Free AMP Siege by Stephen Arseneault Page B

turned and stepped from rock to rock, climbing the face of the thirty-meter-long outcropping on the right. The highest point offered a position that was mostly protected in front and to either side. I felt guilty that Goddard's boulders did not offer the same. After a ten-meter climb, his outcropping turned into a flat face that angled slightly downward away from our position. Every location on the top was exposed.
    The terrain that led out and away from our position was largely flat, with the occasional shrub and gully. The soil, which was red from the high iron content, baked in the hot afternoon sun. I looked down and was happy that our hybrid battle suits had built-in climate control. I could see no such controls on the Gonta soldiers, many of whom had their helmets off as they wiped their brows of sweat.
    As I turned back towards the others, I was startled by a blast on Goddard's rock. Three more blasts followed before Goddard raised his head.
    I flipped open my helmet mask and yelled, "What are you doing over there? You scared the crap out of me!"
    Goddard replied, "Just making myself and whoever else is going to be over here a nice cubbyhole. There was no way I was going to lay out on top of that rock. Just needed a space to sit down in."
    I shook my head and replied, "Well, good thinking, and please let me know next time before you are going to blast something. I thought we were under attack already."
    Goddard waved an affirmative response as he chuckled to himself. Several minutes later, York and Frost returned. We worked on our defensive strategies using the information they had gathered.
    The captain sent over a message. The Targs were expected by nightfall. Large contingents of Targ were converging on our position from the eastern and southern directions. A long, hard fight was coming our way. I settled into my rock crevasse with Frost by my side.
    As her hand slid down my back to just above my waist, I turned to face her. "Really, Frost? You just don't give up, do you?"
    Frost replied, "This may be my last chance, Chief. Don't you want to help out an old vet like me by granting her a dying wish?"
    I nodded my head as I turned back towards the coming threat. "You start dying and then we'll talk about it. Until then, just keep your hands on your blaster there and off of my person. This is why I picked you to be over here with me, so you wouldn't be over there harassing the lieutenant."
    Frost chuckled and spoke. "Goddard's a good kid, Sir. But he is far from ready for the likes of me. I'm more of a sucker for the ones who have already been ruined by life. They give in easier. Might be why you keep resisting, Sir."
    I replied, "Because I haven't been ruined yet? Really?"
    Frost placed her blaster on the rock in front of us. "Just sayin’, Sir. Now, if you were to—"
    A shrill whistling sound was followed by a large explosion. Dust and rock were thrown high in the air behind our position. Gonta soldiers could be seen scrambling in every direction. A second round then hit, the concussion sending two nearby Gonta crewmen five meters into the air. Their hard suits had saved them, but they were slow to recover.
    Meecha yelled at his troops. "Get that shield up now! Major Geera, I want a fix on where those rounds originated!"
    Several seconds passed before an answer was shouted out. "Four kilometers east, Sir. Those were conventional mortar rounds. We don't have a counter as of yet."
    I took the opportunity to hop down from my rock. I was soon at the captain's position. Four flat Tantric-armored plates sat connected in a semicircle. The same defensive walls dotted the landscape for every fifty meters in a circle surrounding our camp.
    I spoke. "Captain, can we send out a small team to knock out those mortars? We aren't going to stand a chance if they start dropping those rounds on us nonstop."
    Meecha replied, "We should have our laser shield operative anytime now, Mr. Grange. It should be adequate to stop those rounds.