Furnace (Hunter-Killer #1)

Chapter 32 - Hang the Orders and Hang the Risks

For a moment he didn't know what to do. He could only watch as a fresh surge of Scraegan bodies piled their way towards the gap in the wall. It was a narrow breach – one that the defenders could plug and repair if they had the time, but the Scraegans knew that too. If they were able to deliver more bombs to the same location they could well open a rift too big to defend.

Ryke's attempts to think of a plan were derailed by the constant melee he remained trapped in, dodging, slashing at blasting at the armoured bodies that continued to flood the plateau around him. The success of just one of their bomb teams had revitalised the flagging Scraegan charge. Fresh packs continued spilling from their campfires, charging through the withering hail of fire from the long range defences and hurling themselves into the crush.

Ryke could see the ammo counter of his cannon clicking down into the amber warning zone even as his comm. exploded with chatter as Brekka's defenders tried to redress their line to protect the gap in the wall. A snaking column of Scout Cadre skiffs zipped along behind the main battle line, racing for the breach and spewing fire at the small groups of Scraegans who wrestled themselves clear of the Hunter-Killer force.

"All Riots and Goliaths," he roared to his squad as he navigated the brutal close quarters combat. "Full offence – not a single one of those gets passed us. Empty your cannons and tear these bastards apart. When you're dry, engage hand to hand. Haze, Haunter, you're on hit and run duty. We'll cause a ruckus – you find those bombs and blow them."

"Copy that," Scantlin replied, his voice firm with resolve. "Haunter, pull in on my six and follow my lead."

"Copy – on your six," Kim answered with a lot less surety, but on the HUD the two Raptor mechs broke away from the main body of the squad, virtually ignoring the Scraegans as they used their mobility to sprint through the chaos, hunting for more bombs as they went.

Ryke followed his own order, unleashing his cannon without any though for conserving ammo, trying to do as much damage to the Scraegan force as possible and drag their attention to the attacking Hunter-Killers. They fought in a semi-circular skirmish line with the Goliath's behind, their heavy cannons causing horrendous damage at close range.

Another bomb blew apart on the edge of his vision and he saw his Raptor pilots scampering clear of the attempted retaliation by the Scraegan defenders. He surged forward punching his blade through the knee joint of a charging beta. The creature went down with a howl, flailing at him with a toothed bar of metal until Preese followed up behind him and pulped the monster's skull with a point-blank burst of cannon fire.

A furnace cannon shot sent amber damage warnings blaring on the HUD indicator for Brigg's Goliath, and Ryke swiftly doubled back, finding his friend staggering, blue flames licking at scorched armour.

"Avalanche, status?"

"Armour integrity holding," Brigg grunted. "Lost half a dozen sensors on my right side and shoulder servo is sluggish. Still combat effective." He accented the point by loosing a shot from his cannon into the throat of the offending Scraegan.

The carnage ground on, and the fast moving Raptors succeeded in destroying yet another demolition charge, but in that time another breach was reported. Out of their field of view in a different sector, it only served to highlight just how many Scraegans had committed to this.

Ryke could barely fathom it. Depleted though the wall defences might be, there were still torrents of fire ripping into the attacking force, and combined with the ferocity of the Hunter-Killer charges the Scraegans were paying dearly for every meter they advanced. He simply didn't believe they could sustain this indefinitely.