locking his armoured legs into position, ready and braced for the storm. To his right a group of a dozen marines rushed forward to occupy another section of the wall. From where he stood he could see two companies of marines covered a wide front.
“This storm had better be over fast or this battle will be finished before it starts!” he said to himself.
The swirling dust and debris was now only a hundred metres from the outer wall and the noise was already as loud as the battle they had fought when first landing at the outskirts of the city.
“Here is comes! Brace yourselves and watch for...” Captain Mathews’ voice was cut off as the swirling dust and dirt became a thick fog.
A man tumbled past as Spartan covered his face and fell over backwards. The winds caught his suit but the mass and weight of the armour kept him secure but he didn’t feel completely safe. His right leg slid back a few centimetres so he pushed it down harder into the ground. He turned back just in time to see the ground around him disappear as he collapsed thirty metres underground, buried under masses of dust and rock.
“Shit!” he shouted as his visor was covered in rocks.
He had just enough time to hit the seal button, which brought a thick metal shutter down over the visor to protect the vulnerable hardened glass. As it dropped down the visibility in the suit vanished until the internal lights kicked in to illuminate the interior of the helmet. He tried to move his arms and legs but all four were locked into place. For a second he started to panic then he remembered his training, his people knew where he was and the suit was easily capable of staying secure and sealed for hours of use. At least, he hoped so.
CHAPTER FIVE
The needs for aircraft of all sorts never diminished, even after mankind spread through the worlds of the new Confederacy. These machines comprised transports, strike craft and fighters and all were optimised for operations in a variety of atmospheric conditions. The Marine Corps and Navy concentrated on multi-role variants of common designs, the Army on their specific roles of ground attack and transportation. Unlike the craft used by the Navy, all Army combat aircraft were for atmospheric flight only, with even their versions of the Thunderbolt fighter being fitted with greater weapon loads and tracking pods at the expense of the ability to fight in space.
Aircraft of the Confederate Armed Forces
The CiC was dark and the temperature slightly cool. Unlike most of the sections of the ship it was quieter, just the sound of low voices and tapping on computer displays. The limited illumination came from the subdued tones of the red tube lights fitted along the walls. The computers and display screens gave off multiple colours that flickered around the room, casting hard shadows on the faces of the operators. This was the beating heart of the battlegroup, and from this one room many ships, fighters and ground-based units were coordinated with skill and precision. In the centre of the room was a three dimensional tactical display that currently displayed the disposition of the ground combat units on Avagana. There were already thousands of marines, commandos and army personnel fighting across the continent as well as small garrisons trapped inside their forts in the other colonies. New Carlos was still under attack but the forces of the Army and their heavy armour were rapidly retaking the open ground around the city. In just seven hours two cities had been relieved and two armoured columns were making their way to relieve New Carlos, over a day ahead of schedule.
The heavy armour of the Army was proving decisive, as were the heavy artillery and overwhelming firepower of the unstoppable battalions of soldiers. They were less flexible than the marines but well equipped for the grinding attritional combat of major field operations. With the newly arrived air support from the Thunderbolt and Lightning
“This storm had better be over fast or this battle will be finished before it starts!” he said to himself.
The swirling dust and debris was now only a hundred metres from the outer wall and the noise was already as loud as the battle they had fought when first landing at the outskirts of the city.
“Here is comes! Brace yourselves and watch for...” Captain Mathews’ voice was cut off as the swirling dust and dirt became a thick fog.
A man tumbled past as Spartan covered his face and fell over backwards. The winds caught his suit but the mass and weight of the armour kept him secure but he didn’t feel completely safe. His right leg slid back a few centimetres so he pushed it down harder into the ground. He turned back just in time to see the ground around him disappear as he collapsed thirty metres underground, buried under masses of dust and rock.
“Shit!” he shouted as his visor was covered in rocks.
He had just enough time to hit the seal button, which brought a thick metal shutter down over the visor to protect the vulnerable hardened glass. As it dropped down the visibility in the suit vanished until the internal lights kicked in to illuminate the interior of the helmet. He tried to move his arms and legs but all four were locked into place. For a second he started to panic then he remembered his training, his people knew where he was and the suit was easily capable of staying secure and sealed for hours of use. At least, he hoped so.
CHAPTER FIVE
The needs for aircraft of all sorts never diminished, even after mankind spread through the worlds of the new Confederacy. These machines comprised transports, strike craft and fighters and all were optimised for operations in a variety of atmospheric conditions. The Marine Corps and Navy concentrated on multi-role variants of common designs, the Army on their specific roles of ground attack and transportation. Unlike the craft used by the Navy, all Army combat aircraft were for atmospheric flight only, with even their versions of the Thunderbolt fighter being fitted with greater weapon loads and tracking pods at the expense of the ability to fight in space.
Aircraft of the Confederate Armed Forces
The CiC was dark and the temperature slightly cool. Unlike most of the sections of the ship it was quieter, just the sound of low voices and tapping on computer displays. The limited illumination came from the subdued tones of the red tube lights fitted along the walls. The computers and display screens gave off multiple colours that flickered around the room, casting hard shadows on the faces of the operators. This was the beating heart of the battlegroup, and from this one room many ships, fighters and ground-based units were coordinated with skill and precision. In the centre of the room was a three dimensional tactical display that currently displayed the disposition of the ground combat units on Avagana. There were already thousands of marines, commandos and army personnel fighting across the continent as well as small garrisons trapped inside their forts in the other colonies. New Carlos was still under attack but the forces of the Army and their heavy armour were rapidly retaking the open ground around the city. In just seven hours two cities had been relieved and two armoured columns were making their way to relieve New Carlos, over a day ahead of schedule.
The heavy armour of the Army was proving decisive, as were the heavy artillery and overwhelming firepower of the unstoppable battalions of soldiers. They were less flexible than the marines but well equipped for the grinding attritional combat of major field operations. With the newly arrived air support from the Thunderbolt and Lightning
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