered to retreat and activate your locator beacons.”
“What’s going on? Are there really that many of them?” the captain demanded.
Command replied, “Our forces along the boarder are withdrawing from battle. There are just too many of them to fend off.”
“Damn!” Gale shouted. “Alright, activate your beacons and follow me!”
The five marines ran silently through the woods.
Rick whispered to Jack who was running alongside of him, “I wonder what will happen now. Our country is being invaded and we’re just giving up like a bunch of pansies.”
“I have no idea.” Jack answered quietly.
Gale whispered to his four surviving subordinates, “We’ll take up positions here and hold out until the choppers arrive. Any questions?”
Nobody said anything so the captain gave them their positions. Rick hid behind a large pecan tree while Jack ducked behind a bush. Rick could feel sweat running down his face from all the running and the hot, muggy, humid air. He changed the clip in his M4 and peeked out toward the enemy. A group of soldiers were making their way toward the hiding place. When they were close enough, Jack nodded and the two marines stepped out and opened fire. Rick fired thirteen shots and downed at least three soldiers but his rifle suddenly jammed. A shell had become lodged n the chamber as it was being ejected.
Rick swore loudly and shouldered his rifle. He stepped behind the tree and took out his M9. He reemerged and fired two shots, killing another enemy. The loud report of a shotgun echoed through the air as one of the other two marines fired. Rick took a deep breath and selected another target. Aiming for the head, he pulled the trigger. The soldier called out and dropped dead on the spot.
A voice crackled over the radio, “Marines, this is Mantis. We’re homing in on your location and should be there momentarily. We’re going to land in a clearing near your position. Stand by for evac.”
Rick heard Gale reply, “Roger. This is Captain Gale of the 7th Combat Unit. Please hurry.”
Rick reloaded his pistol and fired more shots. However, the Danthuanians had taken shelter behind the trees as well and were harder to hit. A grenade bounced across the ground and stopped near Rick’s feet. He dashed over and kicked the grenade off into the woods and seconds later, an explosion shredded a bush nearby. The sound of approaching helicopter rotors could be heard and a Ch-53 Sea Stallion passed low over the trees. Rick watched as the chopper descended into a clearing and prepared to make the mad dash for the helicopter.
Gale shouted, “Flashbang out!” as he threw a flash grenade toward the enemy. Rick squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears as the grenade went off. He waited a second and began to run for the helicopter. Apparently the enemy soldiers were stunned because nobody shot at him. Captain Gale climbed aboard the helicopter first and helped the two marines who Rick did not know. Rick climbed in and moved out of the doorway so Jack could climb in. As Jack reached the helicopter, however, he tripped and fell. The marine rolled over and took out his sidearm, firing at the enemy soldiers who had recovered and begun to pursue. Rick saw a soldier taking aim and jumped out of the helicopter. He took the 357 Magnum out of his shoulder holster, cocked the hammer back, and fired. A loud bang pierced the air and the soldier toppled over backwards. Rick hauled Jack to his feet. They climbed into the Sea Stallion and sat on the benches inside.
Gale shouted, “Go! Go ! Go!” and the helicopter lifted swiftly into the air as bullets pinged off the fuselage.
when the sound of bullets ceased, Rick removed his night vison goggles and set to work trying to fix his rifle.
Jack shouted to the pilot in the cockpit, “Where are we going now?”
The pilot shouted without turning around, “Southport. The president figures that Southport is the Danthuanian’s first target.”
Gale addressed his surviving marines, “You all did well. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Hey nodded without saying anything and for the rest of the flight, nobody said a word. After about half an hour, Rick looked into the cockpit from his seat and could see the brightly lit skyline of Southport, Beauta’s largest city. Towering skyscrapers rose high into the morning sky. Down below, Rick could see military encampments being set up in obvious preparation for a large battle. The helicopter lowered its altitude and landed gently in a grassy field just outside the city.
As the marines left the chopper, a soldier addressed them, “Let’s move! Come on, people! We’ve got a lot of preparations to make so get to work!”
Jack whispered to Rick facetiously, “I can hardly wait.”
“Yeah.” Rick responded as he dreaded the battle that would soon be upon them.
