Chapter 95 (1/2)

Bolting into action the six men divided into three individual fire teams. Each team boarded a separate jumper with pilots already manning the controls. Rising from the deck of the hanger bay the jumpers slipped through the protective energy field enclosing the bay and streaked towards the ground far below. Closing in on the target area with rapid speed the close air support element of alert 302's armed their rail guns. Unfortunately their normal load out of AIM-120's would do nothing to assist them in this mission.

”Burglar Lead this is Broadsword Lead” said the CAS flight leader.

”Broadsword Lead, Burglar Lead. The civilians appear to be cornered in a valley, high rock walls to the east. Hostile forces had stopped and are providing fire support for dismounted infantry. Recommend you make your approach north to south” replied Burglar Lead.

”Broadsword Lead copies. Maintain high orbit, we have jumpers inbound, Estimated time of arrival if four minutes” replied the CAS commander.

The civilians below were in a panic. Having cornered themselves in the valley they knew their capture or death could come at any moment. The vehicles pursuing them had stopped and were laying down sustained heavy fire all around them, while soldiers advanced towards them on foot. The message was clear; do not attempt to run. Children wailed in hysterics while woman gave prayers to the ancestors for rescue they didn't believe would come. The men hunkered over their families, trying to shield them from the attacks with their own bodies; sure that death could come in scant seconds.

In teams of two of four close air support 302's made their alternating attack runs. Doing it this way allowed for two aircraft to provide coving fire from their rail guns every sixty seconds. Never designed for the ground attack mission the 302's lacked the sophisticated air to ground targeting systems found on many aircraft in the Air Force. Knowing this inconvenient fact Broadsword Lead thought to himself that they were just going to have to wing it.

With grace and speed the first two aircraft closed on their targets, and unleashed a torrent of fire from their onboard rail guns. For the pilots time seems to slow to a crawl as they watched tremendous amounts of weapons fire advance on the ground, kicking up clouds of dirt with each impact, towards their selected target. Traveling at eleven thousand five hundred feet per second the dense tungsten rounds shredded two half tracks on impact. Moving at that speed the rounds fired by the rail gun negated the need for explosives as the impact of the dense material was more than enough to tear through even the heaviest of tank armor with ease. Terminating their firing run the first 302's banked sharply to the right to line up for their second gun run while the next par of aircraft rolled in for their attack.

”Broadsword two and four, recommend you concentrate your fire on dismounted infantry” stated Broadsword Lead.

As two and four began their attack runs three cloaked jumpers became visible, while setting down and opening their rear ramps. From within the jumpers the black clad Delta operators emerged, their Heckler and Koch HK 417 rifles spewing 7.62 mm rounds toward the approaching enemy that was now seeking cover. Three of the operators took knee down prone firing positions while their wingmen sprinted the forty feet to the cowering mass of civilians.

”Run to the jumpers now” barked Captain Carlyle.

”You're going to kill us” screamed one of the women.

”We're from Atlantis and here to rescue you, now run” ordered the Captain.

The continuous gun runs of the 302's made short work of the enemy vehicles, but the dismounted infantry posed a problem. Half of them, seeing their comrades shredded by the rail gun fire decided that safety lay in getting as close to the Lantean's as possible. Surely the Lantean's wouldn't fire on their own people.

”Broadsword flight this is ground element” called Captain Carlyle into his radio.

”Go ahead ground” replied the flight leader.

”Enemy troops advancing on our position. Request danger close fire support” stated Carlyle.

”Ground element, we can't target fire with any type of accuracy. Confirm danger close request” responded Broadsword Lead.

”Ground element confirms danger close request. That means buster” replied Carlyle.