Sempronius was startled when an unexpected image appeared on his holo-projector, "Legatus Augusti! I was expecting Pro-Consul Metilius."
Legatus Agricola gave a wry smile, "Pro-Consul Metilius has been... reassigned by the Lictors. I took personal command to ensure that nothing goes wrong this time."
Sempronius felt a sense of relief since he knew the reinforcement units were in competent hands. "May I ask your ETA. sir?"
Agricola didn't need to look at his chrono, "Six hours, sooner if I can put the fear of the Lictors and
ME into the Classis. After the job you have done so far, that shouldn't be too hard for your Army."
Sempronius just nodded. "IV Ala will be here. But Sir..." The holo image shook as a series of nearby explosions rocked his Command Post. Sempronius looked straight into Agricola's eyes, "Sooner would be better."
The Legatus Augusti just nodded. "Sooner it is."
***
Flavius saw yet another combat walker crumple in on itself as the plasma bolt from his Lorica melted it. Drusus was back on top of his game once again.
Iunius' voice had a note of amusement in it as number two Lorica fired again. "Is it me Centurio or do they not seem to be pushing this attack very hard?"
Flavius smiled a bit at that."Nothing like running over hundreds of your buddies bodies to ruin your whole day." He frowned as he realized how many friends of his lay dead on the perimeter. "Ruins your whole day." He muttered.
***
Sempronius's map board showed units assaulting along the whole perimeter, but a huge mass of Arachnids were hitting the weakest part of his defenses along the north. Sempronius looked at what he had in reserve. One battered Turmae of Loricas and a Century of Manipularii.
"If they punch through in the north then we are in deep garum." He checked the long range sensors again. "There are no other large enemy formations that can attack anywhere else on the perimeter before help gets here." Sempronius's finger slashed down on the northern edge. "Get all the reserves moving there now! We have to stop them there before they break through."
***
The Tech Drone turned to it's Hive-Master, Recluse. "They have commited the last of their reserves to the main attack area Great One, the way to their Hive-Master is now clear."
The Hive-Master turned to his Pilot Drone, "Travel to the coordinates and deploy all pods." He closed the faceplate on his Battlearmor and scuttled to his drop pod. "Kill all his Drones, but the Hive-Master is mine." Fifty voices spoke as one, "
YES GREAT ONE!"
***
Cooks apprentice Second class Florens tried to stay near his guard post as explosions rained down near the maintenance and repair bay. "I'm supposed to be using a spatula not a plasma rifle." He said to himself for the twenty-first time today.
He looked around muttering, "If that Manipularii Principale catches me away from my post again though there's no telling what he's gonna do. I can't figure if all Manipularii are that mean or he's just nasty cause he's lost an arm."
The sound of the air defense anti aircraft artillery (or known as triple A) firing caused him to look up. Just in time he saw some sort of aircraft pounded to slag then explode in mid air. Debris rained down around him along with several large spherical objects that hit nearby.
By the Gods, BOMBS! was the first thought he had.
But when they merely bounced off the ferrocrete surface he breathed a sigh of relief. He assumed they were duds until he saw a seam open in the nearest sphere. Curiosity overcame his fear as he moved to one and looked in the opening. An armored apendage reached out and snapped Florens' neck before he could move an inch.
***
Hive-Master Recluse unfolded himself from the drop pod and checked his display. He saw that twenty nine of his Special Attack Units had survived the landing. "More than enough to cleanse the infection."
He renumbered them and assigned them to their tasks. "One through nine destroy their air defense weapons then keep all the humans away from this area. Ten through 19 kill every Drone you see and destroy any equipment you find. Twenty through 29 follow me to their Hive-Master's lair."
***
Principale Horatius circled the flaming debris as he stamped across the repair area. "If that damned Army puke is away from his post again I am gonna rip off his arm and see if the Medicus can sew it on my shoulder. Thats why the Army always needs us to save their..." His tirade ceased when he saw Florens' body and what looked like a re-entry pod of some sort. He keyed his comm. "This is Principale Horatius, we have Frumentarii in the Headquarters area."
A Vigiles Centurio answered. "You sure Principale? We have had no other reports of enemy troops inside the perimeter."
Horatius just shook his head. "Sir, I have some sort of landing pods all over the area and they look big enough for powered armor so we better get some
REAL help here soon or we ain't gonna have nothin left."
He heard a snap and gurgle from a nearby Lorica repair shelter. Horatius realized his plasma pistol wouldn't scratch powered armor so looked for Florens' weapon. He found it lying nearby, bent into a U shape. "Gotta be powered armor." He muttered.
Horatius looked into the shelter and saw two dead Mede mechanics and an Arachnid in powered armor tearing a third Mede to pieces. He dropped the carcass and turned towards Horatius. The faceless armored form moved towards the one armed Manipularii. Horatius just nodded and drew his force Pugio.
***
Sempronius was trying to coordinate the defense of his perimeter when reports of Arachnids attacking from within started coming in. He turned to his comm officer. "Son get on a command channel and contact the three nearest units and tell them to get what units they can spare rolling here to assist us before these damned Frumentarii rip up the Army's rear area."
He then began to furiously type a set of Operations orders and handed it to his comm officer. "If I am not back in one hour, send that out to all units."
The young Centurio's eyes widened as he looked at the message. He looked down at him and touched his shoulder. "It will be OK son, just send it in one hour."
Sempronius looked around his Headquarters and took a deep breath. "
ALRIGHT EVERYONE, LISTEN UP." All motion and noise in Ops ceased and everyone looked at their Consul. "Anyone that isn't doing an absolutely essential job at the moment, grab your helmets and rifles and assemble outside the Command Building in five minutes. Anyone who stays behind that doesn't belong will get a bullet from me as soon as I get my weapons."
There was silence and a frantic movement as the headquarters personnel scurried to find their weapons. Sempronius started to strip his clothes off as he headed for his office. He was nearly naked before he got the door closed.
His orderly helped him on with his interface jumpsuit. "You haven't been doing your exercises, and that armor is gonna hurt when it locks in around your butt."
Sempronius smiled at his orderly of 40 years. "Why do I keep you around anyway Saturninus?"
He shook his head at Sempronius."Near as I can tell Consul, I must have done some great wrong in a past life and you are my punishment."
Sempronius climbed into his Powered Armor and suppressed a howl as the armor locked down. He spoke through gritted teeth. "See a perfect fit."
Saturninus just nodded sadly. "You keep out of the line of fire, remember you are a Consul not a Legionarii." Sempronius nodded and walked out the door to defend his Headquarters.
Primus Pilus Saturninus waited till the Consul was out of sight. He checked the power source on his artificial leg and grabbed his helmet and rifle. The Consul would blow a gasket if he thought he was out there fighting. So like many things he did to take care of him... he just wouldn't tell him.
***
It had been so long since Flavius had gotten a secure text transmission from Ops that he almost didn't notice it. When he read it his gut went cold. Checking all his sensors he made a decision. "Number four Lorica we got a big problem."
Aufidius sounded puzzled. "What's up Centurio, looks like we have them under control here. Unless they try a lot harder the fourteen of us can hold 'em off forever."
Flavius replied bleakly. "Ops and the maintenance areas have Frumentarii tearing them up and there is nothing but Vigiles there to slow 'em down. We are the closest unit, which means either we head over there and help out or the Army support units are all dead men."
Aufidius took a while to reply. "And since we are immobile I have to take command and defend this ridge while you and most of the Century roll and save Ops." There was a long pause before Aufidius spoke again. "What are you still doing on my ridge Flavius? Don't you need to rescue the Colonia from the Barbarii or something?"
Aufidius saw Flavius's and nine other Loricas back off the ridge and start rolling towards the Ops area at top speed. He then noticed the Arachnids south of the ridge gathering together. "They must have seen the Loricas leave and want to have another go Paratus." His gunner just looked up at Aufidius knowing the Centurio was heading into the underworld itself.
Aufidius knew that Flavius must have seen the Arachnids grouping up to attack the ridge again. Aufidius heard the comm pop, "Aufidius, Paratus... I'll see you when I see you."
Paratus answered first. "Don't worry Centurio, we'll save you a seat near the fire."
***
Legatus Augusti Agricola stood on the flag bridge of the Hepteres Class ship, Mars, with two Power Armored figures flanking him. "Praefectus if you don't get this operation in gear NOW I am going to have these two Lictors stuff you out the airlock."
The Praefectus Classis sputtered. "We have established procedures that we have to follow..."
Agricola didn't let him finish, he just pointed his finger. "Praefectus, because of the Classis's 'procedures' I have had one Army on that world for three weeks holding off an entire
PLANET! I don't care what 'shortcuts' you have to make in procedures. But if I don't start seeing some action from
YOU then I will see if your replacement is more cooperative."
***
Flavius and most of the Century were rolling across the spaceport as fast as they dared push their engines. Flavius saw some of the distant buildings of the Headquarters and maintenance area billowing smoke and flames. Even with maximum magnification on his command sight he still couldn't see any Arachnids yet.
Iunius was slowly falling behind for some reason, "Galenus slow up a hair, "I don't want to get seperated from number two Lorica." Galenus sounded disappointed but slowed down just enough for number two Lorica to come alongside.
Flavius saw a strange looking object on the side of number two Lorica's turret. "Iunius, is that what I think it is welded to your Lorica?"
There was a pause, "Well Centurio you know how busy we were loading on Tarracina? So we didn't get a chance to take it off." Flavius heard Drusus, Galenus and Camillus laughing.
"Does it still work? Or did it take too much fire?"
Iunius came back on "Renatus thinks it is still good, one speaker is blown but the other 5 are intact. Why Centurio?"
Flavius had grown up on the tales of the Equites and the Turmae had always kept the old traditions. "Let 'em know we are coming, full volume."
Iunius' gunner Bruttius looked up at him. "He wants 'The Song'?" Iunius rolled his eyes and smiled. "What else."
The song was old when the Equites were mounted on horses. But Equites traditions die hard. So no one but the Arachnids were surprised when the command section of Thirrd Century charged into the Headquarters area to the strains of the Hibernian Drinking song adopted by the Equites so long ago, the
'Galerius Oranius'.