RECCE II (The Union Series Book 5) Read Online Free Page A

of tunnel fighting was thoroughness, in
other words, you couldn’t bypass junctions without clearing all of the connecting
tunnels and chambers, a process that could rapidly sap manpower and reduce
momentum.
    At least a section of FEA lay dead or injured in the
main tunnel, some of whom were being tended to by their comrades. At the frontline,
three soldiers were bunched by one of the chamber entrances, exchanging fire
with an unseen enemy.
    ‘What can you see up there?’ the sergeant major
asked me.
    With a few taps to my datapad, I captured an image
of the tunnel and then sent it over the platoon net for him to see. There was
no need to keep net silence anymore since the battle was already raging ahead
of us.
    ‘They’ve broken into the Guard headquarters,’ I said
without looking back, ‘but it looks like they’re losing momentum. They could
use more reinforcements.’
    There was a moment’s pause before the sergeant major
replied testily, ‘What are you suggesting?’
    ‘The enemy are on the back foot, but they’re not
beaten. If we join in now, then we’ll make short work of them–’
    ‘Another section coming up!’ somebody shouted, cutting
me short.
    I turned to see more FEA reinforcements barging
their way up the already packed tunnel behind me.
    ‘Let ’em through!’ the sergeant major ordered, and
once again we let the FEA overtake us. Kit scraped against my helmet as they
pushed past me, and boots clanged against the steel panels as they followed the
access tunnel. They hurried toward their commander, who promptly directed them
into one of the entrances that hadn’t yet been cleared.
    ‘Is there another section back there?’ the sergeant
major asked as I watched the fresh FEA soldiers pour into the entrance. Several
shots were fired, the shrill scream of magnets echoing through the confines of
the warren.
    ‘One more!’ Corporal Stanton shouted from the rear
of the platoon line.
    The sergeant major fell silent. I could sense the moral
battle he was fighting inside his head. He could allow the FEA to send that one
final section forward, launching them into battle, but what difference would so
few men make? We were already in the perfect position to attack, less than
twenty metres from the frontline. We could sweep through the rogue Guardsmen
before they managed to recover. Perhaps that final FEA section would be more
useful kept alive.
    The guide looked at me, almost pleadingly, and said,
‘You must help us now.’
    Still the sergeant major said nothing.
    ‘Fuck it.’ I made the decision for him. ‘Let’s just
get this done.’
    The two of us stared at each other whilst the
platoon watched us both nervously. I couldn’t tell if the sergeant major was
mad at me for having spoken my mind or not, but I doubted it. He might be a
cruel, cold-hearted man, but he was a trooper like us, and certainly no coward.
He wanted to go in, he wanted to attack, but he also wanted to avoid risking
his men unnecessarily. I often didn’t see eye to eye with him, and I often
didn’t even like him, but I did understand him. As commanders we didn’t fear
for our own lives in combat . . . not because we were incapable of being
afraid, but because we were already awash with fear - fear for the men under
our command.
    ‘Alright,’ the sergeant major finally surrendered.
‘Let’s go.’

 

    2
    The Guard Headquarters
     
    To contents page
     
    Boots clanged against metal as my section ran after
the FEA commander, light flickering in our visors as weapons spat and grenades
detonated in the chambers either side of us. We kept to the right hand edge of the
access tunnel, our tight formation bristling with weapons as every man scanned
for threats.
    There were at least five or six adjoining tunnels
and chambers between us and the commander, each one occupied by several FEA
soldiers. Some of them appeared to have been cleared, torchlight dancing across
the walls within as the victors searched for survivors, while