Afterlife CH 30: Landfall

“How long’s the bombing run going to last?” Katrina asked, watching the sky fill with explosives.

“It was ten minutes or so on Elder,” Rook said.  “At least, that’s what it was over home.  I guess it depends on how many ships they have.”

“Think they’ll send in their men?  If their bombs aren’t working, maybe they’ll decide it’s too risky.”

“Probably not,” Chime replied.  “They didn’t even realise they were being told to kill civilians at Elder.  They kept going even when no one fought back.  I think they’re a bit too determined to let a failed bombardment stop them.”

“They can’t be that stupid, though,” Katrina insisted, watching the smoke finally start clearing from the air.

“No, they just follow the order they’re given.  King says wipe out Firefly, they’ll go until it’s obvious they can’t win.  The way Narce tells it, they’ve basically been brainwashed into doing whatever they’re told,” Rook explained.

 The group waited for a moment longer, expecting more bombs to be shot down, but nothing came.

“So have they stopped yet?” Baerill asked, unable as ever to see what was happening.

“Looks like it,” Chime stated.  “Maybe I should radio Mortar and-“

“Ground forces, please be advised that the enemy has launched a large wave of ships, most likely personnel carriers,” Surf’s voice cut her off over the radio.  “We will be deploying our own forces to intercept them up here, hopefully they will not send more men planetside.”

“Huh,” Baerill grunted.  “Guess we get to have some fun after all.”

“Couldn’t the anti-missiles just shoot them down like the bombs?” Katrina asked.

“Good question,” Chime muttered before turning on her radio.

“Sir, should we get ready for a fight, or do we have a defense set up for this?” she asked.

“We’re the defense for this, Chime.  The AM’s are there for the bombs.  If we use them on carriers they’ll just throw more bombs at us when we run low.  Eyes up, I want everyone neutralising enemies wherever they find them, but act smart, I’d rather keep you alive than see them dead,” Mortar said, the usual friendliness gone from his voice with things about to get tense.

“Yes, sir,” Chime finished, before looking up.

The sky was already being smattered with streaks and trails from the ships entering the atmosphere.

“How many of them are there?” Katrina muttered in concern.

“Not enough!” Baerill said cheerfully.  “We can take them.”

“Sometimes I wish I could live in your little world, Baerill.  The optimism just never stops with you,” Rook said, getting a little worried about how many troops were headed their way himself.

“Why would it?  But that’s okay because it’s why you all love me, isn’t it?” Baerill joked, practically giddy with anticipation.

Rook sighed, giving his head a little shake in an attempt to clear the still building headache.

“We’d be lost without you, Baerill, you’re the very heart of the team,” he said.

“Here they come,” Chime said as a few ships started getting close enough to see.

“Of course, they’re heading here.  They’ll be all over the city before long,” Rook said.

 Chime ignored this and lifted her rifle.

“What are you doing?” Rook asked.

“Fifty U says I can bring one down,” she said, kneeling to steady her aim.

“Just fire a sniper rifle into the sky?  Does that sound like a good idea to you?”

“This bullet’s going into orbit if I miss.”

“Can you make a shot like that?” Katrina asked, gripping her gun tighter as the ships approached.

 Chime was silent for a moment before an explosive noise ripped through the air around them and her gun nearly knocked her onto her back.

 A second later, one of the closer ships jerked visibly and began listing to one side.

Rook and Katrina watched, impressed, as it fell out of its course and barrelled toward the ground, a smoke trail telling them something had already caught on fire.

“Wow,” was all Katrina said.

“I’ll collect my dues after the fight,” Chime stated, aiming to the sky to bring down another.

“Where’s that thing going to land?” Baerill wondered.  “Aren’t people going to be kind of mad when they go back to work and we crashed a ship into their office?”

“We can’t afford to let them hold up somewhere.  I’d be more mad if a bunch of orange Martians shot my family because they didn’t crash into a tree or something,” Rook said plainly.

“What’s a Martian?” Baerill asked, completely missing the irony.

 Rook sighed.

“Nevermind.  Look, more are coming, we should find cover,” he said.

“What kind of weapons do they usually use?” Chime asked, checking their surroundings for the best spots.

“I don’t think they stick with a standard setup,” Rook explained.

 Chime watched a dropship swoop overhead to land a couple streets over.  Checking the buildings again, she shrugged and gave her little team a decisive wave of the hand.

“The cover around here’s terrible anyway.  Why don’t we go meet that ship and spread some chaos?” she suggested, already breaking into a jog.