BXBX NOVEL Chapter 118 Keeping the Pressure Part 1
Richard\'s voice carried the calm of a seasoned commander. "They won\'t slip the noose. Status on the ordnance?"
"Ordnance is combat-ready for a cluster strike," Mark reported, his tone crisp and clear over the comm link.
"Authorize the strike. Hit them before they can fall back to their staging area," Richard commanded without hesitation.
"Copy that, sir," Mark acknowledged. He toggled the switch on his console, opening a secure channel to the artillery battery. "Blackwatch to Excalibur, fire mission, type Alpha, cluster mission. You are cleared hot. I say again, you are cleared hot. Engage with a full payload, over."
The command was met with immediate affirmation from the battery commander. "Excalibur copies, Blackwatch. Firing for effect, out."
Within the Oriental Military Camp,a battery of ten M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) stood primed and ready.
"Fire mission confirmed, Excalibur is engaging," the voice of the fire direction center officer sliced through the tense atmosphere.
A momentary silence enveloped the command center before it was shattered by the thunderous roar of rocket engines igniting. Trails of fire streaked across the sky as the MLRS unleashed their payloads, the rockets arcing toward their designated coordinates with lethal intent. The digital maps displayed the projected impact points.
"The munitions deployed have MIRV capability, with each primary missile dispensing submunitions over the target area. Seo-Jun\'s defense capabilities are inconsequential against this saturation attack," Sara reported, her fingers dancing across the keys to refresh the feed from drone surveillance.
"What\'s the ETA on the target?" Richard asked.
"Four minutes," Sara answered.
"And those missiles are the same as the Brahmos? The target is moving and so these missiles are coded to auto-correct and recalibrate their trajectory in real-time," Richard concluded, his question more of a statement as he kept his eyes fixed on the screens.
"Affirmative," Mark interjected. "The precision guidance systems are locked on. The targets won\'t be able to outmaneuver the strike pattern. These are not just fire-and-forget; they adapt to the target\'s movements, maintaining lock until impact."
"Well, I\'m just asking because the last time we used the MLRS, the target was big and stationary…" Richard recalled.
Four minutes later, the control room was hushed as the M270s delivered their deadly cargo, the only sound the faint buzz of equipment. On the screen, each missile nosed down after reaching its apogee, the moment of release shrouded in an almost serene quiet before the submunitions burst free. Like a deadly metal rain, the bomblets scattered across the sky, glinting momentarily in the sun before descending.
In the chaos of the descending munitions, Seo-Jun\'s figure could be seen, her posture defiant even as the sky seemed to fracture with impending doom. Her hands rose, palms outward, and from her fingertips, a lattice of pinkish tendrils spiraled upwards, weaving a dense canopy over her head. Each vine throbbed with a pulsing life, racing to intertwine and form a shield against the iron rain.
Beside her, Violet stood with intense concentration, the air around her shimmering as if the heat was rising off a desert floor. She hummed a low, resonant frequency, a vibration that built into a palpable force field—a sound shield, rippling through the air and intertwining with the green thorns, reinforcing the protective barrier with vibrating energy.
The first wave of submunitions struck. A cascade of impacts erupted around them, the violent symphony of explosions muffled by the sound barrier. The ground shuddered, and a cloud of dust and debris rose around the perimeter of their shields. Submunitions clanged against the thorn barrier, detonating upon contact, their blasts absorbed or deflected, while others became entangled, their destructive purpose nullified amidst the mesh of Seo-Jun\'s thorns.
Strike confirmed," Sara announced. "Targets have been hit. Awaiting BDA."
Richard nodded. "Proceed with BDA. I want to know the effectiveness of our engagement immediately."
"Battle Damage Assessment teams are on it. Drones are conducting overflight for visual confirmation."
The live feed from the drones filled one of the larger screens, showing the aftermath of the missile strike. The stark landscape was now pockmarked with craters, smoke billowing from several impact sites.
But as the clouds of smoke dispersed, Richard was in for a shock as he saw that the shield they had erected stood intact amidst the devastation. The MLRS had delivered a relentless barrage, but Seo-Jun and Violet had somehow withstood the onslaught. The thorn barrier had dissipated, the energy of its creation seemingly spent, while the shimmer of the sound shield flickered out of existence, its job done.
However, the magic users seemed to be exhausted. At the display screen of the monitor, they saw Violet and Seo-Jun on their knees, seemingly panting and struggling to recover from their exertions.
"Seems like the defenses worked, but it took a toll on them," Sara observed, her eyes not leaving the figures on the screen. "They\'re vulnerable now."
"Not unless they ate another pill again, which I am quite sure they have a lot of stock in. Where\'s the AC-130? Has it taken off on the runway?"
"AC-130 is wheels up and loitering at the operation altitude," Mark updated promptly, eyes tracking the blinking icon on his radar display that represented the gunship.
"Oh, is it already? Nice, but what time is their ETA?"
"If the AC-130 cruised at their cruising speed, they\'ll get in position at twenty-five minutes," Mark paused, recalculating, "That\'s considering current wind conditions and assuming no further orders to change altitude or holding patterns."
Richard leaned forward, his gaze fixed on the live feed, "Twenty-five minutes is a lot of time for them to regroup or escape. We need to keep the pressure on. Is there anything that we can use to maintain our advantage?"
Sara, still monitoring the drone feeds, piped up, "We have a drone-mounted Hellfire ten minutes out from the last strike zone. It\'s not much, but it can keep them pinned down until the AC-130 is on station."
"Wait, are you talking about the MQ-9 Reaper?" Richard asked, he didn\'t know that one of their MQ-9 Reapers was in the air.
"Yes, they are conducting surveillance in the sector and can be rerouted for a support strike," Sara responded. She began the process of redirecting the drone.
"Good, do it. Get that Reaper over here. I want to keep them engaged," Richard said, approving the tactical shift.
"Blackwatch to Reaper-2, requesting support strike at grid 2719. Possible hostile regrouping. We need to maintain pressure. Confirm you can reroute to support," Sara transmitted, her fingers gliding over the control interface, sending the coordinates to the drone operator.
"Reaper-2 copies, Blackwatch. Rerouting to grid 2719. ETA to target area is ten minutes. Ready to provide support strike," the drone operator\'s voice crackled through the comm link.
"Roger that, out here," Sara acknowledged. "They are on their way, sir."
"Good."