Desperado (Murphy's Lawless: Watch the Skies Book 2), Kevin Ikenberry [reading the story of the txt] 📗

vehicles would come across the farmland south of the town. The western road, winding as it rose to the gate, would not be the ideal choice for a safe approach. Bo’s forces would have to deal with intense fire on such a restricted approach. Whatever forces he placed there were more than likely meant to draw attention and direct fire, so he’d almost certainly bring up the heavier vehicles straight across the farmland. It was the fastest and easiest route to the objective and gave them complete coverage of the glacis. Also, coming up from below the walls might allow them to get close enough to inflict damage before the defenders could respond.

Aliza dashed across a footbridge over the canal and glanced back, seeking her pursuers. They had not followed her out of the staircase, but in scanning more widely, she discovered Waornaak staring at her from down the street toward the city square.

Shit.

In their brief eye contact, it was as if they exchanged droves of data. He was clearly a high-value target, and he believed she was a spy. Both were true. The big man started toward her, yelling to men she could not see for assistance. Aliza realized her only choice was to go under the glacis and try to hide. Heading to the waterfall and getting to the walkway would take too long. All she could do now was hide and pray Bo and the others found her before Waornaak did.

* * *

Attack Position

Mortar rounds poured into the city’s gate, though not exactly as planned. As the indig-augmented mortar platoon fired and adjusted, it took them several rounds from each tube to find their range. Once they did, they walked the rounds along the top of the glacis at its westernmost extent. Bo’s first section of vehicles charged up the road toward Imsurmik like they were taking part in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. The cloud of dust they spewed into the surrounding air rose through the Outer City, adding to the shroud of smoke covering the gate. As he’d hoped, the combined cloud tracked east with the gentle breeze and provided additional cover to their movement. Enemy forces atop the glacis were responding with increased fire into the Outer City, but it wasn’t enough to impede the vehicles. Maybe the militia were concerned about collateral damage after all?

The moment Bo decided the enemy was completely fixated on the small attacking force in the Outer City, he sent the hand and arm signal to move out. As they built speed, he directed the main assault vehicles, including the heavy tacticals, onto the road where they accelerated even more rapidly. They raced east until there was nothing but farmland between them and the city’s walls.

“Driver, hard left,” Bo ordered.

The vehicle veered and tore into the recently harvested fields. Behind him, the other vehicles executed an almost perfect flanking maneuver, turning left at the same time. Line abreast, they ripped through the outer farmlands toward the city with their guns blazing. In less than a minute, they crossed the fields and reached the bottom of the knoll on which the city rested. Slowing, but still bringing fire onto the wall itself, the vehicles found their purchase and climbed the rock-strewn hill.

“Phase three,” Bo called over the radio. “Tacticals, pick a spot on the glacis and pound through it. Mortars, stand by to lift and shift fires to TRPs 3 and 4.”

Target reference points allowed for swift and effective fire to be directed at specific terrain features. In this particular case, Bo was targeting the missile emplacements on the outermost points of the glacis and what appeared to be concentrations of larger cannons. In both cases, they were far enough away from the center where Aliza would shelter. Hopefully. He flinched away from that dangerous distraction and focused on fighting his vehicle up the slope.

Several small rocket impacts rocked the chassis but did only minor damage. The relative lack of effect surprised Bo, but did not slow his racing heart. Amid the explosions, he caught sight of a boulder ahead, the kind capable of high-centering a vehicle and stopping it cold. He dropped behind the makeshift cupola’s protective armor. “Guide right!”

As he came back up to the cupola and worked the familiar Browning M2 .50-caliber machine gun mounted there, Bo saw the first of the tacticals successfully punch a hole in the glacis to the east. He reached for the radio and paused. Several soldiers appeared on the wall with weapons that looked ominously like rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

“RPGs on the wall! Tequila Sunrise, lift and shift fire! Lift and shift fire!”

* * *

By the time the mortars engaged, Stewart and the others atop the plateau were more than ready to move; no other J’Stull soldiers or militia had arrived to relieve the observation posts. When the attack was near, he’d ordered his riders onto their mounts. While his nervous energy drove his heart rate up to prepare for their attack, Olympia and the other whinnies seemed almost bored.

“Alpha Section,” Stewart called after the mortar rounds started hammering down on Imsurmik’s main gate, “you’re up!”

The seven whinnies bounded down the northern edge of the plateau and into the cache site. Stewart stared into the box canyon, looking for the enemy’s response. The guards positioned along the top of the security wall to the east attempted to engage the whinnies as they moved but had little effect. Stewart put his fingers to his mouth and whistled sharply. The indig infantry platoon moved to the canyon’s rim and fired on the security forces. In seconds, any coordinated effort by the enemy to secure the cache site fell apart. Taking casualties, the enemy soldiers abandoned their posts, most fleeing into the main tunnel, while others darted for what looked to be yet another staircase leading to God-knows-where.

Stewart found the Alpha Section leader, Sergeant