Warsong (Hunter-Killer #2)

Chapter 37 - Pest Control

Death had come to the Scraegar Labyrinth.

The first Crawlers came plunging out of walls and from beneath the ground, only to find themselves faced with the full fury of the human army. Tank cannons bellowed, skiffs strafed them with armour piercing rounds and Hunter-Killers sprayed fire from their cannons.

Tactical assessments had quickly concluded that they were unlikely to stop the Crawlers from getting into the midst of the human column – the only option was to be ready for it when it happened. The battle mechs positioned themselves in amongst the tanks and armoured vehicles, waiting for the inevitable incursion. When it came, the Hunter-Killers were there to keep the flanks and rears of Vanyr's armour protected, allowing the northern gunners to ply their deadly trade.

Brackenshaw clung on tight as her skiff performed another gut-wrenching turn, fire spewing from its front and rear cannons. As the deck levelled out, she hauled herself back into place along the firing rail. To her left and right the scout troopers rattled off salvo after salvo into the milling Crawler swarm. They harried and distracted the creatures, trying to keep them off balance long enough for someone with a bigger gun to finish the job.

A Crawler to her left lost half its legs as one of the heavy Mammoth cannons ripped across it. Another was pounded to a pulp as two shells plunged into it simultaneously. She watched two of the creatures clambering and clawing at the hull of one tank, only for a trio of Hunter-Killers to come piling into the melee, to dislodge them.

More Crawlers flung themselves at the armoured flanks of the Mammoths, tearing at the plates with mindless ferocity. Some were shredded by defensive guns. Others were peeled off by Hunter-Killers or driven back by salvos of fire from scouts and infantry trucks.

It was total chaos.

"Keep your spacing!" Brackenshaw roared over the comms. "And stay out of friendly fire lanes." Another violent lurch of the skiff cut her off for a moment. She gritted her teeth. "Aim for the limb joints – slow them down and let the heavies finish the job."

The human column plunged into an ever-growing thicket of Crawlers, more of the things spilling in from all sides. Gore, fire and bodies piled up in the narrow confines of the gully. She saw Hunter-Killers vanish beneath mounds of smashing limbs, only for vengeful volleys of fire to atomise the perpetrators. Three Crawlers working jointly managed to tip one of the northern assault tanks onto its side, ripping into its vulnerable underside to slaughter the unfortunate crew within. One skiff slammed into a Crawler as it reared up, impaling the thing right through its under-maw and sending both the scouts and the monster smashing into the closest wall. The vehicle's ammo caches detonated in a violent fireball.

But it wasn't long before a third force arrived to add to the bloodshed.

She felt them before she saw them, the skiff's slender form vibrating violently for an instant before several Scraegan warbands arrived. Geysers of smashed rock burst across the battlefield as their new allies hurled themselves into the fray from both flanks, leaving the main approach clear for the human force to drive down into.

The glare of furnace cannons blazed in the gloom – Crawler bodies boiled. She saw the copper-furred Alpha's unmistakable mass stalking through the battle like a primeval god, its barbed sword clutched in two massive paws, swinging with earth-splitting force and caked with gore.

"AC-1, HK squadrons Rupture and Grendel, take the lead," Colonel Hackley ordered brusquely, her voice tight with nerves. "Punch a hole and we'll follow you through."

"Acknowledged – moving now," Brigadier Vanyr answered. "Rupture, Grendel, form up and intercept anything that tries to get in behind us. AC-1, form up and accelerate to assault speed. SC-21 and 13, give us an advance screen."