EDEN (The Union Series) Read Free Page B

chances of being detected itself, had picked up an invaluable piece of
information. Coupled with the voice heard over my headset, we could easily work
out how the enemy network scrambled transmissions, making them far easier to
decode. It was pure gold dust, but I couldn’t feel any sense of joy - instead I
felt revulsion as the commander continued to give his instructions.
    ‘I want your gun
group to have wide arcs along the base of the valley,’ he explained with a
coolness that sent a chill down my spine. ‘You’re to act as cut-offs; anybody leaving
the village to the south is fair game. Use the southern edge of the village as
your left of arc - we will deal with that. Save your ammunition.’
    The scanner informed
me that somebody had responded over the net, but it was unable to attempt to
decipher the code. It wouldn’t even attempt it unless told to do so - the
sudden spike of electrical activity, however small, risked giving the game
away.
    ‘Francis, use the
heavy weapons against the village, strike at these three locations,’ the
commander continued, this time to someone nearby. I presumed that he was
pointing something out.
    ‘No problem,’ an
inhuman voice responded. I realised that it was the wearer of the suit,
responding by some kind of speaker module. I heard the whirr of motors as the
machine orientated itself to engage the targets assigned to it.
    Heavy weapons? I asked myself, my stomach boiling with anger. What
possible use did these people have for heavy weapons? It was unlikely that the
poor bastards in the village below us had more than a couple of rifles at best.
They weren’t soldiers - they were civilians caught up in a war that made
absolutely no sense. The people of New Earth spilt blood to rid themselves of
the Union, the Russians and the Chinese before them, but these people were more
than happy to slaughter each other as well.
    Brushing my emotions
aside, I thought back to our orders, trying to fit the scenario into them. The
detailed instructions given to me by my platoon commander had covered every
phase of the operation, from our insertion, the move to, recce of, and the
establishment of our OP. Every eventuality was considered: what to do if we
encountered enemy during our route between the drop zone and the OP location;
what to do if one of our sister patrols were contacted; or what to do if we
were spotted by the villagers. But this was different.
    The Loyalists had
been expected to bypass the village in pursuit of the fleeing Free Edo Army,
more interested in forcing them out of the Bosque. They might use the valley to
locate their headquarters briefly as they advanced ever-south, inadvertently providing
us with vital intelligence that we would pass back to brigade.
    Nobody had told me
what to do if they decided to attack the village, home to hundreds of
civilians. Should I respond, or simply lie there while the Loyalists laid waste
to them in their twisted quest to ‘liberate’ the Bosque?
    ‘They have no idea
what’s about to come their way,’ the voice said, and there was laughter.
    I gritted my teeth.
Fucking bastards! They were actually laughing about it!
    ‘The platoon is
moving into position now,’ the commander informed his men. ‘You should see the
forward line a few hundred metres to the north.’
    ‘I see them,’ the
suit replied.
    ‘Just remember, don’t
do too much damage, we need the village intact. The commander wants there to be
some survivors, they will be useful.’
    So there was at least
a platoon of Loyalist soldiers somewhere in the valley, I thought. They were
forming up, somewhere in the low ground, preparing to attack the village at a
time decided by their platoon commander. I imagined soldiers creeping through
the undergrowth, scanning for obstacles and defences constructed by the
villagers.
    If I were their boss,
I decided, I would hold firm a good three to four hundred metres north of the
village, not wanting to spoil my attack by being