Free Portal Wars 1: Gehenna Dawn by Jay Allan

flank
wide open. He was tempted to charge now and try to exploit the
chaos. But he didn’t have the strength, not until Samuels and the
rest of the section went in, at least. It was immaterial…his orders
expressly forbid him to go in before the rear attack hit.
    He tapped a small pad on his helmet, bringing
the tactical display up on his visor. His troops were deployed
across 120 meters, each team with six men on the front and two in
reserve. The 2nd team’s HHV was about 70 meters uphill from his
position. It looked like a decent spot, but it was a little more
exposed than he liked.
    He peered around the boulder, trying to get
an idea of the damage they were doing to the enemy. Normally, he’d
have had a drone up, but Taylor had ordered him not to do anything
during his approach that might alert the enemy they were coming.
The Machines had detected the transports approaching the area, of
course, but Taylor was betting that a complex assault plan would
surprise them. He didn’t think the Machines would expect an attack
across the rugged terrain on their flank, which is exactly why
Samuels’ section was doing just that. Drones buzzing around before
the attack might have been a tip off, though.
    It looked like the enemy was taking heavy
casualties, but it was hard to be sure. They still hadn’t
counterattacked – or even responded with more than token fire of
their own. It was a gift, but one Hemmerich knew wouldn’t last. The
more he thought about it, the more he disliked that HHV position.
The enemy was going to take them out as soon as they got their shit
together.
    “1st Team, maintain position and fire.” He
crouched low and crept out from behind the boulder, climbing slowly
up the hill. He was going to find a better spot for that HHV.
     
    “On three…3rd and 4th Teams, advance.” Bear’s
people had made a wide march around the enemy flank. They’d gone at
least a kilometer out of their way, but it looked like they’d made
it without being spotted. He’d crept as close as he dared. The
enemy rear was about half a klick down the rocky hillside.
    “One.” Samuels could hear distant
explosions…his mortars still firing on the enemy front. It was hard
to tell, but it sounded like all three were still active. He’d cut
communications with the mortars…he’d shut down everything but
low-power intra-team com. It was just too easy for the enemy to
pick up a transmission and blow his secrecy.
    “Two.” Normally, Samuels would have his
troops leapfrog forward, half providing covering fire while the
rest advanced. But it looked like they had complete surprise going
for them, so he’d ordered everyone to rush down the hillside and
take advantage of it. A good old-fashioned charge, he thought. “No,
not entirely,” he whispered to himself. He wasn’t looking to lead a
bunch of rookies into close quarters combat with the Machines. They
were going to rush down to point blank range and then stop and
unload on the enemy position. He knew Hemmerich’s people were
hitting the flank the same way. With their flank and rear
compromised and heavy fire coming in, the enemy would probably pull
back. The Machines didn’t break and rout in battle, not exactly.
But they weren’t utterly resilient automatons either. They cared
about self-preservation…whether that was instinct, programming,
doctrine…Samuels didn’t know. But they would retreat if their
position was untenable rather than fight hopelessly to the death.
And that was all Samuels needed to clear the hillside.
    “One. Move it!” He spun around the edge of
the rock out into the open. This was a gamble. If the enemy
realized what was happening and got some fire on his people, they’d
be sitting ducks. If that happened, Bear knew he’d be one of the
first to go…he was a damned big target out in the open.
    He ran down the hillside, as quickly as he
could without losing his footing. His vision was obscured…he had
his visor down and the tactical