Post by brickwall on Jan 25, 2024 11:51:17 GMT -7
Lirat shook his head as he looked over the link of impromptu built pillbox forts defending his headquarters. Half finished and barely standing, some appeared as if they'd collapse with a stiff breeze.
"Miserable," he growled under his breath. An uneven line of giant half-buried metal balls surrounded the former colony's ruined buildings. The long thin barrels of repeater blasters stuck out from each ball. Some blasters had double barrels meant for anti-shuttle defense. Then again, when needed, they could lay waste to any infantry patrol unlucky to be within range.
Behind and between each pair of spheres, soldiers dug a pincushion mortar into the ground to provide indirect fire support. Lirat thought them too close to the spheres to avoid any "friendly fire" scenario. In his imagination, he'd see any Academy cadet designing this in a war game exercise laughed at and sent home. He knew better. Time was their other enemy as far as decent deployment was concerned. A good seventy-two hours minimum would have improved his situation with what he had. Or until reinforcements arrived.
He grunted in disgust as he tried to look up at the sky through his binoculars. A snowstorm moved overhead, obscuring his vision with swirls of white mist. It reminded him of that dreadful winter spent among the Northern Krahal Mountains on the Imperial capitol world. It was a hellish final Academy exercise. A simulated winter attack was made worse by using old fashioned live ammunition against he and his fellow cadets. Few survived including himself. In his mind, it made Winter his eternal enemy.
He could now feel his teeth chattering despite his black coat wrapped around him. With what was coming his way shortly, he wished he could hibernate with Pivoi while Nature slept in a blanket of white. From all the hearsay he heard, at least Federation troops had the decency to avoid weather like this when attacking. No other species among them had a clue how to deal with winter save for the Andorians, who fared far better than their fellows. They'd consider the approaching storm no more than a mild wind. Too light to notice.
"Like sweetening tea without stirring it first," he grumbled. "Ineffective."
"Ah, Lirat," said the high-pitched voice of Major Obayta in greeting. He leaned against one of the oddball spheres the colonel focused on. Behind him, Lieutenant Deska perched on it, scanning the horizon with her binoculars. "What think you of how we've done so far?"
"Pathetic, major. Is this the best we've got?"
"At such short notice, yes." Both officers fidgeted with their mismatched gloves fending off the cold. "This is the best of what we have so far." He waved an arm towards the spheres behind them. "If it means less Klingons, the better."
"No protection for the mortar crews? Even an archaic sandbag wall can keep each of them alive longer than a few seconds."
"Neither sand nor bags are available, sir," said Deska. Her foggy breath threatened to hid her face. "Their assigned to building those walls Admiral Hing ordered."
"She tells no lies, Lirat," added Obeyta. "They haven't even finished the outer shell on the main wall. It looks like a mob of mad juveniles ran wild making it with spoons and forks rather than bricks. Just to get after Hing, I'll wager."
"And at our expense in our own blood, eh?" Lirat spat on the ground. "Our enemy is out there!" He pointed at the storm before and above them. "Not each other. I'm not paying for some threatened micro-civil war on the cheap thanks to him."
Obeyta shrugged while Deska rubbed her eyes. "You should have been a general, after all," said the major. "Without even naming that heartless fool, we need less of his kind."
"Now, now," said Deska, rising to her feet. "Such harsh words for our fearless leader."
"I like your sarcasm, lieutenant. Come on down."
Deska slid down the sphere while Obeyta stood straight, slapped his knees with his hands.
"Well then," said Lirat, folding his arms. "Who thought up these would-be balls of death in the first place?"
"The Kephan's ancestors on Earth. The big brains in Military Research thought they could improve what the Earthers invented. They've deemed us the assistants in proving this experiment, if you get my drift."
"And nobody told us about it until now?"
"The joys of bureaucracy, sir," said Deska, rubbing her nose with her glove. "If they deem you've no need to know, they won't tell you." She tilted her head at Lirat. "There are times when I wish you were our superior officer, sir. This is one of those times."
Lirat rolled his eyes. "Please, I am not all heroes and sages rolled up into one. There are some things I don't want to know, dear lady."
"Fair enough," said Deska, wiping her gloved hand on her pants leg.
"Any orders for us here?" Obeyta asked.
"If you have any small mines around, hide them some ways in front of these balls. Give us some added advantage. Quick as you can, please. And tell your mine layers not to walk on them by mistake, just in case." He raised his index finger towards the sky. "Even I can be sarcastic when needed. Carry on."
"Yes, sir," they replied, saluting as the colonel walked away, rubbing his arms to keep warm.
###############
"Miserable," he growled under his breath. An uneven line of giant half-buried metal balls surrounded the former colony's ruined buildings. The long thin barrels of repeater blasters stuck out from each ball. Some blasters had double barrels meant for anti-shuttle defense. Then again, when needed, they could lay waste to any infantry patrol unlucky to be within range.
Behind and between each pair of spheres, soldiers dug a pincushion mortar into the ground to provide indirect fire support. Lirat thought them too close to the spheres to avoid any "friendly fire" scenario. In his imagination, he'd see any Academy cadet designing this in a war game exercise laughed at and sent home. He knew better. Time was their other enemy as far as decent deployment was concerned. A good seventy-two hours minimum would have improved his situation with what he had. Or until reinforcements arrived.
He grunted in disgust as he tried to look up at the sky through his binoculars. A snowstorm moved overhead, obscuring his vision with swirls of white mist. It reminded him of that dreadful winter spent among the Northern Krahal Mountains on the Imperial capitol world. It was a hellish final Academy exercise. A simulated winter attack was made worse by using old fashioned live ammunition against he and his fellow cadets. Few survived including himself. In his mind, it made Winter his eternal enemy.
He could now feel his teeth chattering despite his black coat wrapped around him. With what was coming his way shortly, he wished he could hibernate with Pivoi while Nature slept in a blanket of white. From all the hearsay he heard, at least Federation troops had the decency to avoid weather like this when attacking. No other species among them had a clue how to deal with winter save for the Andorians, who fared far better than their fellows. They'd consider the approaching storm no more than a mild wind. Too light to notice.
"Like sweetening tea without stirring it first," he grumbled. "Ineffective."
"Ah, Lirat," said the high-pitched voice of Major Obayta in greeting. He leaned against one of the oddball spheres the colonel focused on. Behind him, Lieutenant Deska perched on it, scanning the horizon with her binoculars. "What think you of how we've done so far?"
"Pathetic, major. Is this the best we've got?"
"At such short notice, yes." Both officers fidgeted with their mismatched gloves fending off the cold. "This is the best of what we have so far." He waved an arm towards the spheres behind them. "If it means less Klingons, the better."
"No protection for the mortar crews? Even an archaic sandbag wall can keep each of them alive longer than a few seconds."
"Neither sand nor bags are available, sir," said Deska. Her foggy breath threatened to hid her face. "Their assigned to building those walls Admiral Hing ordered."
"She tells no lies, Lirat," added Obeyta. "They haven't even finished the outer shell on the main wall. It looks like a mob of mad juveniles ran wild making it with spoons and forks rather than bricks. Just to get after Hing, I'll wager."
"And at our expense in our own blood, eh?" Lirat spat on the ground. "Our enemy is out there!" He pointed at the storm before and above them. "Not each other. I'm not paying for some threatened micro-civil war on the cheap thanks to him."
Obeyta shrugged while Deska rubbed her eyes. "You should have been a general, after all," said the major. "Without even naming that heartless fool, we need less of his kind."
"Now, now," said Deska, rising to her feet. "Such harsh words for our fearless leader."
"I like your sarcasm, lieutenant. Come on down."
Deska slid down the sphere while Obeyta stood straight, slapped his knees with his hands.
"Well then," said Lirat, folding his arms. "Who thought up these would-be balls of death in the first place?"
"The Kephan's ancestors on Earth. The big brains in Military Research thought they could improve what the Earthers invented. They've deemed us the assistants in proving this experiment, if you get my drift."
"And nobody told us about it until now?"
"The joys of bureaucracy, sir," said Deska, rubbing her nose with her glove. "If they deem you've no need to know, they won't tell you." She tilted her head at Lirat. "There are times when I wish you were our superior officer, sir. This is one of those times."
Lirat rolled his eyes. "Please, I am not all heroes and sages rolled up into one. There are some things I don't want to know, dear lady."
"Fair enough," said Deska, wiping her gloved hand on her pants leg.
"Any orders for us here?" Obeyta asked.
"If you have any small mines around, hide them some ways in front of these balls. Give us some added advantage. Quick as you can, please. And tell your mine layers not to walk on them by mistake, just in case." He raised his index finger towards the sky. "Even I can be sarcastic when needed. Carry on."
"Yes, sir," they replied, saluting as the colonel walked away, rubbing his arms to keep warm.
###############
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Reference for the armed Tordellian metal balls comes from the Wikipedia article on the Allan Williams Turret. This was a small pillbox fort the British invented during World War Two. It was used to defend airfields from either infantry or air attack. Reference links are below: