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Sylvia slumped in her chair, thinking that the battle was over. Eric reached over with his hand in the air, and she returned a weak high five. Murph’s voice box played the sound of a cheering crowd.
“Good job,” Juan said to Sylvia. “But stay alert. The Marauder may try to ram us. That’s the only play they have left.”
“Don’t worry,” Sylvia said. “I think I’ve got this thing figured out now. It won’t get any closer to us.”
Juan used his armrest control to focus the external camera on the bridge of the Marauder. He wanted to see who he was up against.
As the camera zoomed in, no one was visible. Then someone rose into view with a staggering motion.
The person slowly turned toward the Oregon. It was April Jin. The left side of her face was covered in blood.
“That’s her,” Sylvia said through clenched teeth. “That’s the woman who sank my ship and paralyzed Mark.”
Juan turned to Hali. “Radio their ship. Tell Jin to surrender or we’ll destroy them.”
SIXTY-TWO
The last few stragglers on the base kept fighting, even one who showed up on an ATV. Eddie guessed there were three or four of them left, all of them concentrating their fire from behind the razed barracks.
“Your ship has been defeated,” he yelled in Mandarin. “Put down your weapons.”
No response except for the automatic fire that continued unabated. Eddie’s team was pinned down.
“Sounds like they’re not interested in quitting,” Linc said. “And I’m out of grenades.”
“Anyone else have any?” Eddie asked.
They all shook their heads.
MacD pointed at the wide expanse between them and the next closest building. “There’s an awful lot of ground to cross to circle around them.”
“I wouldn’t advise charging them,” Raven said. “At least a couple of us are liable to get hit.”
“We’ve already got the solution,” Linda said, nodding at the Oregon. “Let’s call in a strike.”
“Good idea,” Eddie said. “Hali, we need some artillery support.”
“What’s the target?” Hali asked.
“Third pile of rubble from the north.”
“There’s a lot of rubble over there. Sylvia doesn’t want to hit you. Can you mark your position?”
Eddie took a smoke flare from his pack and popped it. Orange mist belched from the canister.
“Do not,” he said, “repeat, do not shoot at the orange smoke. The hostiles are behind the debris of the building next to us on your right.”
“Understood. Take cover.”
“Get down,” Eddie said. “Open your mouths so your eardrums don’t rupture.”
They hit the floor and put their hands over their heads.
A massive shock wave shredded the air as a round traveling at Mach 7 went by. A deafening explosion seemed to occur simultaneously. Concrete particles fell on them like snow, and a cloud of dust mixed with the orange smoke.
There was no more gunfire.
Eddie sat up, his ears ringing but his hearing intact. As the dust
