Eirik entered the comm room and immediately leaned over the console where Trasti was sitting, blocking his view of the screen. A minute later he leaned away again, letting Trasti see the *Message deleted* notification blink in the corner. Having already learned of the importance Eirik placed on privacy, he did not pursue the subject.
"Las'Tai, I need to you go round up the InSec crew, gather in the combat training area, and wait for Jesper to arrive. Trasti, You will stay here and do your job. I will return shortly and we will start sending messages.." Eirik pressed the intercom button, "Jesper, Report to the combat training area immediately!"
With that, he left the comm room, Las'Tai trailing behind him.
As they walked down the corridor, she couldn't help but ask him. Captain, what is this about?"
Eirik stopped walking and turned to face Las'Tai. "My grandfather messaged me that the war officially started a few days ago. After a lengthy void battle, we managed to land troops on a Kloxna colony world but we had to withdraw our ships in the face of their counterattack. Now, those soldiers are trapped on the planet, hiding in their fortifications. This, in itself, is not an issue. What IS an issue, is the fact that your mother is amongst the high caste members leading the counterattack.
You and I both know that she will stop at nothing to achieve victory. This puts those Terran soldiers in danger and I plan to bring 500 of my best soldiers to that battle when we are done here, provided that Bjørn manages to secure me at least 2 of the 6 pirate ships. I am certain they will succeed in that. They passed the first test with flying colors, keeping their cool, obeying their orders, and completing their objective efficiently and quickly."
Eirik took a deep breath as he looked at the Kloxna outcast he had come to trust with his life. "There is a very high chance I will also use the InSec crew in that combat operation and that you will be facing other Kloxna soldiers. I hereby grant both you and Trasti the option of refusing the fight. I know you would not like to fight your people."
Las'Tai looked to the ceiling, her tail flicking back and forth across the floor. "They stopped being my people the day my mother declared me dead. I am a true outcast. I can never return to my people." Show lowered her gaze and locked eyes with Eirik. "But if me fighting them means I fight for a better future for the common Kloxna citizen, then I will fight. They may not love me, but I still love them. And Terra winning this war means that the common Kloxna people will get access to a life like the one you secured for Krisnu and her family.
Trasti speaks of them regularly, you know. He says he has never before experienced his worry this happy and carefree. The 3 little ones you met have already grown big enough to be an absolute menace. That would have taken at least another year back home because of the food rationing.
I can see it in Trasti. He has grown bigger and healthier in the short while he has been here. So have I, despite coming from a childhood of not having to go hungry. I still don't think you understand just how... Lavish... the Terran lifestyle looks, compared to the Kloxna. I know your people went through this in your feudal period, which explains why you are so far ahead in regards to seeing your people as more than a simple resource. I will fight my own people to make reality a part of their lives."
Eirik looked at Las'Tai for a long moment, a mix of awe and admiration on his face. "You fight for more honorable reasons than I do." He finally said, "And I will help you achieve this as best I can."
"Why do you fight, if not for your people?" Las'Tai asked.
"For my own selfish reasons. Personal glory and fame. Riches to further my plans." Eirik answered without hesitation.
"But... If you only fight for yourself... Who will recognize your glory and honor?" Las'Tai asked with a foreign look on her face. Was that urgency? Desperation?
"Anyone who hears the stories told about me." He answered. "Now, let's go, I need to get things prepared for when the ground battle is done. The pirates will attack again as soon as they realize their base is nothing more than a smoking ruin and they are going to give it everything they got. It is their only chance at bouncing back from this."
As they entered the combat training area, Jesper was there with the Internal Security crew. Eirik cut straight to the chase. "Jesper, I need you to start training the InSec crew in offensive combat protocols. I plan to dissolve the InSec crew and add them to the list of offensive capabilities we possess. This also means that the rest of you will have to train in the defensive tactics that the InSec crew currently deploys. And no protests." He said as he saw Jesper open his mouth. "Now, get to it, Jesper. We o not have time to argue."
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Bjørn was quite pleased with himself. They had killed 72 pirates in the first defense and Eirik had informed him that the base of the pirates had been neutralized. So the next attack would be all in, from the pirates. He rotated his soldiers out, putting the squad leaders at the front of the trenches. Their bulky siege armor would work as targets but with miniguns equipped they should be able to hold their own.
He had selected a squad, the same that had been detached to deal with the flanking pirates during the last attack, to split up and flank behind the pirates once they attacked. Stealth was the key and they had already departed, setting up on the far flank of the defenders, ready to move to box in the next attack.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
During the last attack, the colonists had been in the 2nd trench line with the squad leaders. Now, they were the only ones in the 2nd trench line. They had asked Bjørn if they could assist in the defense of their town, but he had insisted that they would be the most use in the 2nd trench line, giving him and his troops a manned fall-back position, in case they got overrun
He didn't have to wait long for the pirates to return. There was no call-out from the snipers on overwatch duty. The shot of a high-caliber sniper rifle was the first indicator that the enemy had returned. Soon, the heavy machinegun emplacements they had constructed on the nearby roofs began barking. They fired long bursts with very short breaks in between. "WHAT IS GOING ON?" Bjørn called out between 2 salvos.
"THEY ARE CHARGING STRAIGHT AT US!!" Came the yell back as the machinegun began barking again. "CONTACT!! INCOMING ENEMIES!!" Bjørn roared before he turned his attention towards the small dust cloud forming on the horizon and spun up the barrels of his weapon.
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The pirate Captain was furious and desperate. After the failed attack on the colonists, he had ordered an immediate return to base for all his reaming ground troops. When his base did not respond to any communication attempt, he felt a cold shiver run up his spine and plant a seed of fear in his mind. Upon return, that fear turned out to be well-founded as they only found ruins where a safe underground complex should have been. He was stuck here, with the remnants of his pirates, no way off the accursed planet, and a large group of extremely well-trained soldiers out to get him.
He chose the only option he thought would work. He decided to charge in, hoping to blast through the defensive line and create enough chaos to win the battle. If he could beat these soldiers, he would be free to return to his pirate life.
Of course, had he been a smart man, he would have withdrawn. Found a small town he could take control over, hide for a few months and replenish his troops by enticing the local youth with power and privileges. Wait for a trader or smuggler to arrive and use overwhelming force and the element of surprise to secure a new spacefaring vessel and he would be back in business.
Instead, he chose to go all out against an entrenched enemy that had already shown its ability to see him off.
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Bjørn saw the intent of the pirate Captain and ordered a retreat to the second trench line. Gathering the 4 other squad leaders around him, he intended to create a bulwark of fire that would make a roadblock out of the first enemy vehicle to cross the 1st trench. The 4 squad leaders, the 47 remaining soldiers of the commando group, the 20 ambushing soldiers, and the more than 200 colonists all pointed their weapons toward the first trench, listening to the hover engines getting louder as the pirates approached at reckless speeds.
As fate would have it, the first vehicle through the barricades on top of the waist-deep trench was the pirate Captain himself and his triumphant look as he plowed through the makeshift barricades turned to horror as he stared down the second trench which, at this point, was absolutely bristling with weapons, each of them aimed in his direction.
"That is just not fair." Was the last thing that went through his head before the plethora of different ballistic weapons turned his hovercar into a useless pile of metal sitting neatly in the way of the incoming pirates some 35 meters away from the trench.
What followed was more of a slaughter than a fight. Turned out they never needed the ambush group, but they made things easier. The barricades of the 1st trench line obstructed the view of the second and the pirates could not see the trap the corpses and burning vehicles of their comrades presented. In less than a minute almost all of the pirates had died. Those few that had managed to survive either through hiding behind the wrecks of the destroyed cars or by sheer dumb luck, all threw their weapon on the ground and pleaded for their lives.
Bjørn noticed a few young men crying at the feet of some of the more elderly colonists, who in turn looked down on the youth with disappointment and determination. The young men, apparently the sons of the elderly people, were begging for forgiveness, but their parents were adamant that they be taken away to face punishment for what they did.
When one of the young men reached a hand out to his mother, only to have it slapped away with a disgusted look on the woman's face, he broke down sobbing.
Making a quick decision, Bjørn walked over to the little group of people.
"What if they served a sentence of community service here?" He said as he pointed at the young men. "They would have to help with rebuilding what they have destroyed, work the fields and workshops they stole from and enjoy none of the benefits. From sun-up to sun-down they would work, only getting the Sunday off. Their movement would be restricted to the colony at which they serve their sentence. No alcohol, no other substances, and only basic survival rations to eat for the duration of the punishment. Let's say, a year of servitude.
How would that work for you?" The elderly colonists stepped away for a moment and deliberated heavily amongst themselves. The woman that had slapped the hand of her son away seemed very adamant that they do not accept the deal and instead turn them over to the authorities. The father of one of the other men argued that most of them would be put to death, and while he agreed that they all deserved punishment, more death was not the solution.
In the end, they looked to Bjørn. "I guess you recommend community service in favor of turning them in?" The woman scowled. Bjørn nodded and the father that had voted for the community service clapped his hands together once. "That settles it then. They will serve the community" He said before turning to the young men.
"You better thank the commander. He just saved your lives" He said softly to the young men who were quick to obey and shower Bjørn with words of praise and thanks. Bjørn didn't hear them. All he could think about was being referred to as *Commander*
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When Eirik get the message of the success on the ground, he recalled the entire commando group. They were not finished and he did not need troopers with a hangover because the colonists wanted to celebrate freedom. But the hard part was over. And with the change in the situation, Eirik was sending his own teams over on 2 of the boarding runs. he needed at least 2 more ships and this was a great time to get them. Possibly 6 total, but he would settle for 2. It was time to show the Terran military how you defeated Kloxna.