Fourth Vector Ch. 13

"I'm just hoping that we can turn this around soon—"

At that moment, he heard a low whistle from the scouting party ahead of them. A group of marines and someNumratha warriors could be seen gesturing to each other on the top of a low-lying dune, only for one of the marines to come jogging to Jack's position.

"It's the coast, sir," said the winded marine as he pointed beyond the hill. "We've finally reached the coast! Great, blue seas just on the other side of that dune."

"Good, this changes everything for us," said Jack. "Will you send for Major Vaughn and have him meet with me immediately?"

The marine nodded and soon rushed off to get Greg.

"What do you have in mind, Jack?" asked Vera. "Now that we're here, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to lure the rest of the clans in. And then we're going to destroy them with heavier firepower," said Jack. "We just need the perfect site to do it with." He waited until he approached the top of the hill and looked out to the coast. Just off to their right was a small peninsula that jutted several hundred yards into the ocean. It was about half as wide as it was long and surrounded on three sides by water. Jack pointed to the feature. "That's the perfect spot. We'll make camp right there."

About two hours later, Jack pulled the entire force to the peninsula and instructed the remaining marines and Andalucians to dig in a defensive perimeter at the point where it joined the rest of the mainland. It was a good spot in that it allowed them to concentrate their force along a narrow front, and it presented a smaller overall target to their enemies. However, it also meant the enemy clans could pool their forces and attack at the one spot in the line, wearing them down until they broke.

As the members of his war council gathered to hear the new plan, Jack crouched down against the sand and began to draw a rough map of their new position.

"Clan Chief, this new terrain makes me a little nervous," said Samir as Abel started to nod in agreement. "We have nowhere else to go with the sea at our back. Once the other clans are in place, we'll be trapped."

"You're right about that, Samir," started Jack as he gestured down to his crude map. "We're now surrounded on three sides by water. Only that narrow strip of land at the front will separate us from them. If they overwhelm us there, we're done for."

"What's on your mind, Jack," asked Abigail with a curious glance. "You wouldn't have brought us to a bad position if you felt we had no chance. What are you up to?"

Jack started to grin. "I know we're few in numbers compared to our enemies, but the one thing that let us hold our own against superior numbers in the beginning was better firepower. When we were on the plateau, we kept many times our number at bay with the rapid power of the NT-12."

"That helped us when we had more in number," said Greg. "But the more men that we lose, the worse our position. How are we to get more firepower?"

"With theDestiny," said Jack as he drew two long lines on either side of the peninsula. "Once I knew we were nearing the coast, I reached out to Kyle on theDestiny and gave him our coordinates. Thankfully, they're not far away, and if I could get them to linger just off shore, we could use their heavy twelve inch guns to blast the enemy clans to pieces. They wouldn't stand a chance against such weaponry. Hell, even theTiger's smaller guns would cause a lot of destruction."

Abigail looked down to study his map. "So we surround our forces on both sides by the two ships, wait for an attack, and then destroy them with their heavier guns?"

"Precisely," said Jack. "They'll never know what hit them." He then turned to look at Samir and Abel. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't detected the use of any artillery in any attacks on us thus far. Do Andalucians use heavier weapons?"

Samir shook his head. "It's very rare, mostly because we don't have very many fortified places in Andalucia. Maybe Septhada, but that's it. When the situation calls for it, we can make stone-throwing weapons. Is that what your artillery is?"

Jack shook his head. "No, our artillery is similar to our rifles. Except much louder and with much bigger explosions."

Samir let slip a grin. "I think that'll be quite the wake-up call for the enemy clans."

"What about friendly fire though, Jack?" asked Greg. "Once they're attacking along our defensive position, that front is going to narrow significantly. What's to stop them from hitting our boys?"

"We can't risk them by having the ships fire too closely," said Jack. "We'll have to keep their fire beyond a certain range so that it's not a hazard to our men. We'll just have to let your boys mop up anybody who makes it past that line."

Greg started to grin before he nodded over to the two marines captains. "I think we can manage that."

"How soon will theDestiny be in position to help us?" asked Abigail.

"I expect them anytime now," said Jack. "Based upon Kyle's last position, they should be nearing ours within another hour or two."

"That's good," said Greg before he pointed out past the defensive perimeter. "Because I think they're gathering to attack us again."

Jack turned to look where he was pointing, his expression darkening as he saw the gathered Andalusian clans assembling at the top of the hill they'd come down two hours earlier. They were so numerous that it didn't even look like they were facing other men. Rather, it appeared to be a swarm of uncountable ants, too many in number to begin to face. Jack swallowed heavily, praying that theDestiny would be in position as soon as possible.

*****

Out to sea, Lt. Kyle Abrams sat in the command station of theDestiny, watching the coast of Andalucia pass by on the port side of the vessel. They were cruising along at a quick pace, about twenty-six knots, as they sought to be in place per Jack's earlier instructions.

For Kyle, it was a welcome change of events. For too long, he'd had to listen to the reports from the interior of the island, listening as the conflict with the Andalucians deepened and became more serious. Now that Jack was truly pushed back to the coast, it was time for them to jump into the fray. And he couldn't have been more excited to get into some action.

He just had to get there first.

"Cory, how far away are we from Jack? Are we getting close?"

Cory pursed his lips and looked back. "Probably over an hour or two. Maybe quicker if we increased our speed."

"Do it," said Kyle. "I don't want them to be waiting on us. If they're as outnumbered as they say, we might be able to make the difference."

Cory nodded and radioed the command down to the engine room to increase speed. To his side, Stephanie made a similar request out to theTiger, cruising about a half mile in front of them. Speed was of the essence right now.

At that moment, his command radio crackled, and Kyle could soon hear Jack's voice. "Kyle, how much longer? I think this attack is about to begin any second."

"No more than two hours, Jack. We're making really good speed right now, but we're still a distance away."

"Whatever you can do to get here quickly. With this many enemies, we're surely going to need you here soon," said Jack.

"I'll do everything we can, Jack. I promise you that."

Kyle gulped heavily as the radio fell silent. He couldn't let his friends down.

"Cory, let's go at top speed. We can't waste any time right now," said Kyle as he gazed out to the horizon.

*****

Across from the Javan makeshift defensive position, the general of theSciavo stood on a nearby hill, surveying the progress of the enemy in front of him. The foreigners were already hard at work, digging into their position yet the general couldn't help but wonder why they picked such an illogical location. Truly against the sea, it was beginning to look like a last stand, the final battle being near.

It had been a glorious engagement with the foreigners so far, a chase that had progressed over half of Andalucia. Ever since being given the order by High Clan King Vertulis, the general had pushed his elite warriors in pursuit, urging them to give everything they had to the goal of expelling the foreigners.

It hadn't been without casualties. An entire regiment ofSciavo had been sacrificed three nights earlier, only a few survivors coming back, those that brought back the enemy wounded. Those poor souls learned the measure of Andalucian resolve, and the general supposed they were still rotting on the wooden crosses they'd been left on.

"General, we have another clan that has just arrived. We're up to six clans now plus our own strength," said his deputy commander, stopping just short of the general's position. "We'll be ready for an attack in the morning."

"Fuck the attack in the morning," barked the general. "I want an attack readied right now."

"But sir, we only just got here," stammered the deputy.

The general yanked him by the collar and pointed down to the enemy position. "So did they. If we give them time to dig in, we'll make this much harder for ourselves. Let's attack now before their position is solidified."

"Sir, I'm not sure if we'll be ready—"

The general backhanded his deputy with alarming force, causing the other man to recoil in pain. An irritated red mark appeared on his cheek as poisonous eyes focused on him.

"I didn't ask for your opinion. Get word to every clan to ready their warriors. I want this attack to happen right now. Any man who doesn't attack will be on a cross by nightfall. That includes their leaders," said the general, towering over his deputy.

"I'll get word out immediately," said the deputy, slinking away quickly to direct the orders.

"Good," said the general, turning his attention back to the enemy camp in front of him. "This ends today. I want every single man, woman, and child slaughtered in that camp."

When the call to charge was issued nearly an hour later, and the mass of Andalucian warriors descended as one body down the hill, the general smiled. He would make the king proud today. He would end this little war once and for all.

*****

The battle unfolded more quickly than Jack could have imagined. No sooner were the marines and the two clans still digging into their defensive position at the foot of the peninsula than the assembled masses of Andalucia crested the rocky hill in front of them and descended down as one fighting force. It was the subject of nightmares—to see such a coordinated movement from all the clans acting together as they pushed forward to eject them from the island.

Jack swung his NT-12 off his shoulder to begin firing, praying that theDestiny would be in place sooner than expected. With such an onslaught on their position, it was quite possible they could all be wiped out before the mighty warship even arrived.

Around him, the scenes of battle played out like a story that had been repeated one too many times. The Javans crouched behind the half-completed ditches and kept up a rapid firing even as one man after the other was struck by the heavy rain of arrows. The Andalucians coordinated their attack to stop a mere thirty yards from the front line to carefully notch their bows and let loose a devastating volley of fire before closing in with their melee weapons.

It could almost have been described as a thing of beauty, even if it was incredibly dangerous. To watch those men continue to charge the front line with nothing but their short swords while their comrades fell all around them to gunfire was nothing short of beautiful tragedy. Jack had to respect their resolve and lack of regard for their own safety, a body of men so united in purpose that they became single-minded toward one goal.

"Take down one of those bastards and then focus on the next," yelled out Greg as he patrolled the front ranks of marines. "Don't fire too early and be sure of your shot!"

As the major patrolled his own men, Jack helped to direct theMuthada andNumratha warriors concentrated on either flank. They'd been told to disregard their swords unless the enemy clans closed the distance, relying almost exclusively on their bows and the protection of the ditch in front of them. Both Abel and Samir had them working on coordinated fire, rising as one to loose theirs bows before notching another arrow.

Unfortunately for them, having to stand up to make their shot meant they took the majority of the casualties by the attacking clans. Their exposed bodies soon became riddled and for a brief moment, Jack was concerned theMuthada might completely collapse.

"Greg, I need you to send another squad or two to the left flank! TheMuthada are wavering!" yelled Jack as he pointed to the gap in their lines.

Greg nodded. "I'll send what I have but the center is hard-pressed!"

"Just do what you can. I'm afraid if the flank collapses, they'll roll up our line completely!"

Greg directed the movement as another five men dove forward into the gap, their rifles soon opening up with bursts of fire. It wasn't a second too soon. The men closest to the line had to resort to swinging their rifles as clubs to break off the rush of Andalucians who'd made it to the line.

It was a scene of chaos as Jack lost track of the integrity of the entire line, focusing only on the short portion directly in front of him. It was the only thing he could do to avoid being overrun. If the Andalucians kept pressing, it would be all over. TheDestiny would find the remains of all of their corpses, most of them still warm as the enemy clans finished destroying their camp.

As quickly as the battle had begun, the enemy clans began to pull back. It wasn't a moment too soon as the breather enabled all the men a moment to catch up, many of them reestablishing their lines after having been pushed back. Others got the chance to reload their weapons, not having used them since the Andalucians got too close for firing. All of them took a sigh of relief at still being alive but also took on a fearful expression, wondering if they'd be able to last the next engagement.

"Another attack like that and we won't be able to hold them," said a marine not far from Jack.

"My bayonet is bent to shit. I can't even use it if they come again!"

"At least you two didn't take an arrow to the arm," said a wounded marine, still pulling the remains of a shaft from his bloody bicep.

"Hold steady, boys. We'll make them pay for every inch," said a clearly exhausted Greg. The major shared a despairing look with Jack, a face that said volumes about their current predicament. Jack understood instantly—they wouldn't be able to hold back another concentrated attack.

He looked back to the camp far from the front lines, deeper into the peninsula. All of the innocents were there like Vera, the wounded, and the families of the two clans. All of them would be butchered or sold into slavery if the line faltered.

"Jack," started Greg with a subtle head nod. "Here they come."

With a dreadful turn, Jack watched as the mighty masses of Andalucian warriors once more surged down the hill toward their lines. Taking a deep breath, Jack said a silent prayer to at least die fighting on his feet, doing everything he could while he still had blood in his veins.

Then a small miracle occurred. His command radio crackled.

"Jack, it's Kyle. We're in position and we're ready to open fire!"

For the first time in hours, Jack smiled. "Not a moment too soon. Open fire when ready, Kyle."

Jack looked out to the coast, his visibility still limited by the overcast just off shore. Yet, he could just make out the sparkling gray bow of theDestiny as it slid in closer to the shore, its large barrels pointed toward the hilltop position of the enemy clans.

"Better cover your ears, Jack. This is going to be a doozy!"

Jack grinned as the mighty guns of theDestiny roared to life. In the next moment, hell erupted on the hillside as the ordnance exploded against the sandy dunes, throwing up flames and smoke as it made contact. The effect was electrifying. Almost the entire center of the Andalucian line was impacted by the blast. Jack watched with a degree of horror as masses of robed warriors were sent flying by the eruption. It was only the lucky ones that managed to not be disintegrated on the spot by the force, many of them simply being thrown by the force of the blow. Others were unfortunate enough to catch sparks just from being close enough to blast, soon running wildly as their robes ensured a fiery death.

"The artillery is here, boys!" yelled Greg. "Let's mop up the survivors!"

The ranks of Javan NT-12s roared to life as it focused on anyone who'd escaped the initial salvo from theDestiny. The staggering remains of uncoordinated men appeared ahead of the blast site, most of them shaken, and all of them fearful at the changing tides of war. They ran toward the front line like they'd been instructed, making easy pickings for the Javan forces.

It was incredible how quickly the situation in a battle could change. As Jack watched yet another salvo from theDestiny decimate the Andalucian lines and send men running in every direction, he remembered how close they'd been to being overrun just minutes before. It was nothing short of a miracle, a providence that their mission wasn't yet finished and that they could not only survive this battle, but win.

It was over more quickly than he imagined it could be. With the sandy dunes in front of him looking like a battle-scarred inferno, the enemy attack completely collapsed. The screams of those caught in the blast site continued on for hours after hostilities had ended, a dreadful reminder of the perilous costs of war.

Not only had the Andalucian attack been defeated, it had beendestroyed. The cohesion of the clans before the battle had been completely decimated as only staggering survivors limped back to the locations of their camps. Even though Jack had insisted the men remain on high alert as a precaution, he thought the chance of a further attack to be just about nil.

"I've got the final count," said Greg a few hours after the battle. "Ninety-two marines are left standing and ready to fight. Four men were only wounded, and they were taken back to the camp."

Jack nodded. "I'll help to bury the fallen. It's the least we can do for them now."

As a small group of men prepared a mass grave for those killed, he got the final count from Abel and Samir as well. Only seventy-fourMuthada warriors were left ready to fight, out of an original strength of nearly five hundred when Jack landed on Andalucia. TheNumratha were only slightly better, an effective strength of two hundred and twenty. Their fallen were buried next to the marines, all of them capable fighters in their own right.

After the battle, Jack led another small force out onto the battlefield, scouring the blast site to see the devastation firsthand. The sight of the charred bodies was especially nauseating, even for the battle-hardened Javans. Some of the craters left behind didn't even have corpses in them, so powerful were the shots from the heavy cruiser that the men who absorbed the blows simply disintegrated.

They were able to pull out a small cadre of wounded enemy forces, including severalSciavo who barely clung to life. Others had less life-threatening wounds and would surely pull through if given enough care. Some unfortunate souls could only be made comfortable, their time in this world severely limited. Jack directed that those that could be saved be given care when it could be spared, while those that weren't long for life be given a merciful death.