Space Wars
By Ironclad
Part 1 of 5 - Capture
The battalion had been acting as rearguard to the remains of the command as they
endeavored to escape from the defeat outside the capital five days ago. Food
and water were running low and ammunition was now being scavenged from discarded
equipment left behind from the main force.
After five days of fighting withdrawal the battalion was now reduced to little
more than a third of its original strength. Lieutenant Ariadne Wehman was
Officer Commanding the 3rd company since Captain Overton had been vaporised by
an aerial mine in the morning. Major Owen having being decapitated by a Chazon
Bladerunner outside the gates of the city the day the retreat started. The
balance of the company had been reduced to Sergeant Major Jones, 3 other NCO's
and 35 other ranks, all tired beyond belief and suffering form shock at the pace
and fury of the defeat.
The feisty Lieutenant with the blonde bob commanded the respect necessary for
command in a tight situation like this. Standing just over five feet 3 inches
tall in her bare feet she was built to inspire with a body that was recorded in
her military file as "Stats: 40-26-36 Bra Size: 34EE". What she lacked in
height she made up for in attitude and stamina.
The company was well equipped by the standards of the rest of the retreating
force. Every soldier had their full issue of kit and equipment designed to
protect them from both the environment and the enemy. Ariadne was equipped the
same as the other soldiers. This included a silver spray painted on thermal
insulation covering her body from neck to wrists and ankles. She was then
dressed in a finely webbed trauma resistant skin tight coverall consisting of
tiny sealed water filled tubes which in turn was covered by the standard
synthetic battle dress overalls. Her kit was completed with a carbon fiber
armored vest and ballistic helmet, not to forget the belts, pouches and M87
Needle Rifle.
The company was dug in for the night outside a ruined school on the outskirts of
a small town guarding the right flanks of the Battalion. Sentries had been
posted for the night and coffee brewed as those not on duty collapsed into a
welcome sleep. With luck the battalion would reach the evacuation point at
Spaceport East the day after tomorrow and be evacuated away, as the planet could
clearly not be held against the force the Chazon's had deployed.
Through out the night sentries reported noises coming from the right flank. As
dawn approached, concerned that the enemy might be attempting to get around the
flank of the rearguard Ariande sent Sergeant Major Jones and five soldiers out
on a patrol to investigate. All was quiet for 15 minutes and then the night was
penetrated by a single solitary scream. High pitched and penetrating it chilled
those who heard it to the bone. Surely nothing human could make that noise.
A few shouted commands and the company came to arms. Soldiers shaking off sleep
grabbed their needle rifles and ran for their firing positions expecting the
enemy to appear at any moment. Ariadne called for the Communications Operator
Corporal Westcott to grab a flare launcher and follow her as she ran to take up
position next to the sentry closest to where the patrol had departed from.
Eyes strained into the weak early morning light looking for movement.
"Something's out there sir' said Private Chisnall. "You can see movement in the
mist over there."
Ariadne strained and looked. Sure enough there was something coming towards
them. "Stand to arms" she called in warning to the company as she shouldered
her needle rifle and flicked the safety switch to automatic. "Fire a flare" she
ordered Westcott. The night turned into day as the flare exploded into life 100
meters ahead of their position.
"Shit, It's the Sarge!" exclaimed Chisnall. Indeed it was, staggering towards
them, holding the stump of one arm across his chest he looked up. "Look out
they're right be......." The warning dissolved into a scream as Jones' chest
exploded from behind as a hail of needle projectiles ripped into him from
behind. At the same moment 40 to 50 Chazon gunrunners burst from the tree line
behind Jones firing as they came at a rush towards the position.
Ariadne calmly told the other two "Fall back to the main position" and as one
they commenced to run the 50 meters back to where the main body of the Company
was located. They ran like all hell was behind them, as indeed it was and even
as they dived for cover an accurate burst of fire cut Chisnall down. As they
turned to look they could see that the initial rush of the enemy had been
stopped by the intensity of fire laid down from the remainder of the company.
At that moment a flare burst into light right above their position, someone
yelled, "cover". Then the lights went out.
Ariadne pushed Westcott off herself and rolled over in a daze groping for her
weapon. The remains of the first platoon were scattered around her in the
attitudes they had been thrown by the VapourAir mortar bomb blast. The effect
was akin to a flash bang grenade used by anti-terrorist squads multiplied by a
factor of 20. Westcott's body had shielded Ariadne otherwise she to would have
been out for the count.
As she staggered to her feet Ariadne could see the enemy troops closing in
rapidly. She turned and ran for the nearest cover, a doorway in the ruined
school. As she dashed into it a needle trailing a gossamer thread of wire
smashed into the plastic frame and emitted a crack of energy. "Shit, they've
switched to stun mode to take prisoners," she thought as she he dove for the
floor and then raised herself to look out of the shattered window.
The gunrunners were pouring into the position she had just left. A few of her
troops were starting to move but every movement was greeted by a needle shot and
the energy crack that accompanied the 50,000 volt shock delivered to knock the
prisoner unconscious.
Ariadne started to move towards the back of the room looking for cover when with
a crash a VapourAir grenade smashed through one of the windows and hit the floor
near her feet. In desperation she kicked out and the grenade rattled across the
floor towards the door only to explode right in the doorway. The force of the
blast threw Ariadne off her feet and she hit the rear wall of the schoolroom
with a heavy thump. The doorway had protected her from part of the explosion
and her body armor had provided some protection when she hit the wall, but she
still slid down the wall in a dazed state ever as the first of the gunrunners
burst through the doorway.
They came in hunched low and with their dual-purpose needle/ stun guns at the
ready. Stunned and barely aware of what was happening Ariadne groped for her
rifle. The two gunrunners were in no mood to mess about. Their own commander
had been about to enter the doorway when the grenade went off and they were
rather pissed off at the effect the blast had had on him. As soon as they saw
Ariadne move for her weapon they opened fire.
Ariadne felt the pain of simultaneous impacting needles briefly before she lost
consciousness. The first tore through her sleeve and pinned her left forearm,
its velocity carrying it a good inch into her flesh. The second hit her in the
upper thigh, again penetrating the soft tissue for nearly two inches before
stopping. A split second later there was a flash as the two gunrunners
delivered their 50,000-volt shocks into the stunned Ariadne's body. She was
flung back against the wall and crumpled to the floor still twitching form the
massive electrical charge.
Epilogue:
When she awoke the sun was high in the sky. She had a headache of mammoth
proportions and couldn't move her arms or legs, it took a few moments to
remember where she was.
Ariadne was staked out on the open ground behind the school. Her arms and legs
were spread-eagled wide and manacled to four pegs secured in the ground and a
plasteel collar was mounted around her neck. Looking to her left and right she
could see four of her soldier were likewise staked out, Tina and Corporal Debbie
on her left, Linsey and Roxanne on her right. Also off to the right two more of
her soldiers, both male were secured to the side of the school building
spread-eagled in a vertical position. All had been stripped of their weapons
and body armor and the slashed remains of their combat overalls were in an
untidy pile some feet away.
Lifting her head Ariadne could see that she also had been stripped of her
equipment. All she was left with was the silver thermal paint insulation, the
webbed skin tight coverall... and the manacles and collar.
