A Deep Sleep (Valhalla Book 1) by Tyler Totten Read Free Book Online

holding a line. RASATs weren’t intended to be put on the line, they were supposed to move and destroy the enemy in detail.
    “Damn good to hear from you Lieutenant. Our scouts are just pushing into the town now and reporting the battle. I’ll start dropping mortars and rockets on their heads. I’m starting my attack in two minutes. Can you hold that long?” Danford sounded like he was on the line himself, with Kim hearing the distinctive sound of an assault rifle opening up in long bursts. The suits damped out a lot of noise, but the sound of your own rifle firing always made it inside.
    “Yes sir, we’ll give them hell.”
    “See you soon Lieutenant.” Danford closed the line.
    “Alright marines, 1 st Company will be extending their welcome parade in our direction in 2 minutes. When they do I want us to be ready.” Kim didn’t plan on just waiting around for 1 st Company to come to their rescue. She was a RASAT. They didn’t hold static lines, they attacked.
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    “Evens, advance.” Danford again climbed above the trench line, moving forward quickly without firing, concentrating only on staying low and covering the distance as quickly as possible. This time, there was enemy fire waiting for them. He saw his marines dropping quickly as the enemy guns tore into their line. Finally, he made the distance and ordered everyone down. This was going to be costly. The odds didn’t fair any better, losing a quarter of their number before they dropped. Danford had temporarily switched his mortar teams back to engaging the enemy in front of them instead of supporting the RASAT. They would have to hold out without the help until he could get there.
    Across the port, Lieutenant Kim reloaded her rifle. Shifting her armored legs underneath herself, she readied to burst forth. She connected to the entire platoon with a quick command and calmly spoke a single word. “Attack.”
    As one, the 3 rd RASAT leapt forth and opened fire, closing with the enemy who had just been engaged from behind by the marines there. They didn’t move without regard for cover or lines of sight, but they also barely slowed their forward dash. One marine would bodily collide with a building for cover, sweeping the enemy positions in front with deadly fire while a comrade rushed forward to find new cover and allow them to leapfrog forward. Instead of the quick and efficient motions of a line platoon, the RASAT platoon was more like a sprint of a drunkard. To watch a single marine’s motion would be to see what looked like a stumbling and uncoordinated dash. In reality, the RASAT marines were rushing from one chosen piece of cover to another, trusting their armor to protect them from hitting buildings and other structures at a run. Taking the time to slow would only subject them to more enemy fire. More importantly, it would slow their forward advance. That was considered unacceptable to them all.
    The mortar fire had slacked off several minutes earlier and no attack had come then. As a result, when 1 st Company engaged them without the RASAT doing the same, the PRC commander had shifted his reserves to honor the threat. There was no way, he reasoned, the small force he had pinned against the sea would possibly have the strength to mount an attack, so he felt comfortable in this move. He had still felt uncomfortable about just where those troops had come from, but that was for later contemplation, if there was a later to be had. He was now regretting this choice. He only had two SAWs left to support the troops pinning in the RASATs. He was getting reports now that there was almost a platoon strength engaging his own forces, but they were engaging along a narrow frontage, barely attacking a platoon worth of his own marines. Worse, it was now confirmed they were the enemy special forces, respected for their competence across all of mankind’s systems, feared everywhere for the