Jay Allan - The First Imperium

Cain stared at the map and froze. The flashing dot was in the center of the Iron Hills…the mountains he’d called impassable. “Hector, get me General Ja…” He didn’t get any further before he was interrupted by Jax’s incoming communication.

“Erik, we’ve got a big problem.” Jax sounded shaken up. “I’ve got Sergeant Daniels on the line. Sergeant, I need you to tell General Cain what you just reported to me”

“Yes sir.” Cain didn’t know Daniels personally. She was one of the scouts, a good one by all accounts, but he’d never spoken with her before. “General Cain, sir…it looks like the enemy mined the rockwall with some kind of extremely powerful explosive.” Daniels’ voice was hoarse, and she was breathing heavily as she spoke. She sounded like she was in pain. “Sir, the entire formation is gone, and there’s a 300 meter gap through. There are enemy troops marching toward the opening.”

“Jax, we’ve got to get that gap plugged.” Cain remembered Daniels was still on the line. “Thank you, sergeant. Maintain your position and await further orders.”

“Yes, si…” Cain cut the line before she could finish.

“I’m going to scrape up what reserves I can, Jax, and take them over there.” Cain was making a mental list of the unengaged troops he had available…a very short list. “We need to block that gap before they get through and out in the open.”

“Erik, that’s crazy.” Jax’s voice was firm. He was going to dig his heels in on this one. “You’re the commander in chief…you can’t go running up into the mountains. I’ll do it.”

Cain opened his mouth to argue, but he knew Jax was right. He also knew that Jax had warned him about an attack from the mountains days ago. This emergency was his fault…it was his own carelessness, and he hated to send his friend and second in command to clean up his mess. “Ok, Jax.” His voice was downcast, defeated. His duty wouldn’t allow him to abandon the rest of the corps. He would have to let Jax do his dirty work.

“Hector, I want every unit not currently engaged to report to General Jax immediately.” It wasn’t going to be more than 1,500 troops, maybe 1,800.

“What about the Janissaries, Erik?” Jax sounded a little tentative.

“Do you really want them behind you in this situation?” Cain was nothing if not stubborn – in his prejudices and grudges as well as in duty and loyalty. “No, I just don’t trust them. You take the available reserves, and I’ll pull some of the lightly engaged battalions out of the line to reinforce you.”

“Ok, Erik.” Jax sounded like he wanted to argue. He didn’t like the Caliphate troops any more than Cain did, but there were over 2,000 of them, elite veterans all, and they were just sitting there staring at each other. “Whatever you say.” He sounded annoyed. “Don’t worry…I’ll plug that gap.”

“I know you will.” Cain started moving forward toward the main line. He was going to hand pick backup units for Jax. “I know you will,” he repeated.

“General Cain…it’s Admiral Compton. How the hell are you guys doing down there? We’re here to get your people out.”

Cain couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d spent the last hour pulling troops off the line to reinforce Jax’s defense at the gap, and he was on the far edge of the right flank when the signal came through. The last thing he’d expected was anyone coming to the rescue. He knew Admiral West’s people had fought like demons, but once ships were damaged, out of weapons, and low on power there wasn’t much they could do. Cain had wished the best for the retreating survivors, and he fervently hoped Erica West was one of them.

But now he had the second in command of the Alliance navy on his com. “Admiral Compton, sir…it’s good to hear from you. This is unexpected.”

“You can thank your friend, Admiral West. She kept insisting she’d detected a shortage of ordnance in the enemy fleet and that a rescue mission was feasible.” He paused, just for a second. “I don’t know how she convinced Admiral Garret to risk Second Fleet to try it.”

“Admiral West is alive then?” Cain was glad to hear it. Erica West was a good officer…and a good friend. “We didn’t know whether she’d made it or not.”

“She barely made it. She’s in rough shape, Erik. But she wouldn’t let us put her in the infirmary until Admiral Garret agreed to make a try to get your people out.” His voice became lower, more serious. “But we don’t have time to catch up now. We just fought our way in, and by damned if she wasn’t right…they seemed to be out of almost everything. They pulled back, but I doubt we can hold this space long.” He hesitated and then added, “Besides, if my scanning reports are accurate, it looks like we got here none too soon.”

“No joke there, sir.” The exhaustion came through in Cain’s voice…and the relief. He hadn’t expected any of his people to escape, and now salvation was at hand. “Things are hot down here.”

“Alright, Erik. I’m sending out some strike wings to support your people…they’re loaded up with Colonel Sparks’ PBS weapons.” Compton knew those pilots would be running a deadly gauntlet, but he’d asked for volunteers, and every strike fighter crew in Second Fleet stepped forward. “Hopefully, that will take some of the pressure off of you. I’ll be sending shuttles down shortly. But you’re going to have to manage the withdrawal yourself.”

“I’m on it, sir.”

The fire was intense. Jax had a row of SAWs in cover behind the rubble spanning the entire gap. They were taking a fearsome toll on the enemy, especially the standard battle bots. But plugging the hole had already cost his force heavily. He’d had about 1,600 when he started, and Cain had sent another 1,000. But there were barely 800 left now…and the heavy weapons were on their fourth and fifth crews.

He climbed up on a jagged spur of rock, notching his visor to Mag 30 to get a good look for himself. Jax could see the enemy massing a force of Reapers to punch through his thin line, and he knew he’d never be able to stop them. But he had to delay them…buy some time. The withdrawal was going fairly well, by all accounts, but if the enemy sliced through his forces they’d be in the staging areas in half an hour. That would turn the retreat into a bloody nightmare.

He didn’t like the Janissaries any more than Cain did, but now he was wishing Erik had agreed to deploy them. Former enemies or no, he needed more firepower, and they were the only fresh troops left in I Corps.

He barked out a series of commands, repositioning his SAWs for maximum effect, and moving the remaining HVM teams onto a ridge of higher ground behind the main line. They were just minor adjustments, but he needed everything he could get if he was going to repel the next attack. That was something he had to do…whatever the cost.

He pulled up his mag rifle and took up a firing position on the line. They needed every shot they could get. “Ok, people, we’re holding here no matter what. Remember, you are Marines, and no enemy is going to push us around!” He was always amazed at the morale effect a little trash talk could muster.

A fighting withdrawal was one of the most difficult operations to execute, but I Corps was pulling it off. Compton’s atmospheric fighters had savaged the enemy lines…everywhere except in the gap where Jax’s people were barely hanging on. The confines there were too tight, and the planes couldn’t maneuver. Besides, in those mountains they couldn’t safely target the close in enemy formations without a major risk of hitting Jax’s troops too.