Hugh looks over Semo's analysis. The sergeant didn't need Max or Luis after all - he's got it in one. The Spire's scattered Imperial resistance is laid out on a map, plain as day. Some units are leapfrogging back, relying on speed and stealth, some are holed up, but there aren't many left. With this info, the Rangers could probably laser-designate the Imperials from the hole blown into the Spire a few levels down.
"Shall we tag 'em and call in the rain, sir?" Semo asks. Mentally, he's already assigning fire teams Bravo and Epsilon to accompany him down to that hole they passed a ways back. Since the surviving radio men at this point are in fire teams Charlie and Epsilon, it's important to leave one here with the captain.
"Hold that thought, Sarge," Hugh says. He jogs over to the Keeper being led away and motions for the ranger to stop.
"One more thing - we've found the simulation. We are moving to strike the remaining turai resistance from afar. If you tell me how to contact your men, I will do my best to convince them to surrender peacefully. But otherwise...we have taken too many losses to risk more men on subduing them with non-lethal methods. If we can't talk to them, we'll have to kill them." Hugh looks at him. "This doesn't help us. We don't need more prisoners. And I...I'm out of clever moves, but we've still got a lot of itchy trigger fingers. I've done what I can to soften this blow. Your turn."
"This is Captain Hubert Verrill, United States Army, on an open broadcast to all Imperial forces still in the fight. We have complete control of all command and communications channels. We control the planetary surface, the orbit and the outlying system. You have fought bravely against overwhelming odds, but you can no longer win this battle. If you wish to lay down your arms, reply on this frequency. No harm will come to those who surrender to us."
He takes a deep breath, then continues.
"To those who see themselves undefeated...it is my grim duty to oblige your desires. It gives me no joy, but I can only offer you a swift and hopefully painless death."
There's no response for almost a full minute. Then, finally:
*Spire frequency, Quad six of eight surrenders.* Coordinates follow, then reports across the radio confirming the Quad's surrender. Two more groups of Turai follow suit and are led out of their patchwork fortifications.
The majority of the more mobile remnant groups' IFF indicators stop moving around on the Spire displays. One of them blinks out completely; a second later there's a dull thoom accompanied by a plume of smoke from their location.
One unit, however, is a little more brazen. *Now we know who the Emperor's TRUE servants are! Run, dogs, we'll see to you and yours after we finish these Narsai'i! Come to us, Yooneeted Stets Errrmie! We are at grid marker sixty five by four two, just ask...* there's a sharp metal ping of a dog tag chain and a grunt of incomprehension. *Bah! I can't read your blasphemes! Follow the trail of your dead to our door and we will gladly serve you the same!*
"That was about what I expected," Hugh sighs. He walks over to the tactical display, does some quick math and grabs his radio.
"Charlie 40 to ALMIGHTY, adjust fire on grid six five four two, direction zero niner two zero. Squad of Imperial infantry behind medium cover, danger close, cannot observe. Fire when ready, over."
*Charlie 40, this is ALMIGHTY, adjusting fire on grid 6542, direction 0920, out. S, A, particle beam in effect, 2 rounds, over.*
Hugh confirms, then shortly after (he can imagine the US FDC officer explaining the fire mission to the rebels in the captured Needleship) he hears a *Splash, over*.
Lightspeed weapons kind of make the 'shot over' call unnecessary... Hugh thinks just before a rail-straight lightning bolt removes grid 6542 from the map. The Turai IFFs in that area blink out. A deafening thunderclap rolls over the Spire a second later. Plumes of dust and geysers of debris ripple out in a shockwave from the impact point.
The second shot hits and ignites the superheated combustibles vaporized in the first shot. An orange fireball turns quickly to black, rising over the sprawl like a demon unfurling giant wings.
Hugh watches the IFF signals blink out with a neutral look on his face.
"ALMIGHTY, this is Charlie 40, end of mission, Imperial infantry squad destroyed, over." After a second, he adds, "Charlie 40 to all ground units, anyone have eyes on grid six five four two? Over."
He gets back on the vox.
"I'll say it again: If you wish to lay down your arms, reply on this frequency. No harm will come to those" - he makes a short, deliberate pause -"who surrender to us."
As the negotiations go back and forth, Semo watches the blinking map on the alien C&C system. Several groups agree to surrender, and it soon becomes apparent which ones they are as the move from cover. However, one Turai squad refuses to lay down arms. As they talk their defiance, the system homes in on their location. Hugh comes over for a look, and Semo just sadly, silently points to the lighted dot on the the display.
The captain calls in the heavy weapons from space. Seconds later, the light is gone as though it had never been, that sector wiped from existance in the blink of an eye. As tragic as it is, perhaps this display of force will encourage others to surrender peacefully.
Four more Quads (although certainly not full strength) surrender after the vulgar display of orbital power, leaving only a few scattered clumps around the sprawl. Hugh and Semo look over the Imperial maps, comparing them with reports from the friendly helos as well as their own reconnaissance. The remaining recalcitrant Turai have holed up in what appear to be evacuated areas. A few more calls upstairs would remove the rest of the Imperial forces, but then they surely had to know that too? If their gun crews were so eager to take cover amongst civilian buildings, why not continue that trend? It's possible they've now seen Hugh's willingness to order fire missions and have some shred of decency, that they're not willing to take their civvies down with them. Perhaps they're pinned down and don't have that option. They could be seeking what shelter might be had from orbital particle beams, although judging from the last strike that'd be a tall order.
Attention, remaining Imperial forces. We are sending ground troops to oversee your surrender and render medical assistance, if necessary. Any resistance will be countered with immediate bombardment.
He turns to Semo.
"Sarge, I want search parties checking out all enemy IFFs in the area. No heroism, no gambles, if it looks fishy call a strike on it."
He looks at the display again, at the remaining turai. "If you win a battle," he says to himself, "make sure the enemy knows, too."
"Yessir!" Semo summons one of the radiomen to him. "Gelling, let's get to work." Using the alien map as guidance, sargeant Putupu directs teams to each of the remaining groups of Turai holdouts. The teams have orders to approach carefully and to give the enemy plenty of opportunity to surrender.
*Charlie 40, Juliet 3 sitrep. No tangos at objective, just discarded armor.*
*Charlie 40, Alpha 22 sitrep... uh, we've got one dead tango and a mess o' enemy uniforms here, please advise.*
And so it goes. One by one the sweep-teams report in: The Turai have gone to ground sans their IFF-rigged armor. An early count shows perhaps thirty or so Imperial soldiers have evaded capture. With their headstart and the amount of civilians scattered throughout the Spire sprawl, the Turai are long gone. The only good thing is that there aren't many.
Almost on cue, Gelling informs Semo and Hugh of a transmission from outsystem.
"Sirs, I've got a sitrep from Sturgis and Onas. It's lagged, apparently from just before the battle, but they've taken their Needleship and are blocking their Gate."
The lack of Imperial space assets mounting an orbital assault bears out the other tiger team's results, but it's nice to have that confirmation.
The Spire is clear, the prisoners are being moved to Atea, the Gateport is under control, the two space Gates are blocked by captured Needleships, and there is a treasure trove of Keeper artifacts and research under Hugh and Semo's feet.
"Alright. I want search and rescue teams combing the city for any other casualties. We need to lock down the spire and establish a secure perimeter around it, get triage and temporary shelter going. Phone back to Earth that we need relief forces and peacekeeping troops, as well as humanitarian supplies. Talk to the bigwigs we've captured about the planet's supplies of food, water, power and other important things. I'm off to tell the brass that we took the planet and got a potential insurgent problem on top of it. But hell, maybe we can get it right this time."
Semo flanks Hugh as the Delta captain walks - nay, trudges - back down the Spire towards the Gateway captured at its half-ruined base. He can't help but wince at the twinges of pain from countless wounds, most of which he incurred within the last few hours. Even Semo's moving a little slower; after all, it's not every day one finds oneself in a plane crash followed by a brutal swordfight.
There are already Engineers swarming the Keeper archives when Hugh and Semo pass the scenes of their bloody conquest. He wonders how many US troops are actually on this side of the Gateway at this point. It doesn't seem like the kind of thing they'll be able to keep secret. Maybe the government isn't keeping this secret anymore, and that's a sobering thought. The unanswered questions spur the two operators into a slightly quicker pace, and before too long they're back in the shored-up hacked-together base camp at the bottom of the Spire. Perhaps two dozen Imperial prisoners are still down here, awaiting transfer to Atea.
"Captain, Sergeant!" Brinai calls to them. The old rebel woman's vox vanishes into a tunic sleeve as she leaves a discussion between an Army engineer and two rebels. "Are you heading back?"
"I... uh..." Brinai stops short as Hugh shuts her down, pausing long enough for he and Semo to move past her towards the open portal at the tail end of the next prisoner jump to Atea.
She finally settles on "Thank you" just before the two Deltas step through the Gateway and Boranai's atmosphere ceases to transfer sound to their ears.
---
Several light-hours away
"Two pair!" Paul Sturgis slaps down his winning hand, pulling a meager pile of change across the Needleship's command console. Onas grunts in displeasure.
"This 'game' has no skill. It is purely chance which cards you get."
"You'd think you'd have drawn a better hand by then if that were true, big guy," the agent responds. "It's about reading people, knowing what they've got without seeing their hand."
"You just have more practice at this distraction than I," Onas says. "But seeing as how we have nothing better to do, jacks are wild..."
---
Outskirts of the Spire Sprawl
Lumai crouches down behind a broken wall, pushing his wife and young son down with him into the gravel. A passing APC's rumble sets the small stones and debris quivering. Its infantry escort trade jokes and banter as they walk behind and to the side of the vehicle, casually sweeping the street. One takes in the sights of the once-proud Imperial arcology with a camcorder.
With the troops on their way, Lumai urges his family up and skirts a main avenue. Several other refugees call him over to the shelter of an intact hab-module, where the group of Imperial civilians pass out supplies and water, then start a furtive march out of their hometown.
Among them, several refugees adjust their heavy packs and ill-fitting loose clothes. The weapons hidden in their gear wouldn't be enough to continue the fight against the Narsai'i, but the determination in their hearts would see it through.
---
The rebel worldship "Atea"
Hugh hardly acknowledges the salutes when his boots clank on deckplates. Semo, however, watches the prisoners being led from the Gateway to God knows where in the worldship's bowels. There's a marked change in some of their demeanors, like deep down they know that their fates in the rebels' hands are a known quantity, and worse than whatever imagined suffering they might endure under the Homeworlders.
Hugh and Semo are the last through the portal, however, and the operators quickly lock in the code for Diego Garcia. Hugh notes that they've bypassed the usual "let us see you first" routine with the rebel ship, and he and Semo are soon stepping into the Diego Garcia Gateroom, breathing Earth air, getting sprayed with Earth decontaminants, and then wearing Earth clothing and eating some good old-fashioned lumpy Earth mess hall spaghetti.
"Gelling, call it in and let them know that we have Turai going to ground. Could be trouble brewing."
Otherwise, everything looks good. The orbital gates are blocked and they have the Spire and its vicinity under control. The captain heads downward, so Semo follows along.
Back on the ground, they are greeted by Brinai. Semo is about to respond when Cap cuts her off. Deciding that not irritating the captain is the better part of valor right now, the sargeant continues to heel his master silently. Just before he passes through the portal up to orbit, he gives her a brief rotating wave. It's not everyday you see a guy Semo's size pirouette as he walks without losing his balance...
Aboard Atea, Semo returns salutes in proper military fashion. He pauses for a few moments to watch as the prisoners are processed and lead away. He's not sure what the plan is for them, but he's certain that the US military will treat them humanely.
Hurrying to catch up with Captain Verrill, Semo passes through to Earth right behind him. God, it's good to be back on Earth again! Semo smiles broadly, despite looking like he just lost a wrestling match with a bear. He happily endures the process of decontamination and change of clothing, then goes in search of Livia. He's waited a long time to see her again.
Admiral Duck Sauce
