Rise of a Valkyrie

Part 75

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At the Company Command Post, Aguilar was also getting frustrated with the Task Force commander.

"Banshee, when was your last contact with Tiger?" she demanded.

There was a brief silence. "About an hour ago, Viper," Smyrna replied.

"That is a long time for a team in contact to go without communication," Aguilar pointed out.

"We're aware of your concern."

"Okay, so in the absence of any knowledge of what is going on down there, I'm supposed to sit here facing the enemy, waiting for him to take the initiative. Is that what you're saying?"

There was a pause, and the background hiss of static. "For the moment—yes."

Aguilar lifted her helmet vizor and rubbed her eyes. Smyrna's reluctance to take the initiative was infuriating. "And you are aware that we will soon be fighting in daylight?"

"Do you have an alternative to offer?" the general's voice said from the distant spaceship.

"Let me push forward and see if we can penetrate to that doorway."

"To throw the drones back on their cave risks endangering the Tigers within."

Aguilar's voice took on a harsh tone. "You keep us sat here in the open like this, and I promise you, you will end up having to decloak, because our lives will be depending on that extra firepower."

"Your concern is noted Viper—out."

Aguilar swore again as she dropped the radio handset. "Tell me again why I do this job?" she said to the Company First Sergeant at her side.

"Because without your tactical expertise and stunning good looks, we'd all be lost, ma'am."

"Did you tell that to the bad guys? Maybe if we let them know we have some hotties, they'll stop trying to kill us."

The Sergeant laughed, then, after the moment passed, grew serious. "I can feel this going bad," she said darkly.

"Yup."

The radio buzzed to life; "Viper, this is Raven." Aguilar reached for the handset again, catching the Sergeant's eye. The experienced woman had always had an instinct for trouble and now she was giving Aguilar her 'I told you so' look.

"Go ahead Raven."

Thandi finished munching on her rations and peeked out carefully from behind a boulder. There was still no movement amongst the distant rocks, nor any orders to move forward, but she supposed the commanders knew what they were doing. A grey light had begun to creep into the valley, and Rangers were flipping up their night vision vizors and rubbing their sweaty faces.

She turned to her fire team leader. "Is every operation this much of a roller coaster?"

"To be honest, no," Ash replied, "I don't know what's going on."

"Raven is seeing movement—something's happening," Kes cut in.

They jumped up, weapons ready as they scanned the boulders. Thandi caught glimpses of dark shapes darting through gaps, and a few ragged bursts of gunfire erupted along the line. Though the creatures were clearly darting between the rocks, no attack followed.

"I don't like this," Kes said. "They're just moving back and forth like they're trying to dis—"

She was interrupted by a catastrophic explosion and the world around them collapsed.