Book 11 Death By Water Death By Fire "It's been six, seven days since we arrived on Asia only to learn that we'd landed right in the middle of an alien invasion. They sent us to Winter Haven where they say an army of giants is headed our way. At least the scenery is nice and the lake is beautiful. I hope my people are still alive a week from now. May as well enjoy the fresh air while I can."- Captain Li Hua Chin, Captain, detachment commander Colonial Rangers, New Hope Colony, ChinaCiara Cassidy helps train the volunteers at the firing range at the Ranger Base. Classes begin at and she has 3 roommates with family members with CDR Rick Cassidy and GSGT Molly Pickford on the Cairo.The aliens are spotted moving towards Winter Haven and expected to arrive the following morning.
Warnings are sent to the other settlements. The transport Moscow delivers the news to Castillo where Major Picard prepares his Rangers for an attack.The Rangers stationed at Rocky Point wait while recon shuttles search the seas for an alien fleet. When they are found they realize that the aliens have bypassed the research station Monterey 200 miles east of Rocky Point. They take up positions facing the beaches where the alien ships plan to land their force of alien giants. Several of the ships are destroyed when the charges planted on them are detonated and sink with their cargo of alien warriorsMajor Hazlett sends most of his armored personnel carriers to intercept the alien column headed for McKinley Pass. They hope to eliminate most of the smaller aliens and their plasma weapons. The mission is very successful and they return before the main force of Andoval arrive at the bottom of the slope leading up to the pass.
The remainder of the alien force that tried to take the Cairo attacks the settlement of Castillo. The weakened force is destroyed when one of their airships lands behind the transport Mumbai which uses its main propulsion engines to incinerate the aliens and destroy the Red airship. The other aliens are wiped out by Captain Van Rooyen's company as they try to exit the Green airship which flies off with its injured pilot the only alien surviving the attack. After the battle the Mumbai heads for Winter Haven with Major Picard and most of his Rangers to help the defenders there.When the alien airship Green Star arrives at the landing field at the captured settlement of Southport the Rift commanders learn for the defeat of the force that was supposed to take the Cairo then Castillo but don't know what happened where yet.When the 20,000 alien warriors and their Rift officers reach the hills south of Winter Haven they split into three columns and attack the three separate routes into Winter Haven. The fighting is intense and for the first hour the Rangers hold the aliens back but even as Claudia Stairs' command turns them away at the central road the aliens begin breaking through on the western lake road and the East hill. At the same time the attack on Winter Haven begins the alien force sent to take McKinley Pass 200 miles east of Winter Haven begins its attack.
Most of the Rift officers had already been killed the day before during harrying attacks by Rangers in their APCs. The Andoval climb the slope up to the pass and inflict many casualties on the Rangers before they are stopped and sent fleeing back to their base on the eastern coast.Marco Polo hears from the Asia and learns about the alien invasion of the colony. Cassidy's sister Bridget O'Brien is asked to help train the 2,000 Rangers onboard to fight the aliens using a VR program sent by the Asia.Jacks Company recovers from the battle the day before and they continue clearing away the dead aliens and the debris of battle from around the ship and the injured are cared for. They learn that the aliens who tried and failed to take the Cairo were annihilated after they continued on to Castillo and about the attack on Rocky Point.