David Golemon - Legacy

Sarah watched the men below as they entered the first structure. It was covered by a roof, so she tensed when the two-man team entered.

As she watched, her COM system sprang to life and the voice of the French colonel burst through her speakers in her helmet. She jumped at the loudness of the transmission.

“Did you understand that?” she asked, turning to face General Kwan and Will Mendenhall.

“Something about an attack,” Will said, as he turned and looked to the north, where they had left the first team. “Think it’s the Russians?” he asked.

“No, the Russians are a day out. And besides, they’re a part of the Arizona treaty and are acceptable to Case Blue. And-”

The two men-Mendenhall and Kwan-looked at Sarah when she stopped talking. She bit her lip, knowing she had said too much, but that was something she would have to answer for later. Right now she knew she had an unseen problem on her hands.

“You men, cover the north. We may have an unknown element breaking through the first team perimeter.”

Sarah swallowed as she watched the men covering the crater floor bring their weapons to bear in the direction of the crashed warship. Will Mendenhall rechecked his kinetic weapon and watched with wide eyes. The general went to one knee and aimed his own shorter version of the same rifle at a spot that covered the top of the small ridgeline.

“All of a sudden this place has gotten damn crowded. Who else could be here on the Moon that we don’t know about?” Mendenhall asked.

Sarah was breathing way too hard. She had to force herself to calm down as she scanned the area to the north.

“Do you feel it?” she asked, without looking at the two men on either side of her.

“Yes, something is coming this way,” Kwan said as he sighted his weapon.

“Jesus, what is it?” Will asked. He too went to one knee for a steadier aim.

As they all watched, the advance team inside the crater babbled excitedly about something, but no one was listening. Sarah moved her weight from one foot to the other as she strained her eyes to see what was coming at them. That was when the first few ESA team members broke from the ridge, bounding and hopping, using the light gravity to speed away from something. Sarah counted only three, plus one straggler.

“Jesus,” she mumbled.

“Easy men, easy,” General Kwan said. “Aim carefully and cover these men.”

As they watched the men scramble toward them they all froze. That was when the first of the three giants made its appearance. Several of the men who were supposed to be covering the retreating ESA men stood and lowered their weapons when they saw what was chasing the men.

“Remain in your positions!” Kwan called out.

The mechanical giants stopped and surveyed the situation along the rim of the crater. They seemed to be scanning for threats. The general saw what amounted to giant Erector Sets standing and looking down on the smaller humans they confronted.

The first of the ESA men stumbled and fell three feet in front of Sarah, Mendenhall, and Kwan. She stepped forward and pulled the man encased in his bulky suit upward.

“Where’s Captain Jarneux?” she asked.

“Dead. We’re all that’s left. These things came from the wreckage near the downed craft. They’re killers.”

Sarah pushed the man to the side just as General Kwan opened fire from his kneeling position. Sarah flinched as the first kinetic rounds left the barrels of several men at once. The hardened rounds struck the metal monsters in several places and the men who fired saw their spiked bulletlike bolts bounce off, causing no discernible damage.

“We may be outgunned here,” Will said. He fired a burst of three rounds toward the head of the leading robot. The rounds struck, forcing the giant’s head back. It shook off the assault and started forward again, with the other two also moving.

As General Kwan and the others opened up with a withering fire at the oncoming assault, Sarah reached took the general by the shoulder. He finally looked at her.

“I think we’d better get to cover,” she said.

The general looked around and saw that there was only one place to go.

“Yes, that is a good suggestion, Lieutenant,” Kwan answered, and turned Sarah around to face the open crater of Shackleton. “Lead the way.”

Sarah didn’t hesitate, nor did she take one of the dangling ropes. She hopped into the crater and started sliding down its steep incline, falling faster and faster as the others started sliding down the edges behind her.

Will Mendenhall and General Kwan continued to fire their kinetic rounds at the three brutes coming straight at them on a run. When they saw that no damage was being inflicted, they turned and leaped into the dark void of the crater.

After several commands were shouted through their COM systems, the ground team looked up and saw a terrifying sight. They had progressed down the dangerous and very steep slope being cautious for safety reasons, but now they were witnessing a full-fledged retreat from the crater’s rim. Men in bulky suits were sliding on their backs and even a few on their stomachs. Some were in danger of ripping the vital life-sustaining material of their suits as they crashed, crawled, and hopped down the crater’s side. The men had started running from the confined spaces of the bunkers when they all came to a dead stop as the first of the giant robots made its appearance at the rim. The men froze as they saw for the first time what had forced the men to flee.

The men were in desperate flight to get to cover as the first of the three robots jumped into the crater. It didn’t hit the slope on its way down. It landed on Shackleton’s floor well ahead of the retreating astronauts.

The mine forces learned the hard way that they had failed to destroy one of the mortar tubes. Jack, Everett, Sebastian, and the scientists ran from the blockhouse into a murderous crossfire. An erratic defense had been mounted, but Jack was sure that whoever was firing on them was going to concentrate on one pocket of resistance at a time.

“I don’t see ’em, Jack,” Everett called out. He dared to raise his head. Just as he ducked back, a series of bullets stitched the hardened lava of the ridge, sending chips flying in all directions.

Collins turned slightly to make sure the five scientists were keeping low. He knew he had to get them away from the German blockhouse, which was an easy target for the mortar team.

“Well, we sure as hell can’t stay here. Whoever it is has the advantage of an elevated position,” Jack said. He rose and fired toward the sound of the mortar tube discharging. He ducked back. “Sebastian, we have to get a fire team organized and do it fast.”

“I have men over in the next series of buildings, assuming they’re still alive.”

Before Jack could say more, the German commando turned and ran to the right in search of men he could corral.

“Mr. Everett, we have to ditch these guys,” Jack said, nodding toward Niles and the others.

Charlie Ellenshaw crawled forward with his M-16 and looked straight at Jack.

“I heard that, Colonel. You’re not leaving me with these guys.”

“Yes I am, Charlie. You’re going to keep them together and defend them with your little gun-that’s an order.”

Ellenshaw frowned and then ducked his head when gunfire erupted, closer than before.

“Whoever these assholes are, they’re aggressive,” Everett said. He popped up and returned fire. “Charlie, get your ass back to Niles. Get them to the far side of the blockhouse and hunker down low along the strongest part-that would be its base. Do not go inside,” Everett said. “We’ll cover you the best we can.”