The Autumn War Vol. 04: Succession

He gestured to the map again, and icons appeared showing the locations of each battalion, along with that battalion's respective companies.

"There are sixteen battalions present," he explained. "They all came in from different LZs, slowly tightening the noose and clearing out resistance as they advanced. We now have open supply lines to each of those LZs, as well as safe corridors for dropships and landers to put down behind the front line. This means that reinforcements and supplies are going to be readily available. If we need to lay siege to the place over a prolonged period of time, we can, but that's not the plan right now."

Another gesture changed the view, the hologram zooming in on a section of the map, like a pizza slice with the mountain situated at its point. Near the proverbial crust was their own battalion, Evan recognizing the name of their assault carrier hovering above the icons. There were seven companies, the six mechanized companies and the scout company. The artillery company was stationed at their LZ some two hundred kilometers behind them, but they were still well within a range where they could provide support.

The six mechanized companies were currently formed into small circles a short distance away from one another, creating secure perimeters for the unlikely event of a Bug breakthrough attack. It wasn't inconceivable that they might be able to strike from concealed positions or use underground tunnels to pop up where they weren't expected. So far, they had merely been shoring their defenses, preparing for the battle to come as the scout companies probed their lines for weak points.

"Our task is going to be to clear and secure this area," the commander continued. "The company will proceed in a delta formation with the Kodiaks at the front and the IFVs at the rear. Coordinating with the rest of the battalion, we are going to push through their defenses, clearing these layers of trenches and bunkers as we go. The Bugs are going to be putting as many obstacles in our way as they can. Be prepared for Scuttlers firing from a hull-down position, mortars, and traps like mines and monofilament wire. We have Crocodiles and line charges, so the tanks will be clearing safe paths between the trenches where the IFVs can follow. You're all experienced trench fighters by now," he said as he turned to face his audience again. "I don't need to tell you how to clear bunkers and seal up Bug holes. Our goal here is to keep the momentum going, break through, and take control of the base of the mountain so that our Trog teams can do their jobs."

Evan examined the map more closely, seeing that the layers of trenches looked to be maybe ten deep. There were earthen fortifications further towards the rear, great ditches and banks obviously designed to trip up the tanks. There were an absurd number of bunkers, pillboxes, towers, and areas of the trenches had been covered and reinforced with resin. It almost looked random, like a child had scattered their toys across the landscape. It was easy to see where the damage from the orbital bombardment had been hastily repaired, craters of varying sizes eating chunks out of the defenses in places. To their credit, the Bugs worked fast. They had patched up their trench network and fixed damaged structures in record time, and they must have improvised a lot of these barriers specifically to counter the UNN vehicles. The obstacles were trivial for a legged vehicle like a Scuttler to overcome, but they would be insurmountable to anything with wheels or tracks.

"What are we going to do about all those bunkers, sir?" one of the Marines asked.

"That's for the artillery companies and the air wings to worry about," he replied. "They're going to hit that hill with everything they have before the assault. There are AA Scuttlers down there, which means the Penguins and Beewolfs can't get in too close, but the Bugs have no point defense. They're sitting ducks - we can saturate the entire area from outside their range. There's no reason we shouldn't sit here and hammer them for hours. Fuckers can't do anything about it."

"What's their force composition?" another asked.

"The Ninnies estimate that there are about two million Bugs at the hill," the commander replied, a murmur of concern passing through the crowd. "Divided by sixteen battalions, that's around 125,000 operating within our AO. That's roughly...20,000 per company, and..." He paused to tap at his wrist display for a moment. "289 per Marine. Think you guys can handle that?"

"Easy!" someone yelled, laughter following.

"The preliminary strikes are going to even those odds a little," the commander continued as he paced back and forth in front of the hologram. "We're still going to be severely outnumbered even if we manage to bomb half of the bastards back to hell, so keep your heads on a swivel. Move carefully, watch your backs, and make liberal use of firepower. The UNN carted all that ordnance out here for a reason, so don't let it go to waste. We have a Yagda rolling in with nuclear sabots, too, so I want everyone to keep their suits sealed. That means no smoke breaks, unless you have a pool running to see who can develop the largest variety of cancers. If your suit gets breached and you can't patch it, I want you back inside your IFV, and I want you to stay there."

With that, he closed down the holographic emitter, clapping his hands together with finality.

"I don't know exactly when we'll be moving out, so be ready to pick up and leave on short notice. There's a great view of the mountain from over there, by the way," he added with a nod to the nearby hill. "I think it's going to be worth watching. Dismissed!"

***

"I was promised explosions," Hernandez complained, taking a bite out of his pound cake. The squad were sat down on the crest of the hill that overlooked the mountain far off in the distance, chatting to pass the time and eating MREs. It had been a couple of hours since the briefing, and not much had happened yet. That was often the case with war - long periods of waiting followed by short bursts of activity.

"Hey, gimme some of that drink," Sunny said as she gestured to the collapsible cup that was sitting on the dirt beside him. He lifted it off the ground, then narrowed his eyes at her.

"You can have some, but don't get your slime on it."

She reached over to wipe her hand on his sleeve, Hernandez rolling his eyes as he passed it to her.

"You're the boss," she chuckled, extending her proboscis. "Oh, is this orange flavor? You know, I've never seen an orange," she continued as she began to drink. "We don't grow them on Jarilo - the climate isn't right - and good luck shipping fresh fruit that far out."

"It's more of...an approximation of what oranges taste like," Hernandez replied through a mouthful of pound cake. "Pretty close, though."

"Approximation is a big word for you, Hernandez," Garcia chuckled. "Have you been reading books when we've all been looking away?"

"A sharp tongue is no substitute for a sharp blade," Tatzi muttered, only deigning to open one of her eyes halfway. She was lounging on the ground beside Hernandez, taking the opportunity to get a little rest, her furry fingers interlocked behind her head. "Were it not so dull, I might not have gotten so much use out of it..."

"I'm gonna take that as a compliment," Hernandez replied, taking another bite of his cake.

"I'm starting to feel like a little leave will do everyone good," Jade whispered, giving Evan a nudge.

"Love is in the air," he said with a shrug.

"No, pheromones are in the air," Jade chuckled.

"Same difference."

Their relative peace was disturbed by the echo of a far-off explosion, everyone stopping what they were doing, Tatzi jolting upright to look over her shoulder. A large plume of smoke was rising from the base of the mountain, drifting across the trenches. Knowing the height of the Ant Hill gave Evan a better idea of its scale, the smoke towering hundreds of meters into the air.

The first shot had perhaps been for rangefinding purposes, and it was followed by a larger salvo, what looked like dozens of explosions rippling through the fortifications. The base of the mountain was soon engulfed in a cloud of dust and debris, like a giant was tossing handfuls of dirt into the air, bright flashes penetrating the dense smog as more shells found their mark. It wasn't just happening on the near-side, either. Artillery was pounding the Bug defenses all around the foot mountain, guns from all sixteen of the landing sites dumping thousands upon thousands of rounds. Some of them began to climb up the mountainside, a wall of fire walking up the sheer cliff faces, throwing tons of earth and shattered rock down towards the ground.

Evan watched as one of the shells struck a large fortification that was jutting from the mountainside, a cylinder that had been sculpted from rock, the shining metal of gun turrets visible as they jutted from ports in its facade. The round struck it dead-center, shattering the smooth stone into chunks, sending them tumbling down the steep slope. Distance and perspective threw him off, the fragments of stone seeming to fall far slower than they should have, until he realized that they must be the size of boulders. They rolled and bounced down the rocky cliff face, a particularly large one plunging into one of the ramparts, cleaving through it. That was just one microcosm of the destruction that was being wrought, similar scenes happening all over the Ant Hill and the surrounding area. The sound was almost like a far-off drum roll, the blasts coming in such quick succession that they blended together into a constant noise.

"Dinner and a show," Sunny muttered, taking a sip of her drink as she watched.

"All I can think about is how each one of those shells costs about fifty Gs," Garcia added. "Every twenty seconds or so is another retirement fund's worth of credits up in smoke."

"Almost doesn't feel fair," Hernandez said, taking another bite of his pound cake.

"Even if we manage to kill ninety percent of them with the shelling, they'll still outnumber us," Jade replied. "This is evening the odds, if anything."

"I'm not all that worried about fairness," Garcia chuckled. "If our job only consisted of stepping around piles of scorched Bugs, that'd work out just fine for me."

The whine of engines pierced the chorus of artillery fire, Evan glancing to the sky. He expected to see Beewolfs screaming overhead, but they must be above the clouds, keeping outside the range of any surviving AA Scuttlers. After a moment, another series of explosions rocked the mountain, these ones substantially larger than the artillery shells. They must be thousand-pounders dropped by the aircraft, their bubble-shaped shockwaves punching gaping holes in the lingering dust clouds that were quickly filled in by more debris. It was hard to even see the bottom half of the Ant Hill now.

More flights of Beewolfs dropped their payloads, these ones impacting the mountainside, an impressed murmur passing through the squad as they watched what must be thousands of tons of debris surge down into the trenches like a landslide.

"They did say they had a thousand aircraft," Evan said with a shrug. "They must be running sorties from the carrier in a constant conga line.

"This is just making me really glad that the Bugs have no artillery and that we wiped out their aircraft on the first day," Brooks said. "Imagine being in that mountain right now."

"I'm sure they'd make some if we didn't keep the pressure on," Jade said, watching another airstrike hit the fortifications. "The quicker we kill the Queen, the better, because it denies her the opportunity to adapt. They've already been building new defenses to counter our tanks. All she'd have to do is figure out how to make a long-range weapon, mount it on a Scuttler, and we'd be facing counter-battery fire."

Something punched through the cloud layer above the mountain, a bright, blinding flash forcing everyone who wasn't wearing a helmet to shield their eyes. Moments later, they were hit by a tangible blast wave, powerful enough that Evan could feel his ears pop with the change in pressure. A loud bang echoed across the plain, and it was followed by more, a whole salvo shaking the ground. When Evan opened his eyes again, he saw more smoke rising from the mountain, these clouds taking the distinctive shape of mushrooms.

"That's a carrier!" Brooks exclaimed, seeming as alarmed as he was impressed by the sight. "I thought they said they weren't going to bring in the orbital guns?"

"It must be a limited strike, low power," Garcia replied. "Enough to damage surface structures, but not enough to collapse the tunnels inside. Maybe there was something up there that the artillery couldn't crack."

The initial excitement slowly faded as the bombardment continued, minutes passing as they watched the artillery hammer the mountain, punctuated every now and then by another airstrike.

"So, I s'pose they're just gonna keep at it," Hernandez said, popping the last piece of his pound cake into his mouth. "What do we do now?"

"I guess we get some time off, but louder?" Sunny asked with a shrug of her upper arms.

"Time for a nap," Foster said, reaching for his pack. He dragged it a little closer, then lay down with his helmet on top of it, using it as a pillow. He reached up to close his visor, then crossed his arms over his chest, settling in.

"How the hell can you sleep through this?" Collins asked, but Foster didn't reply. He had probably shut off his helmet's external audio feeds.

"He has the right idea," Jade said, rising to her hands and knees. "We should get some rest while there's still time." She shuffled closer, then put a hand on Evan's shoulder, easing him down onto the dusty ground.

"What are you doing?" he chuckled.

"Keep still, squishy boy. You're a lot softer than my pack."

She lowered herself down beside him, then lay her head on his chest, her antennae tickling his nose. He felt her drape both right arms over his torso - one over his chest and the other over his belly - pressing close to him. He was a little flustered that she was being so openly affectionate, but everyone knew about their relationship by now, so what did it matter? Even Sunny had figured it out already.

"Aren't you going to put your helmet on?" he asked, returning her embrace as he hooked an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't have ears," she replied with a smirk. "I pick up vibrations through my carapace, so I can't really put on earmuffs like Foster can. I'll be alright."

Sunny climbed to her feet, the willowy Pilot making her way back over to her suit. It was crouching beside the IFV nearby, its chest cavity opening up as she approached, the many tentacle-like appendages reaching out to her in a kind of unappealing embrace. It was so strange how it responded to her presence, more like a pet than a machine.

"You know what makes for a soft bed?" she said, giving her onlookers a playful wink. "A nice, warm Warrior."

Evan watched with morbid curiosity as she stopped in front of it, turning to put her back to the grasping tendrils. She lifted her arms, and those tentacles slowly began to wind around them, their slick flesh glistening with slime. Some of them crept around her torso, then between her thighs, lifting her off the ground with surprising gentleness. They nestled her inside the flesh-lined body cavity, then the carapace began to close, sealing her inside. The suit didn't move after that, and Evan could only assume that Sunny was taking a nap.

"What are you doing?" Tatzi muttered, eyeing Hernandez. He was sitting beside her, tapping at his wrist display, his attention focused on it.

"Tetris," he replied.

"What is a Tetris?" the Borealan asked as she sat up to get a better look.

"You stack blocks."

"Why?" she grumbled.

"It's a game. It passes the time."

Evan chuckled at their interaction, watching her narrow her eyes as she tracked the falling blocks. Her confusion quickly morphed into interest, both of her round ears swiveling to face Hernandez.

Evan turned his eyes to the rest of the squad, watching as they ate and chatted. Donovan, Brooks, and Garcia were all sitting around a collapsible stove as they talked and exchanged the contents of their MREs like kids swapping trading cards. One of the Jarilans, Aster, had joined them. Collins and Borzka were having their own little swap meet with Cardinal, the Marine reading off the contents of one of the packages for her benefit while the Borealan dug into a huge packet of what looked like salmon steaks. There was no sign of Simmons - he must be off talking business somewhere.

All things considered, the unit hadn't been together for very long, but they had already developed an uncommon rapport. Even Foster had come into the fold now, and with his inclusion, there was really nobody here that Evan didn't like. He hadn't forgotten about the original unit that he had left behind in the burning wreckage of his convoy, but while his thoughts often turned to them when there were moments of quiet, his sense of loss had certainly been cushioned by his new friends. They were a Ghost Company, and they had all gone through something similar. There was some small comfort in knowing that they understood how he felt.

The mood was strangely serene, considering the destruction that was being delivered on the mountain in the distance. He could see a few other squads from their company further down the hill, sitting around and chatting, some of them taking the opportunity to eat or nap.

Just a little longer. Just one more push, and the most difficult battle of the war would be behind them. He glanced down at Jade, seeing that her eyes were closed. She was already asleep, her abdomen gently rising and falling, her antennae brushing his cheek as they twitched. Maybe she was dreaming.

He decided to join her, resting his head in his free hand, drifting off as he listened to the distant rumble of artillery fire.

CHAPTER 3: SUPERHEAVY

"Hey," Jade whispered, shaking Evan awake. He opened his eyes groggily, glancing down at her. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" he grumbled, reaching up to rub his eyes before realizing that his visor was in the way.

"Exactly," she replied, lifting her head off his chest to glance around their little camp. "The artillery strikes have stopped."

"How long has it been?" he asked, glancing down at the display on his wrist. "Damn, nine hours? I guess I needed the shuteye."

"It's hard to tell what time it is on this moon," Jade sighed. "The day and night cycle is...absent."

A figure appeared from behind their IFV, making its way over to them, Evan soon seeing that it was Simmons.

"Pack up your shit," he said, the squad starting to collect the gear that they had strewn about the camp. He noticed that Foster wasn't responding, giving the sleeping figure a swift kick that jolted him awake. "Eyes up, Marine! We're moving out in fifteen!"

"Sorry sir," Foster stammered, seeming momentarily disoriented. He climbed to his feet, swinging his heavy pack over his shoulders.

Evan stood up, then took Jade's hand, pulling her upright.

"Thanks," she chuckled, sticking close to him as they made their way back over to the Puma. "You make a good pillow, you know. I'm looking forward to sleeping that well every night when this is all over."

They loaded up, stowed their packs, and strapped into their seats. After a few more minutes, the Puma lurched into motion, driving back down the hill to take formation with the rest of the company. As the commander had outlined during the briefing the day prior, the vehicles had been arranged into a delta formation. The twelve Kodiaks were at the front, forming an armored spearhead, with the IFVs taking up the rear. Evan spotted a couple of Crocodiles joining them, identifiable by their massive anti-mine plows, along with a Kestrel for point defense. The scout company was perched on a hill somewhere off to the right, eight of the six-wheeled vehicles arranged in a loose cluster. As he watched, a swarm of quadcopters lifted off from recesses in their hulls, their little rotor blades unfolding. The spotters took to the sky like a flock of birds, maybe fifty of them soaring away across the blasted terrain.