A Deep Sleep (Valhalla Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

brainstorm on this one.
    “I concur sir, looks like they saw the rest of the battalion land and are probably trying to maneuver forces to engage them before we have a solid LZ to bring down the heavies. We might be a decent sized force, but if they leave 4 th and 5 th Companies out there we can bring down the entire Regiment. Then they’ll really be in a bind.” Lieutenant Hanford spoke first.
    “Not only that sir, but they probably went nuclear just now to try and stamp out as much of our ability to fight as they could. We might be heavily outnumbered, but they have to tie down a large force just to keep us here. If they stripped away too much force to engage LZ X-ray, we could stage a break-out.” Lieutenant Diggs added. Vice Admiral Thompson was sure to take out anything that showed itself with a kinetic strike almost immediately.
    Danford didn’t know it but those PRC guns were firing their last rounds, even now the fleet in orbit was opening fire. They were just waiting for such an opportunity, with several of the destroyers in orbits so low they were actually heating up their hulls and continually firing their braking thrusters to prevent themselves from entering the atmosphere proper and being torn apart.
    “My company is down to one-hundred and four effectives, including myself.” Danford threw the number out there, prompting the others to do the same.
    “I’ve still got most of my strength, one-hundred and fifty effectives.” Diggs spoke up first.
    “Eighty-six.” Hanford said nothing else and the comm was quiet for a moment. Eighty-six, out of one-hundred ninety-two, meant that Hanford’s company had suffered fifty-five percent casualties. Many of them were probably just critically wounded as opposed to dead. Their suit keeping them alive with the built-in trauma control, but it was still devastating for any unit. Not to mention they had already lost their commanding officer, as well as several other officers and noncoms today.
    “I say we hit them, and hard.” Danford said after what seemed like a disgustingly short period of time to skip right past the loss and pain the young lieutenant must be feeling right now. But that was war and they had no time for mourning now. “They’ll be expecting us to attack in support of the push from the rest of the battalion. I say we give them the attack they’re expecting, but make it a spoiling attack. Then we’ll hit them with everything we can spare, right towards Haikou. If we’re lucky they’ll be caught off guard and we can push right through their lines. If we can get into the port, we can anchor our lines on the coast and they’ll have to attack their own town to get to us. Plus, if we time it right we can use our own nuclear barrage to make it that much easier. Then we can bring down the shuttles, right onto Haikou’s landing pads.”
    “That could be tight sir, if they still have enough SAWs waiting for us we’ll get cut to pieces.” Diggs responded.
    “I concur with Diggs sir, but I agree with you, it’s worth the risk. They’ll never expect it and if we target the nukes carefully we can probably do a number of their prepared positions. My major reservation sir, is the rest of the battalion. They’re counting on us engaging the enemy from our side. If we don’t, they’ll get cut to pieces trying to close with the enemy.”
    “I think we can minimize that risk, but it is still going to be chancy.” Danford had mulled these points over himself and he was worried about what would happen if 4 th Company and 5 th Company got chewed to pieces. Especially if his assault failed to break through to Haikou. They needed that spaceport and it also happened to be the best way to get the heavy shuttles down with their bigger guns and reinforcements. Not to mention the enemy wasn’t likely to nuke their own city.
    “Sir?” It was Diggs again. “What about splitting our barrage, half toward Haikou and the other half onto the enemy between us and