The answer flashed into his mind with bunding clarity. At the same moment, a trio of nuclear explosions rocked he summit of the hills where the Terran troopers and engineers were struggling to open up an escape route.
‘The enemy has broken off his attack on us,” Vorgens shouted into the exec’s ear. “They’re trying to recapture Sectors W5 and 6!”
The exec arched his eyebrows and punched a button on his communicator. A report lit up on his viewscreen.
“The troopers have taken the crest of the hills. The engineers have blasted out a passable grade about a third of the way up to the top…. Hold on, there’s more. The troopers are under bombardment. Looks as though a major counterattack is on the way.”
“Get every cruiser out of this battle line and up those hills as fast as possible,” Vorgens snapped. “Put every available man from the dreadnaughts into flying suits and clear the attackers off our decks. I want nothing but skeleton crews aboard the dreadnaughts. We’ve got an escape route open. Now it’s going to be a race to hold it!”
Sergeant Mclntyre wormed through the brush, a pistol in his good hand, and took a careful look out over the edge of the ridge. Down below, a hundred yards or so, a squad of Komani were setting up a heavy beamgun to spray the ridge where Mclntyre’s men had dug in.
The Terran troopers had won that ridge in midmoming against stiff Komani resistance, and had held it against three counterattacks of steadily increasing fury.
The Terrans had dug in and waited for the engineers, and finally the main body of the Mobile Force, to reach them. But now, late in the afternoon, they had seen nothing but enemy warriors.