Commando City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 7) (25 page)

“So am I,” Karen said. “Anna is as well, but she's not here so...”

“I'm against. I think we need to take the time to regroup,” David said.

Shayna nodded. “So am I.”

“I'm going to go against Cody this time,” Bryce said. “I think there's too much risk we deplete our own reserves.”

“I'm in favor,” Lex said. “We can use all the help we can get.”

And so it came down to Gina, Zach thought to himself. She seemed to be friendly to the idea, but could he be sure? Even with her apparent interest he couldn't get a good read on her.

“If we do this,” she finally spoke up, “can your battalion hold up your end of the deal?”

“We can,” Zach told her firmly. “I'll go as far as to guarantee it.”

“And that goes for both your raiders and the troops in the Shorewood District?”

“Yes. We can pull it off if we're given the proper support.”

Gina nodded. “Then I vote to approve.”

“That gives us a majority,” Karen said.

David looked over at him. “Alright then, we'll make sure you have everything you need to succeed. When will you be ready to launch your attack?”

“Within the week if Rogue and Magic can swing it.”

“I'll see what I can do,” Gina told him.

The board was set, and the pieces were finally moving in place. All they had left to do was to make their final moves toward victory. At least, that was the plan.

If they didn't, he was going to look like a fool.

D
anny could hear
the sounds of explosions echoing in the distance, even this far north in the Lake Park. Faint bangs from mortars, rolling booms from the larger artillery, all of it blended together link rolling thunder.

Their turn would come soon enough. He looked around to see the last few officers walking up to the clearing containing their impromptu headquarters. Everyone stood armed to the teeth, ready for the fierce combat that would follow in just a short time.

Anna called the meeting to order. “OK then, let's get started,” she said. “Magic and Rogue are currently launching their attacks in the Jones Harbor District. They'll be pushing forward as soon as the bombardment stops. About five minutes ago we got the signal from Knight Battalion. They're launching raids across the river trying to get the enemy's attention. Dragon is currently standing by, but there's no signs of enemy activity around their part of the front.”

“And then there's us,” Nora spoke up. “We're going to take out the Valkyries.”

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. “That's a bit of a tall order. Do we even have the troops for that?”

“Your orders are to neutralize them,” Anna said. “Ideally you'll completely destroy them, but drawing them into combat so they can't interfere anywhere else is find. We want to put their backs up against the wall so they have to call in support.”

Danny thought he heard a distinctive howl in the distance. That meant Ragnarok was firing off their rocket artillery, trying to counter Hydra's sheer weight of fire they could bring down. And that also probably meant the dive bombers were coming for them.

“Who's assigned to the offensive?” Gray asked.

Anna looked around. “We're going to have three platoons in action, with Gray's troops staying in reserve here. Jana's platoon will cover the eastern flank toward the lake shore. Will's platoon pushes down the center. And finally, Danny's platoon will head down the western flank and try to catch them in a vice. We'll take the Gazelle along the western flank too.”

“Should we be risking the long-ranged radio?” Will inquired.

“We need the firepower,” Liz said. “It's a necessary risk.”

“Huh, wish we still had the powered armor.”

Nora gave him a half-smile. “Yeah, you and me both.”

“Anyhow,” Anna broke in, getting them back on track, “our goal is to draw out the enemy and force them to bring out everything they have to stop us. We'll try to break through anywhere we can, but our main focus will be on collapsing their left flank.”

“What about Spectre?” Jana asked. “Can we count on them for anything.”

Despite being surrounded and completely cut off for weeks, despite coming under several assaults from the Valkyries and running out of ammunition, Spectre had managed to hold out, albeit with a severely depleted force. Danny considered that to be no small feat, although the troops might have been better used elsewhere. Oh well, he thought. At least they had been a thorn in the enemy's side, forcing them to divert valuable troops to try to contain the problem.

“Spectre's going to stay put,” Anna said. “They're really not in any shape to fight. If we link up with them and the situation permits then maybe, but for now we're going to use the western flank as our main axis of advance.”

Danny nodded grimly. Once again that meant his troops were being assigned as the assault force, although this time they had the benefit of an armored vehicle as backup. He didn't exactly relish the prospect of charging a tough enemy, but at the same time he wasn't dreading it either. Black Wolf had almost always been on the defensive against the Valkyries, and he wanted to see if they fared better when they were attacking. If they had the initiative the enemy's legendary ferocity might not be nearly as effective.

“Do we have any idea about their current deployment?” Will asked. “Other than the fact that they're clustered around the marina.”

“Scouting indicates that they're spread thin in a picket line, with larger reserves hanging back to reinforce the line where they're needed.”

A sensible plan, Danny thought to himself. Given their lack of numbers it allowed the Valkyries to maximize the troops they did have on hand.

It wasn't foolproof, though. If too many enemy troops attacked at the same time the reserves could be overwhelmed, either overcome with uncertainty or committed to the wrong spot. And if the assaulting force hit the defenders over a broad front, the reserve might not be able to cover everywhere before they smashed through at several points.

“We'll begin our attack in thirty minutes. Get to your units and have them prepped to go. We'll be up shortly with the Gazelle.”

Danny hurried south with Jana and Will.

“Couldn't even give us a ride,” Will commented.

“Sadly, this is probably going to be faster,” Danny said. He wanted to get to his troops as soon as possible. Once again they'd be facing down their nemesis, and he wanted to make sure they were all in the right mindset.

D
ozens of faces
looked up at him as his assembled platoon stood at the western edge of the hospital campus. Danny could feel the tension in the air, the nerves, the uncertainty. Even veteran troops could feel a bit of hesitation before a fight, but he needed to drum that out of them quickly. Even a second of doubt could get them killed in a furious battle.

Danny called them to attention. “OK everyone, let's get this started. Our object is to advance down the western flank and hit the Ragnarok forces there. We'll be backed up by the Gazelle, and we're expected to be the ones who'll break through their lines.”

That caused a bit of a stir.

“Assault force again?” Xavier asked.

Danny nodded. “Yeah, we're the assault force. Redd Foxx will be making their own pushes further to the east, but we're the ones who are going to break them. The Valkyries are deployed in a picket line with reserves further back. That means we can smash through, if we're quick enough.”

He paused for a moment, then looked around. “This is do or die. If we can't punch through then the fight for this place is completely hopeless. Don't hesitate. We'll smash them, or we'll go down swinging. Let's take the fight to them and punch them in the mouth for a change.”

Danny looked up as the sound of an engine drew closer. Sure enough, the Gazelle pulled into view.

Anna stood in the commander's hatch and waved. “Ready to go?” she asked.

Danny looked down at his troops. “Are we ready?”

The roar in response brought a grin to his face.

“
W
e ready to go
?” Anna asked over the radio link as the rest of the platoon moved out.

“I'm ready,” Liz said.

Nora made one last glance over her shoulder. I'm ready as well. We have a stock of shells stored in the hospital campus, right?”

“Yeah, we have enough for a reload along with some extra fusion batteries.”

That meant she didn't have to be stingy about fire support, which would be critical in the coming fight. Even the most stalwart troops would flinch when autocannon shells started landing near them.

“Danny, we're moving behind you,” Anna said. “Try to find a week point, and we'll help you smash through.”

“Copy that.”

“We're going to have to keep moving,” Liz said. “If we're stationary for too long they're going to get us with an RPG.”

That was the main problem with the Gazelle, especially in tightly confined quarters like these. It could provide essential fire support, but they might as well be hiding behind paper when the enemy started firing heavy weapons.

But it was what they had on hand at the moment, and they needed every ounce of firepower they could get. If they had it bad in here then the troops outside had it even worse, completely exposed to small arms fire.

A thought crossed her mind. “If we get attacked by dive bombers, what are we going to do? Standing still is just going to get us killed, and that's the end of the long-ranged radio.”

“Should have taken it out and left it at the Lake Park HQ,” Liz said.

“Again, we didn't have the heavy equipment needed to get it out,” Anna reminded her. “We'll handle it.”

Maybe, but that was something to keep in mind for later, a design flaw they hadn't anticipated until they actually needed the equipment. The long-ranged radio was bolted in place in the starboard section of the vehicle, right next to the turret ring. The fit was extremely tight, and removing the radio meant removing the turret itself. Since they didn't have a heavy lift crane to do the work everyone was hesitant to try. They might be able to get the turret off by hand, but reattaching it would be an entirely different matter. They weren't going to sacrifice one of their most important assets this late in the game, so for now they'd have to cope.

Still, even though the Gazelle was fast it wouldn't be able to outrun a dive bomber. They could probably get away from a falling bomb, but if the pilot led them then they might be able to score hits. Were the Ragnarok crews skilled enough to pull that off? Nora had seen enough of them in action to know that was a distinct possibility.

“If I may?” Danny's voice cut in on her thoughts.

“Go ahead,” Anna told him.

“You're not going to do us much good if you get bombed into oblivion. If they come after you make a run for it and try to stay alive. It's better than standing still waiting for a bomb to fall on your heads.”

Nora smiled. “Well said, Danny.”

“Hah, don't mention it.”

“I'll take that under advisement,” Anna said. “Let's focus on breaking through the picket line first.”

“Try to stay buttoned up,” Danny warned. “I have a feeling they're going to have a lot of snipers around.”

Sage advice, Nora thought. With only a few troops manning the forward positions it made sense to concentrate their snipers up front. They could slow down advances with accurate shots and force the enemy to take cover, buying the rest of their comrades enough time to get into position.

But they weren't invincible either. Suppression fire could force them to duck and cover, allowing the attacking troops to move up. And once they were in range, a squad or fireteam could make quick work of a sniper through sheer weight of fire.

And that didn't account for them either. The Gazelle could send autocannon shells streaking toward enemy positions with near impunity, vulnerable only to heavier weaponry. Bullets would ping off the armor like they were rain droplets.

Danny's voice broke into her thoughts again. “We're engaged,” he said.

Anna responded. “Understood. Keep an eye out for enemy heavy weapons crews and try to take them out. Point out vital targets for us too, and we'll do our best to suppress them.”

Nora braced herself for the coming fight. Would their gambit work? Would they be able to draw out the enemy air force?

Whatever the case, they were in for a rough ride.

T
he first Ragnarok
troops they encountered ducked down into cover, likely trying to figure out what was happening. Bravo Wolf's stealthy advance must have caught them off guard, because their response was much more fragmented than Danny imagined it would be. He could hear some calling for reinforcements from the enemy positions, but that was quickly drowned out by the sound of gunfire.

He activated his radio so the rest of his troops could hear him over the din. “Everyone, keep advancing and overwhelm them. We can't afford to lose momentum.”

One trooper ahead of him suddenly crumpled over, almost like they had been hit by a sledgehammer. Danny knew what that meant.

“Sniper! Anyone-”

“On it,” Nora's voice interrupted him. “I saw the shooter.”

A second later he heard the steady chug of the autocannon, and the third floor of a building exploded into chunks of brick. A few seconds later there was nothing left but dust and debris.

“Thanks Nora,” Danny said.

“Don't mention it.”

He brought his gun up to bear and fired a burst, though at this point it didn't mean much. The Valkyrie picket line reeled under the sheer number of troops Bravo Wolf had brought to bear. A few stood up to return fire, but most were forced back into cover. The few who didn't make it back in time fell wounded or stone dead.

Xavier's squad stormed ahead, firing quick bursts from their weapons and then sprinting the last few yards to the enemy positions. Danny and a few others charged in after them.

A few quick seconds of combat followed. The Valkyries, no more than a squad, tried to rally and form some sort of coherent defense, but there were too many attackers. Most of them were killed in the initial assault and the few who managed to return fire were quickly overwhelmed by the combined efforts of an entire platoon.

“Casualty counts,” Danny said over the radio as soon as the shooting stopped.

A quick count confirmed they had three dead and four wounded. Not ideal, but they had the momentum.

“How fast can you get the wounded back on their feet?” he asked one of the Barghest medics tending to the casualties.

“It'll be five to ten minutes.”

Danny glanced over his shoulder. “Lyla, stay behind and help get the casualties on their feet.”

“On it.”

Danny addressed the rest of his platoon. “Bravo Wolf, let's get moving! Keep up the advance and watch for more enemy troops. They should be trying to move up to reinforce the picket line.”

Danny switched out his magazine and joined up with the rest of the advance.

“So far so good, huh?” Javy commented as he walked up next to him.

“So far,” Danny agreed. “But it's one small step.”

They had a lot more fighting until they completed their mission. He glanced up at the sky nervously, waiting for the sound of approaching engines. Like it or not, they were the bait, and they needed to serve their purpose.

Even if that meant waiting for the bombs to start falling on them.

“
W
hat do
you want us to do?” Liz asked over the vehicle intercom.