Alarm

May 19, 2025

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Illoia had a scoop of ice cream halfway to the bowl of the grinning four year old standing in front of her when the alarm went off and, without the slightest thought, she dropped the spoon, picked up the lad, and was halfway to the shelter which her helmet, which had glazed over automatically, had indicated, before her mind was even able to register the actual alarm: possible attack by air, along with a direction.

“Coordinate your ground as well!” Barcis said to the ranker, “Watch for coordinated ground movement. It’ll show in the way our troops move, as well as their hostile markers.

“Good alert, Barcis, Tomirosh said, calmly. “I’m contacting headquarters.”

“Sir,” Barcis said, “I called the alert because they launched some EMP’s out that way. We don’t yet have confirmation that they’re sending anything.”

“I was expecting this,” the hero said. “ Alert Gremlins 5.”

Barcis watched, his heart pounding, as dozens of their unit scrambled up into trees, readying the anti-air weapons they had brought along.

“Hey, Eukles, its looking like I was right,” he heard Tom say over unit to unit com. “Coming in on our five. No way to know which way they will be leaving, though, so stay wary.”

Barcis was confused. ‘Eukles’? Leader Eukles?? He knew about this…?

Suddenly his attention was shifted to his five as he caught a flash of light… “Bogies Five Confirmed!!” he yelled and, even before the words were ought of his mouth, streaks of light left trees scattered over several square clicks around and in front of him, streaks that turned rapidly into curves, curves that sought out rapidly curving flashes of light.

“Twelve bogies!” the recruit shouted over all unit channel. “Estimate Light bomber class.”

“Initial response launched,” the drone coordinator said. “Fifteen stinger drones. Holding further release.”

Holding further release? Barkis wondered to himself as he watched the dogfight begin on his screen. How many drones had they brought? He brought up the information and blanched, two hundred drones? Who had authorized…

“Ground assault, same vector,” the ranker yelled. “Two separate reports.”

“Barcis, I’m releasing prepared ground assault force under Leader Eukles. Coordinate their advance.”

What was this? Barcis took a few seconds and saw that there were far, far more units on alert than normal, and several of them already moving.

“Barcis, you are front coordinator for our area,” Tom said. “I’ll be coordinating with other forces as I see you react.”

“Yes, Sir,” Barcis said, as he frantically took in the units he suddenly had under his control. It was the only thing he could say, but the last thing he wanted to say.

“Leader Eukles,” he said, after a minute, looking at the flow of forces on his map and estimating vectors, “I recommend you change your vector ten degrees to the left and hit that attacking force in the flank.”

“Very well,” Eukles said. “That will slow us up a little, but it will be nice to hit that force. Release me when you can to return u sto our vector, I have things to accomplish.”

“Yes, Sir. Leader Grenin, can you send a squad out your nine o’clock? Their attack should coordinate well with Leader Eukles and split the enemy.”

“On it,” Grenin said back. “We’re doing so well here I’ll send two. Tom’s warning meant I had all my lads ready to go.”

It seemed his leader had warned everyone except him, Barcis thought. And then cursed himself. He had been warned. In his leaders brief, factual way. Like that first day, “Expecting attack…” He had literally told him to expect an attack… but in such a bland way that he hadn’t taken it in.

Well, no one would say he hadn’t prepared for this, anyway…

His eyes flickered to the screen, and he made a decision, “EMP launch in forty five at grid 802,” he said. “Eukles, give me three spaced EMP on my countdown.”

All over the screen drones dove for the ground and signals winked out as soldiers removed their processors. Then, one after another, spaced out so that the buggers would lose processors they were in the middle of replacing, three EMP’s went off, evident even to the mechanical aspects of this comp (they were designed for that), and then, all over his front, units flickered back into place…

“Yes!” He shouted. At the Ranker’s confused look he said, “I hit them with the EMP just before Eukles met up with them, so the buggers had no chance to turn and meet him. His unit is cutting through them.”

“Return to vector, Leader Eukles,” he said, several minutes later. “Local troops should be able to mop up.”

One after another Eukles’s squads turned toward the front, where they met up with the unit fighting there and the aliens attempting to hold them back and the three groups intermingled, with the humans largely pushing through and into the buggers back area… one squad at a time, and some times as little as a fireteam making it through.

Article 17

Article 17 is a military science fiction story with aliens and romance. It is set in a future reminiscent of Napoleon era Britain. The war was going very poorly until the military installed a dictator. This story follows one of the dictator’s great men: Cladin Tomirosh, Leader, and thrice decorated hero.

Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!

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If you get lost, check out my ‘Table of Contents’ which I try to keep up to date.

Von also writes as ‘Arthur Yeomans’. Under that name he writes children’s, YA, and adult fiction from a Christian perspective. His books are published by Wise Path Books and include the children’s/YA books:

The Bobtails meet the Preacher’s Kid: A Christian historical fiction chapter book about four orphans who go to live with their aunt on a dairy farm.

The Bobtails and the Cousins: The sequel to Preacher’s Kid. The aunt has married, and the cousins come to visit. Meaning town kids dealing with chores and manure and…

The Bobtails go to France: The sequel to cousins. The Bobtails, and Preacher’s Kid, get to take a trip to New York, London, Paris, and a small town in France. To get some cheese.

and

No Ordinary School: A brilliant but socially clueless boy gets recruited for a special school. Where he makes a lot of money, gets a girl, and solves a mystery.

As well as GK Chesterton’s wonderful book, “What’s Wrong with the World”, for which ‘Arthur’ wrote most of the annotations.

Arthur also has a substack, and a website. On the substack you can listen to some of his published books. Free.

Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,

Von