Anthony DeCosmo - Parallels

At twenty yards-nearly point blank range for a missile launcher-she fired. The projectile walloped the Skiff, penetrated its thick outer skin, and exploded inside the crew cabin. Smoke and horrid squeals poured out from the ruptured hull.

It made no difference. The defenders continued to pull back.

"Keep going! Keep after them!"

Like a mouse chasing a lion, the human soldiers bound across the open field and into the northern streets of Erie Coast in a vain attempt to halt the Duass’ movement as…

…Trevor’s Combat Group entered the center of town dominated by the imposing citadel in the middle of the village, guarded by one War Skiff and a handful of infantry.

"All squads!" He yelled. "Assault the citadel! Get inside and disable the guns!"

What his combat teams lacked in firepower and numbers he planned to compensate for with pure audacity. His men would bull-rush the doors, overpower the few defenders left behind, and capture the big guns before they could do much damage. Then he could turn those guns on the Plats.

One of the big cannons fired, resulting in a huge eruption that ripped open the cobblestone street, broke four of his men into little pieces, and split the last remaining assault buggy into halves.

"Keep moving!" He shouted, urging them toward the safe haven beneath the firing arc of the heavy guns. With no ground forces of consequence to stop them he could A plasma bolt sliced down the street from the north and killed a soldier three paces ahead of Trevor. He turned and, to his horror, saw a mass of Duass appear on the main thoroughfare supported by two War Skiffs, a sight that sucked the momentum from his spirited charge.

Rifle fire and heavy energy streams from the infantry and War Skiffs tore apart Trevor's right flank. Men fell one after another, screaming first in shock then from pain. At the same time, more big blasts from the tower guns, shredding the forward tip of the attack and splintering the formation into little pieces.

Adding to the confusion, he saw Nina's forces appear behind the Plat infantry, actually pursuing them. Had she somehow turned her feint into an attack? Could she be stupid enough to chase the enemy right into his flank?

The enemy's vehicles hurried to cover the approaches to the citadel, cutting off any hope of storming the fortress and leaving the attackers with no place to go other than retreat.

"Covering fire!" Trevor yelled. "We need cover to fall back!"

A soldier standing next to the new Emperor disintegrated in a flash of energy. The concussion from the shot threw Stone into the air. He hit the cobblestone-like road head-first, the world turned fuzzy and a horrid pain erupted at the top of his head.

Gronard’s voice came over the radio, "Trevor, what is your status? Trevor?"

– Forest’s soldiers pursued the retreating Duass to the center of town. At that point, the enemy formed a defensive line supported by the citadel’s big guns. Most of the troops in the Major’s first wave died and so would have the rest if the Duass did not appear more interested in obliterating Trevor's combat group first.

Nonetheless, she ordered her men to hold their positions despite being outnumbered and outgunned.

"Keep firing!" She ordered knowing that maintaining pressure from her side of the battle might be the only way to keep the Duass from completely overwhelming Trevor's group.

–

His head aching and his vision blurred, Trevor and the remains of his unit took cover around the corner of a small building and waited. He could do nothing other than wait; wait for Gronard to salvage the situation.

What the Hell was Nina thinking?

The Duass fortress’ cannons chipped away at the buildings and, at the same time, provided cover for their infantry to begin a flanking maneuver. Trevor knew this. He could feel them working through alleys and side streets. It was only a matter of time until enemy soldiers appeared to their south and north, possibly even behind them. At that point, they would be easy targets and the end would come fast.

The only hope lay with Gronard. Not a hope for victory, a hope of survival; escape.

Trevor worked his radio. He kept his voice as calm as possible considering the blaster fire raging around him, despite the feeling of failure, and despite his anger.

"Major Forest."

Static followed by, "Yes. Trevor? Yes, this is Nina."

"Prepare for extraction. Start falling back to the north and meet ground transport there."

"If we pull back they’ll be all over you!"

"Do it! Follow your damn orders for the first fucking time today! Fall back. NOW!"

He threw his radio to the ground. A moment later Skippers flew in over the skyline.

Immediately the Duass targeted the ships. Their plasma rifles could only scar the hulls of the flyers, but the fortress guns could do much more. The first AATC in the air space over down town exploded as one of the guns scored a direct hit. The bodies of the pilots plummeted to the ground in flames while hot fuel sprayed over a squad of human troops in the street.

Two Skippers fired on the citadel. Their missiles knocked out one of the guns, buying a little more time for two more AATCs to land on streets shielded from the direct fire of the Citadel’s weapons. They filled up fast with injured then flew away jut as a War Skiff moved to intercede.

Another Skipper swooped in and launched an anti-armor missile that disabled the enemy vehicle in one shot.

That airship then landed and loaded to two squads into its belly for a quick retreat. But as it took to the air, the Skipper's starboard jump jet exploded from a Duass grenade. The ship listed, spun, and then slammed into a building. Smoke, dust, and flames burst from the impact zone. The massive rotor of the bird flew off and broke into pieces against another building.

Any soldiers who survived the crash did not survive for long: Duass infantry assaulted the wreckage.

"Mother-"

Trevor did not have time to get to the second half of that compound word as he was interrupted by enemy fire. The Plats came charging around a corner on his flank.

Just in time, Gronard came to the rescue.

Two armored vehicles blasted through the Duass infantry and wheeled to a halt at Trevor’s position. Two more of Stone’s men fell as they boarded their escape vehicle but they did escape, with War Skiffs chasing them out of the town like hounds on the heels of a fox.

On the north side, transport trucks met Major Forest's remaining soldiers who withdrew under air cover from the remaining Skippers.

Plumes of smoke from burning vehicles-both human and Duass-drifted into the air from the village, but "Erie Coast" still belonged to the Duass.

– The ground vehicles and AATCs regrouped in a field ten miles east. The armored cars formed a perimeter and the air craft landed in the middle. Medics turned one of the Skipper’s cargo bays into a triage center to stabilize patients before the long trek home.

Trevor met with Gronard and several squad leaders inside a hastily constructed tent. They opened a folding table and examined maps. They agreed that, despite the pasting they had taken, the Duass were in no position to pursue.

Major Forest entered the tent.

"Trevor? Oh, thank God you’re okay."

Stone stormed over to her. "What were you doing? YOU HAD ORDERS! I told you to demonstrate on their northern flank not fucking drive them right at us!"

She not only flinched, she outright cowered, her hands raised as if to ward off blows. Her shoulders hunched over and her face cringing in anticipation of a strike.

"Trevor, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. They disengaged…they pulled out…we chased them. I thought we could-"

"You don’t think. You hear me? You don’t think. I do the thinking. You do what I tell you to do so things don’t get all fucked up."