Existential Threat: Chapter 15 Part 2 of 2 (Patreon)

Dana entered the ground forces command room located on the net. The Army generals were lined up around a massive hologram, Foster pointing to a funnel path that moved down from the north pole to the plains harvester.

“Ichika has found us a clear insertion corridor through that mess,” Foster said. “The third wave have altered their flight plans and will enter along this flight corridor.” He nodded to Dana. “Fleet will keep up their bombardment so that the Adraxi have their attention focused elsewhere.”

The hologram zoomed in and flattened out to show the plains section of the continent, the harvester outlined, markers for ground forces and the drop pods. “The forces that have made it to the ground have been getting stuck in and making themselves known. Several firebases have been formed already, strike units have engaged and destroyed defensive stations where they can. Tanks are moving independently to speed the process up.” Arrows showed the forces spreading out through the plains.

“Units in the north along the coast have received orders to create firebases and secure their AO. Our landing forces will support them and advance with firebase support for the harvester. Units to the South, and East are linking up with one another, when reaching platoon strength they will move to the nearest Orkaran Command Post location and form a firebase.”

Several firebases already littered the map, command post ranges in grey, green denoted how far the forces had secured.

“From there they will send out teams from there to destroy Adraxi pods and defense stations.” He waved to the section of the plains between the harvester and the mountains in the east.

“Those units in the east moving to command post locations at their best speed. Once there they are to create firebases from whatever forces they can find. All forces are to gather any civilians that are in harm and bring them to firebases so that they might be safe and cleared of Adraxi spores,” Foster shifted the map and zoomed on the north of the plains.

“From the north we will push fast and hard through Adraxi territory, clearing defensive structures as we go until we are in a position to attack Harvester Three with indirect fire and then direct fire. Fleet will bombard the Harvester directly until such a time we break through their defensive fire and smash our rounds right into their faces. Once complete, forces on the plains will sweep to the East and West, creating a defensive against the Drop Carrier and striking out to defeat Harvester One in the islands.”

“And the southern harvester in the mountain ranges?” Stephen Tavares asked.

Foster dragged in a breath. “Ichika confirmed for us that the harvester is watching the mountain ranges, she was able to get her people over the mountains to support the elements of first Army down there. There is an idea to clear the snow and ice off of some of the smaller peaks that would bring us under the harvesters horizon, otherwise we would need to use the natural paths through the range. That or we blast them with weaponry and level some of them to get through. We’ve established a shaky beachhead in several locations, now we need to reinforce those we can easily to open the skies up more.”

“Third wave is entering atmosphere,” An aide announced. Foster zoomed out of the map. Dropships flared with compressed atmosphere burning at their hulls as they curved over the northern pole of the planet, creating their own northern lights.

“Island, plains harvesters and Drop Carrier are firing as well as defensive stations.”

Missiles arced away from the launch sites towards the ships, losing their re-entry burns. Interceptors rippled off of the ships, formed into their seven large wings. Hundreds of them, an unstoppable tide, dove, dropping altitude as fast as their ships could take it.

Interceptors and missiles caught one another in the sky, CIWS and turrets battered back those that got through.

The formations shook and shuddered with the buffeting of nuclear detonations. Ships fired flares and formations came apart as missiles closed.

The formations came up like a sheet in the wind, their engines throwing up steam and mist of the ocean below.

They fought the air itself, or were clipped by the edge of a nuclear detonation. Some dropped from the sky, crashing into the icy waters below.

Chaos ruled  as weapons fire intermingled in all its destructive and terrible glory.

“Coming into range of friendly firebases,” The aide said.

The firebases defensive systems engaged, cutting off the firepower that the Adraxi could spare from dealing with the unceasing bombardment over their harvesters and drop carrier.

Dana pulled up her own interface, showing the new firing algorithms, the rail cannons already shifting onto new targets, they fired, spinners falling through the atmosphere, their payloads separated out and accelerated, dropping like the rods from god they were, smashing through the sound barrier, climbing mach speed, dozens were struck down, but there were hundreds, and they weren’t targeting Harvesters and Drop Carriers.

Adraxi defensive station markers disappeared from the map the generals were watching as a rain of metal crashed into their targets, detonating their nuclear payload.

The dropships left the northern waters entering the plains, diverging to the various firebases.

“Fourth wave entering atmosphere,” The aide reported.

“Good, now we have a path to the planet, we can get this fight underway.”

Dana pinched her interface of the planet, zooming out to show the orbitals, waves of dropships hung in space, their engines lit off, pushing from their holding patterns, changing their flight plans.

Now comes the part of getting two hundred million bots and all they need to fight this war on the planet.

“What’s the status of the fleet?” Foster asked.

“Diego is going to hold the L2, he’s got the station up and operating. I was going to break up my fleets but I need every rail cannon firing on the planet to keep the pressure up on the drop carrier and harvesters if we want to crack them by bombardment.”

“What about orbital support?” Stephen asked.

“Limited, the target needs to be beyond one hundred kilometers of a harvester, nothing in the region the Drop Carrier controls. Be more effective to use the hellcats and the heavy turrets located on the planet. Once we take out the Harvesters then we can saturate the defensive stations around its location, clearing those up, each one we take out means more fire power we can bring to bear on our real targets.”

“Going to be a grind,” Stephen said.

The other generals, Foster included nodded. “A race for both of us, who can create the most fighters and take out the most of the enemy’s infrastructure.”

On the map the green spread from the northern firebases, racing towards the Harvester, purple and green zones clashed with one another, for now the green was expanding, but pausing and being held up in locations.

Markers appeared on the maps.

“Adraxi fighting forces have been discovered heading to the north to reinforce the harvester and its forces,” An aide said. “Reports indicate they’re broken into units and they’re moving independently but in a concerted effort.”

“Shows more command and control than we’ve seen previously,” Foster said.

“Their ships showed tactics we haven’t seen before. My Sensor officer Leblanc thinks that the Drop Carrier might hold at least part of an Omega,” Dana said.

“That could make things interesting,” Foster muttered. “Best that we treat them as if they were human fighters, not Adraxi. Make sure our people are switched on. Don’t get stuck into any engagements they can’t win and watch their flanks.”