BROTHERS

Chapter XVIII: Big Push

Janet pulled her field blanket tighter around her. It was a very cold night, and the building the platoon had huddled in had no windows. The area's electricity had been cut off during the fighting, so they was no heat either.

She rolled over and looked at Bob, lying beside her. His eyes were open.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "I just have this really bad feeling about what's going to happen when the Eldar come back."

"Eldar, Shmeldar. They're pushovers."

"I wish I had your confidence."

Bob chuckled, lightly, but it didn't have much sound of mirth behind it. "I wish I did, too."

Janet was too puzzled by that comment to make a reply.

"You know, Janet, I don't think we've gone into a single fight you haven't had a bad feeling about."

"Well, I..." she began, then stopped herself. He was right. She did seem to have a constant sense of dread.

"Look at me, Jan. I'm a coward. An out and out coward. I'm afraid of fighting. I'm afraid of death. I'm afraid every time I go our I won't make it back. But I think about these people around me. They're my family out here. And I have to ask myself if it's more important to preserve myself by being too scared to fight, or face down those fears and help keep my newfound brothers and sisters alive." Bob closed his eyes, then opened them again. "I have to choose between my life or their deaths. And I do it, every time, with no regrets. Give it some time, and you will, too."

Janet couldn't think of anything to say in reply. Instead, her mind blurred with all of the thoughts and emotions running around, and this new piece of advice made it all the more confusing.

She gave up trying to figure it out, and buried her face in her arms, not wanting to look around at all the people who depended on her.

She felt an arm reach out and wrap itself around her waist. When she looked up, she saw Bob looking at her.

"Hey, I'm here for you," he said.

"I know."

* * *

Dawn's first light had just come when the sound of trucks rolling up broke the morning silence. The soldiers of One Platoon, and all of Charlie Company, were already well awake by then.

Janet ate a ham and beans ration. It wasn't the best breakfast, but it would have to do. Bob broke open a similar ration beside her. Outside, the sound of hundreds of boots pounding the ground indicated the arrival and deployment of reinforcements.

No one acted as if they much cared.

Bill walked over to a window, having finished his 'breakfast', and shouted out to the men below. "About time you guys arrived! We were beginning to wonder if you'd make it in this millennium."

"If you blokes think you can take on the Eldar all by yourselves, you're well and truly welcome to try!" came the reply.

Bill laughed. "No, that's okay. We can use a few more distractions."

"Listening to you, you'd think you chaps were winning this war without any help."

"Hell, we have been, boy, we have been!" Bill left the window, then sat down and began talking to Lisa.

Janet looked over at Bob. "Is he always like this?"

"Always. But especially when there's so much tension in the air you could cut if with a chainsword."

"Oh."

"Now lighten up, will you?"

"I have to hear this from you?"

"From somebody. I just happen to be closest person to you. And I'm returning the favor."

"Thanks," Janet said.

She didn't feel like saying any more as they continued to eat.

* * *

The day had come on gone without much going on. More reinforcements showed up, with a promise of tanks arriving in the morrow.

Night came, and again it was cold. Sara huddled up beside Jim, sitting against a wall. They covered themselves in both of their combat blankets.

Jim sighed. "I hate cold nights."

"Why?"

"They always seem so gloomy to me."

"Oh."

"But I have to admit, having you this close does do a lot to warm me up."

"Don't get any ideas."

"Don't worry."

Sara leaned her head on Jim's shoulder. "There's another reason this night is cold and gloomy for you, isn't there?"

Jim nodded. "Yes. I still haven't gotten over losing Mack. He was a great friend."

"Yeah. I miss him, too."

"They say, you can't let a friend's death get to you. But I wonder if those people ever had a friend die."

"Maybe," Sara said. "Could be they just say that hoping no one else will end up feeling the way they did."

"Good point. I never thought of it that way."

"I only did when I realized we were handing out emotional advice to the newbies which seemed contradictory. I started wondering why, because some of what we said would have confused even me when I first signed up."

"You're right. Wow."

Sara closed her eyes and began to slowly drift toward sleep, then she heard Jim say, "You never told me you signed up."

She shifted, uncomfortable with the question. "I wanted to do my duty for my world. I thought it was the best way."

"Not to prove yourself to anyone?"

"No."

"Not yourself, or anyone else?"

"No..."

So you're one hundred percent comfortable with your femininity?" Jim asked.

"Yes," Sara said, though even she was doubting her sincerity.

"Good," Jim replied, "because I certainly am comfortable with your femininity."

Sara lightly slapped Jim's forearm. "Tease."

"Something wrong with that?"

"If all you do is tease."

"You know me better than that."

"But," Sara said, "I also know that tomorrow the Eldar are expected to come back."

"So we need our rest, right?"

"I may die happy, but I'd rather be happy alive than dead."

"Good point."

Nothing more was said by either one, and within minutes they were both asleep.

* * *

Mel rubbed his eyes, trying to clear out the sleepiness. He stood up and stretched.

The rest of the platoon was waking up, and soon the large audience chamber was filled with yawning, stretching soldiers.

Mel sat down with the rest of his squad, breaking out another ration and eating it. While the taste wasn't great, it wasn't too bad, and the bonuses were that it kept him full and also slackened the weight in his backpack.

Bill leaned over and whispered, "Hey, Mel, how'd you sleep last night?"

Mel, startled by the question, blurted, "Uh, I slept pretty good. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing... I just remember seeing you and Jessy, looking very happy, walking back into the room, hanging on each other and kissing a lot. It wasn't hard to tell what you two were doing."

Mel glared at Bill. "What are you suggesting?"

Bill leaned even closer, smiling. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. We all know you and Jessy have feelings for each other, and well, let's be frank. I think most of us have decided to have a bit of a romp in the hay, so to speak, with members of the opposite gender within our platoon."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do I have to come out and say it? Sex, man! I'm talking about sex."

"You're just making things up, trying to get a rise out of me, aren't you?"

"If it weren't written all over your face, it wouldn't be much harder to tell. Especially since you're wearing Jessy's flak jacket."

Mel quickly checked the name on his flak jacket. It was Sanders, not Kline. He stared at Bill.

Bill began laughing. "I knew I could fake you out! Especially since I was right."

Mel shook his head. "Can it, Bill."

"So, Mel, did you remember to use protection, like they taught us in school?"

"I said, stow it!"

"Fine. Be that way." Bill turned and continued eating.

Mel suddenly felt like being anywhere but beside Bill, so he stood up, turned to the cool morning breeze, closed his eyes against the sun, and began to stretching.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw a pair of Eldar fighters swooping in, firing shuriken cannon at the building.

"Oh, hell!" he shouted, then dropped, flattening himself against the ground. Shuriken impacted on the other side of the room, and one sergeant, Chuck Bayron of squad four, was hit by the shuriken as he was caught standing up. His body was sliced apart as the hail of razor-discs flew by.

All hell broke loose outside the building. Eldar attack craft began diving from the sky, firing at soldiers and vehicles on the ground. Anti-aircraft positions returned fire.

Eldar Grav tanks began speeding down the streets, and soldiers scrambled to set up heavy weapons. Tanks, having just arrived that morning, moved to take up positions where they could fire at the incoming Eldar.

Becker shouted for the platoon to exit the building they were in. A mad dash was made for the stairs, then down them and out of the building. As they exited, they were showered with falling concrete and broken glass, debris from nearby buildings that were being hit.

They ducked onto a side street, then assembled into squads. Nearby, an Imperial eagle fell from a building, its majestic form now pitted and gnarled by enemy weapons, its left wing half broken off.

Overhead, Imperial attack craft joined the fray, and the skies came alive with the exchange of fire and the sounds of explosions.

The Eldar had very much arrived.

* * *

Once Becker was certain he'd assembled all of One Platoon, or at least the survivors, he walked over to Rodney. He reached out, his hand open.

"Here you go, sir," Rodney said, handing him the commlink.

"This is Becker. I've just evac'd a building that was being strafed by Eldar, and am currently unaware of where our aid is needed. I'd like to know what I can do to help fight the battle."

"Lieutenant," came the reply. It was Allen, the captain. "Our company has been specially selected to move to the flank and make a run at the Eldar from the side. We're moving to the west. Hook up with us there."

"Sir, what will the rest of the battalion, or even the regiment, be doing? If I may ask."

"The battalion will be covering out movements. Second and Third Battalions are going to move up and anchor the west side of our battle line."

"Thank you."

Becker handed the commlink back to Rodney, then turned to the rest of the platoon.

"We've got orders! The company's moving to make a flank run on the west. We're to meet the rest as we move forward. Stay close, and don't let yourselves be caught unaware by the Eldar. Go!"

They began moving quickly, jogging to the west, in rough groups that conformed to what squad they were in. Becker rejoined his command squad and began jogging along with them.

He hoped their little flank run wouldn't be a mistake.

* * *

Bob ran along at the front of squad two, hoping to reach the company soon. He didn't like being in such a vulnerable position.

They ran over rubble piles, dodged through alleys and side streets, and were always watching for strafing runs from Eldar fighters above.

Bob held his rifle tight in his hands, knowing that it was more than likely he'd have to use it.

As they reached another street, Bill reached out and stopped him. He turned to look at Bill. "What is it?"

"We're a bit far ahead of the platoon, Bob. We need to slow down and wait for them."

"Stop, more like," Bob said, noticing that Bill was, indeed, correct. The platoon was some distance behind them.

He turned to the squad and said, "Okay, we've got to wait for the others to catch up. Keep your hands on your guns and an eye and ear out for enemy soldiers."

He was answered with affirmatives from every member of the squad.

Bob walked over to a light post and leaned against it. He lowered his gun, but still kept his right hand on it.

Janet walked up to him. He noticed she was also keeping her gun ready.

"Something in you make you so stand-offish, sergeant?" she asked, emphasizing the last word.

"Not really. I just needed to lean against something, rest myself."

"Okay, but you better watch out. Some people might get the wrong idea."

"Like you?" Bob asked.

"I would hope not. But sometimes you're hard to figure out. You're a contradiction in yourself, Bob. You act like you want to be close to people, but you keep yourself distant whenever you can. Why?"

"I'd think you would know better than I would. You've had an easier time figuring me out than I ever have."

Janet stepped closer. "You need to open up to someone other than me. More of your friends. They can help you too, you know."

"Okay... It's just that, with you, it's like more than just being with a friend. I don't know, it's almost like..."

"Being with a lover?"

"Well, yeah, I guess."

"You are." Janet stepped closer and began to pull Bob's head down. He knew why, and didn't resist. It was about time someone had feelings for him.

But the kiss never came. Footsteps told them the rest of the platoon had arrived, and it was time again to keep moving. Janet took her arms away, then hurried back over to the squad, not looking back.

Bob rubbed the back of his head, confused. "What the hell just happened?" he whispered.

* * *

Jim jogged along with the platoon as they kept moving, trying to quickly reach the company. It was difficult, all this movement without any confirmation of a rendezvous point.

But, as they rounded a corner and entered another wide boulevard, he found that they had been on the right track all along. They had met back up with the company.

The problem, though, was that someone else had located the company in its movements.

A small force of Eldar, what looked to be the Eldar's own flanking force, were attacking the company. The two groups were engaged in a vicious firefight.

The men of One Platoon reacted quickly. Heavy bolters were set up in seconds, and missile launchers were quickly loaded. Squads formed up and picked targets to concentrate their fire into.

The soldiers announced their presence by opening up with the sounds of a myriad of weapons, sounding like some ancient beast's guttural roar. The resulting effect was dozens of dead Eldar in mere moments.

The other Eldar, realizing they had somehow been flanked themselves, thought better of the idea of fighting between two enemy forces, and began an organized retreat. No one pursued them.

It was then, as the space between the two parts of Charlie Company cleared, and they hailed each other merrily, that another reason for the sudden departure of the Eldar announced itself.

A large Eldar strike craft, presumably a bomb, swept in. It was not on an attack run. Its wings and fuselage were riddled with large holes, and thick black smoke poured from the bomber.

It slammed into the ground, skidding along the boulevard. As it did, flames sprouted to life on the ground, and flaming pieces of fuselage began cart wheeling outward from the wrecking craft. Its weapons snapped off, hurtling outward. The bomber's wings buckled, then snapped off, rolling down the street and then halting. The bomber streaked by the company, between One Platoon and the rest of Charlie Company, spraying burning fuel across a wide area.

Finally, hundreds of yards away, the bomber came to a halt, its remains burning brightly amidst the shadows of tall buildings.

"Damn it!" Becker shouted.

Jim backed away, not wanting to be too close to the hot flames. The wrecking bomber had cut off the platoon's means of getting back to the company, at least for the moment.

Becker was immediately on the commlink, talking to Captain Allen. Jim heard little of what they said, but could understand that the captain was being told to go on without them, that they'd meet up with the company when they could.

Jim turned to Sara. "Well, I guess that knocks us out of the fight for now."

* * *

"I understand, Lieutenant. You're cut off from reaching us right now. I saw the wreck, too."

Becker swallowed. "I'm sorry, sir. I wish we could have made it sooner."

"That's alright." The captain's voice lowered. "Don't try to get back with us. Do what you can in the fight."

"I can't do much."

"Dennis, at the very least, get yourself into a building and wait for orders to come. Don't stay in the open, don't come looking for us. I don't want you falling into the same ambush we did."

"I wish I could do more to help you..."

"You might be able to play your own role in this fight yet, Lieutenant. Just find yourself somewhere to stay, and wait for an opportunity to do some damage. It'll come."

"Thanks. Becker out."

Becker turned and handed the commlink back to Rodney.

He looked around, then saw a suitably large building that looked like it would be a good place to hunker down until they could do something to help with the battle.

He turned to the platoon, and called out, "We're going to go to that building over there -" and he indicated it by pointing "- and get ourselves out of the Eldar's sight until we find out what we can do. Right now it's not much. The company's moving on without us. We may be able to do something, so don't worry yet that we're running out of the fight. I promise you, we will have our chance to kill Eldar."

That seemed to get the soldiers' spirits up. Becker felt glad. They would need all the cheer they could muster to make it through the fight.

He just hoped they'd be given the chance he promised them.

END OF CHAPTER XVIII
Continued in Chapter XIX: The Portal