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Date: 18 FEB 3008
Time: 1211hrs
Location: Steadfast Firebase
‘Once we are through the gates, get your platoons to their objectives. I want the base secured quickly. Stay alert. The scouts have not seen any signs of the enemy, but let’s not take any chances,’ Lieutenant Commander Taka said to her Lieutenants as they approached the deserted firebase. ‘We want to get in, grab what we need and get out. Also, keep a lookout for civilians. There are still a lot unaccounted for, including Dr Zhen.’
Her company cautiously entered Steadfast Firebase through the main gate. Apart from the odd blood stain there was almost no indication that it had ever been assaulted by the Oratan. An eerie silence hung over the base, broken only by the troops as they reported their progress. There was no sign that the Oratan had made any effort to occupy the firebase. If they didn’t want to control the base, why did they leave it intact? Taka wondered uneasily. Where are the dead?
The base was quickly secured, the Lieutenants reporting the all clear. Taka ordered two platoons to the walls and the other two to begin scouring the Firebase.
‘Check the armoury; I want a complete inventory within five minutes. We need to transport the weapons and supplies back to Celeste Harbour. The remaining Firebases are counting on us to resupply them.’
Taka made her way to the Firebase’s control room to check the status of the defence systems. A quick look showed her that the turrets weren’t connecting to the control panel. She tried rebooting their systems but couldn’t re-establish communication. Technicians would have to examine them before they could be used. She half-heartedly tried activating the main communications network, but it was still down. There was no way she could contact Celeste Harbour.
Taka had been briefed that she would have to sneak her company through the Oratan lines without any support or way to contact her commanders back at Celeste Harbour. The first part of the mission had gone smoothly and they had managed to slip past without alerting the Oratan. Her objective was to recover supplies from Steadfast Firebase and return to Celeste Harbour. The three remaining Firebases were still under siege and Celeste Harbour had only been able to spare her company from its defences. It was a testament to her ability and the quality of her troops that they had been selected for this mission.
Taka activated her personal transmitter, which allowed her to communicate with the rest of the company over short distances.
‘Get a tech team to the control room, I want them working on the damage to the turret systems,’ she ordered, before turning her attention to the other systems.
As she examined the generator controls, one of her troops ran into the room, closely followed by the tech team.
‘Ma’am, the Lieutenant sent me. It’s all gone! There’s nothing left!’ The trooper said breathlessly.
‘Slow down son. What’s gone?’
‘Everything, Ma’am. The Oratan have taken all our weapons and ammunition. They’ve looted everything that wasn’t bolted down. There’s nothing left. Even the vehicles have disappeared, though we’re not sure if they got destroyed in the assault or if they were taken as well.’
Taka felt a chill down her spine. The Fleet was already low on most military resources after the intensity of the initial Oratan assault. If all the Firebases had been looted, they were going to be hard pressed to defend what remained. Her transmitter suddenly came to life as one of the platoon commanders on the walls reported in.
‘We have multiple contacts to the west, at least four companies’ strong so far with more emerging. There’s more than we can handle without taking heavy losses, Ma’am.’
‘Roger that,’ Taka responded. ‘All platoons back to the main gate, we’re leaving.’
Before she left the control room she was interrupted by another transmission.
‘We have eyes on two more hostile forces, to the east and south, Ma’am. They’ve got our escape route cut off.’
How did they get behind us so quickly? Did they leave this base intact as bait, or were we just unlucky? Taka thought to herself as she considered her options. They could move to the north, but that would lead them deeper into Oratan controlled territory, or they could try and weather the storm at the Firebase. Taka turned to the tech team.
‘Are those turrets salvageable?’
‘Damage is minimal; we’ll only need a few minutes Ma’am.’
‘Good. I need those turrets operational and I need them ten minutes ago.’ Taka ordered, before activating her transmitter to call her Lieutenants. ‘New orders. Man the walls, we’re going to hold them here. Get those gates closed. How long do we have until contact?’
‘No more than three minutes, Ma’am.’
‘Copy that. Get ready boys and girls, the party’s about to start. Pick your shots, we’ve only got what ammo we brought with us,’ Taka said as she raced to the wall.
She made it to the top and looked towards the Oratan forces. There weren’t many of the creatures compared to the swarms that had driven the Fleet’s troops back previously, and some of them appeared to be wounded. Regardless, it was more than enough to challenge her company without the support of the Firebase’s defensive turrets. As she watched, the first of the creatures came into range and fell instantly as her company opened fire, but the rest came on. The Oratan charged from three directions, spreading around the Firebase, seeking a weakness in its defence. Scores died as the troops rained death down upon them, but it was not enough to prevent the frenzied creatures launching themselves at the walls, attempting to gain the top by any means possible.
Taka smashed the butt of her weapon into the face an Oratan that appeared before her, knocking the creature off the wall into the masses below. Hundreds of Oratan already lay dead around the Firebase, while her company had sustained only a few casualties. But she knew that she had too few troops to hold the firebase indefinitely. She needed an exit strategy and fast.
‘Control room, what’s the status of those turrets?’ Taka barked into her transmitter as she killed another Oratan trying to climb the wall.
‘They’ll be online in one minute, Ma’am.’
Taka returned her attention to the battle and swore to herself. The Oratan were beginning to force their way onto the walls, small pockets that quickly grew in size as they were reinforced from below. If she tried to hold the walls too much longer it would cost a lot of lives.
‘All units get ready to withdraw. Platoons Three and Four, hold the main gate and provide cover fire. Control room, where are my goddamned turrets?’
‘Not ready yet Ma’am! They’re set to auto fire but are still powering up.’
Taka and the two platoons that remained on the walls gradually retreated towards the main gate, conceding large sections of the walls to the Oratan. Although her troops had evened the numbers considerably, once more enemies were inside the Firebase, her casualties would mount quickly.
A new sound suddenly rippled across the Firebase. The turrets burst to life and began firing simultaneously, the deep boom of their cannons like music to Taka’s ears. Between the repeated roars of the turret cannons, she could hear the screams of the wounded Oratan.
‘Now! Go go go!’ Taka ordered. ‘Open the gates. It’s time to punch a hole out of here and go home. MOVE!’
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