Savage Fugitive

by Patrick G Cox

  “Aye, aye, sir. I’m on it!” Maddie gave him a wink and a big smile, and that made Harry blush.

  He would’ve flushed an even deeper red had he realised he had slipped protocol and called her Maddie in his exuberance and not ComOp Hodges, but she would never tell.

  Chapter 28 — Final Assault

  Locked down in their quarters, the Fleet officers could hear the carnage outside but had little idea of what was actually happening.

  “That fool Heron must be behind this!” Lieutenant Clarke fumed as yet another explosion rocked the dome. “He’s a danger to us all. He’s abandoned all pretence of civilised behavior, and—”

  “That’s enough, Lieutenant.” Commander Nielsen’s stern tone brought Clarke’s whining to an abrupt stop. “One more word and I’ll have you restrained pending court-martial. Heron is doing what you haven’t the guts or the ability to do. What’s more, I’ve had about as much as I can take of your whining and complaining, and don’t think I’m not aware of how much you’ve passed on to the Consortium’s scientists and indirectly to their commanders. Now shut up or get out of my sight and my hearing.”

  Dumbfounded, Aral Clarke flushed beet red. He was stunned that the Commander knew of his underhand dealings and had never let on until now. This emboldened him, and he considered a retort then thought better of it, very aware of the fact that he had no supporters among the officers present. With as much dignity as he could salvage, he left the small lounge and retired to his quarters nursing his sense of outrage.

  Commander Nielsen fumed in frustration, it being little comfort to him that he knew, or at least suspected, that Harry’s siege on the Consortium Base was an attempt to release him and the others. Harry had sent a written note to him using one of the Canids as messenger, warning him of the plan, and so he had some idea of what was in progress. He touched his pocket again, the unfamiliar feel of folded paper somehow reassuring. This was the second time he had been contacted like this, and it had not been easy to hide the translator device from the regular inspections for contraband denied the prisoners.

  He paced back and forth, forcing himself to remain outwardly calm as he tried to work out what was going on from the snippets of conversation he could overhear as the guards took up defensive positions in the cellblock. The battle seemed to be intensifying with new explosions sounding bigger and closer than before. Withdrawing the note he opened it and read it again, once more admiring the beautiful handwriting he found so difficult to read.

  Commander A Nielsen Esquire

  Sir,

  I trust this finds you and our colleagues in good health. I write to advise you that I have learned that our forces will be attempting a landing soon. My men and our allies will launch an assault upon this Base in an effort to disrupt the defences. We hope that the opportunity will arise to secure your release in the course of that action.

  Of course, should it be the case that you and our colleagues have given their Parole to the Commander of the Garrison, I will not ask you to break it unless you are in a position to withdraw it voluntarily.

  I remain your humble servant,

  H Nelson-Heron

  Sub-Lieutenant, NECS Daring

  He looked to where the other officers were gathered then took a seated position where he hoped they would at least be partially protected from any blast. It had been damned difficult to persuade everyone to assemble in what he hoped was a protected place without revealing what he knew was coming. All he could do was wait.

  He smiled suddenly when he realised Harry would not have known that Gentlemen’s Agreements were no longer permitted between enemies unless for mutual protection from another force. He’d have to explain this to him somehow, and could imagine the look of surprise on the young Lieutenant’s face on being told.

  ComRate Cam Khodro checked the signal emitter logs again. There was definitely a signal sent from the transmitter that had no origination code from their system. He checked the current logins and found he could identify the Brigadier, the Com Officer and the Air Strike Commander’s codes, but there was an additional login which gave him no code, and when he tried to trace it, the code refused to identify itself.

  When he tried to block the intruder, his terminal screen cleared and his access was locked.

  “What the hell?” He keyed his comlink. “Major Willis, I’ve got a problem. Something just shut me out of our system. I think we have a serious bug. Something is logged into the emitters, and when I tried to trace it — I got shut down.”

  The Major hurried over. “Here, let me see. What were you logged into when it happened?”

  Cam showed her. Using her login, they checked the system carefully. The strange login had gone. Neither realised the Provider was using the Major’s own login and watching exactly what she could see.

  “Try to log in again,” the Major told Cam. She called to another member of the staff. “Is anything odd turning up on your systems?”

  Cam logged in on his alternative ID and checked his system record. It was intact, so he scrolled down to the location of the mystery signal. It had vanished.

  “It’s gone!” he exclaimed. “And the logs have—”

  He got no further. A series of explosions rocked the Communications Centre, and smoke filled the compartment. Several of the workstations went offline, and the Rates manning them tried frantically to restore the functions. More explosions shook the building, and the smoke thickened.

  The door slid open and a smoke-stained and shaken Lieutenant peered in. “Everyone okay? Sorry, Major, we took hits from several explosive bombs, and we have a fire in the building. We’ve got it isolated and under control. Are your systems still operational?”

  The Major looked around her. “A couple are down, but we’ll have them back ASAP.” As the Lieutenant withdrew, she said to Cam, “Leave that for now. Get the internal coms back up then see what you can do to restore the movement sensor system.”

  Admiral Enescu seethed with anger when she received the news of the Fleet landing force. Her carefully prepared trap seemed to have been circumvented.

  “How did they insert a landing force without escorts or landing ships?”

  “They came in close to the planetary atmosphere on the blind side, Admiral. Fast drop and back into transit. The Base reports they were attacked ahead of it happening. Something took down our defence satellite monitors as well.”

  “So we don’t know where they came from?” Surging out of her seat, she gripped the rail and peered down at her staff. “Where the hell is Hartmann? She has to be close. Send in Scout Force One with a troop carrier. Let them launch the troops on a low orbit pass. Insert interceptors in support and attack any landing ships in the vicinity. That should flush out Hartmann. Warn all ships to stand by to drop out the moment we know where they are.”

  “The Base is taking a real beating, and according to the latest report, the air wing have taken a hammering.” The Captain referred to some notes. “The oddball thing is that we can detect only personal weapons in use, yet the uplink imaging shows heavy weapons of some sort. Whoever is leading this attack is using something our scans can’t detect.”

  “Is it some form of alien tech?” demanded the Admiral.

  “Apparently not. Brigadier Newton says it’s self propelled — or some of it is — and explosive. It has no electronic components or guidance. That’s why it doesn’t show up on scan.”

  “So it’s crude and unreliable,” snapped the Admiral. “What the hell is wrong with our people? Can’t they deal with a bunch of primitives using the next best thing to a bow and arrow?”

  Her Chief of Landing Forces, a Major General of long experience, bit back a retort. “If it was just the escapees, it would be contained already. The local aliens have joined forces with escaped prisoners, and the people leading it are the pair that escaped from the Johnstone lab on Pangeaea —not to mention, one of them, O’Connor, escaped from the holding cell on Lycania, set
free by the other, Heron. Newton reports they have been interfering with our AIs and causing absolute havoc.”

  “Support Landing Force deploying and going in, Admiral.” The Flag Lieutenant paused, listening to a private signal com. “Our cruisers have been attacked by a force of three cruisers and ten destroyer class vessels pursuing our transports.” He stiffened at what he heard next. “Two starship class vessels have dropped out and are launching interceptors!”

  “Got you!” Admiral Enescu growled. “Typical Hartmann, she’s adopting a defensive strategy — send in Divisions One and Two, and support them with Cruiser Groups Hotel and Juliet. She’ll have to send in the rest of her fleet, and we’ll jump them then!”

  Aboard the Vanguard, Rear Admiral Heron watched the developing engagement on a visual display populated by relays sent from his ships. He saw the sudden appearance of the additional starships and cruisers and their host of escorts. To his Flag Lieutenant he said, “Signal Destroyer Groups One to Four and Commodore Dewey to take his ships into action.”

  His simulations had come up with a number of predictive responses to his insertion of the landing ships and their troops — and it seemed his opponent had adopted the most obvious. Better, she had assumed he had committed all his ships in response to her gambit. He watched the dropout of the new swarm of ships and then the enemy response.

  The Scan Officer reported, “All the enemy ships listed in the C-in-C’s intel report and that Ancient Mariner message are on scan and closing to engage. They’ve taken the bait, sir.”

  Satisfied, he said, “Signal all groups — Engage the enemy.” He keyed his personal link and ordered, “Take us in, Richard. I want to neutralise their flagship if we can. Leandra Enescu can sometimes be provoked into reacting without thinking things through.”

  Raki’s pack fought with cunning, but the sheer number of forces against them began to tell. Even with the weapons taken from the enemy in their raids, they soon found the soldiers had the advantage in their use.

  Reluctantly the big Canid gave orders to retire and regroup, and began to extricate his people. His signal flashed to his fellow leaders and to Harry’s position as well.

  With his teams in the thick of the fighting, the numbers against them were telling. Harry gave the order to Maddie. “Send the signal to withdraw to the southern boundary. Then send to Mr. O’Connor number four. I want him to lay down a barrage with everything he has left.”

  Receiving the signal, Ferghal ordered, “Load with contact exploding heads on the rockets and mortars. Batteries, maintain fire with what you have.”

  He watched as the first rockets soared away, followed minutes later by the mortars. The ground-shaking thump of the mortars as they sent their shells sailing over the enemy’s heads added to the excitement his team felt. The flash and bang as these landed sent the defenders diving for cover, exactly what Harry had hoped for.

  No one noticed the errant rocket as it roared to its apogee then began its descent, twisting and wavering as it did so. Those who did see its arrival didn’t have time to run anywhere as it hurtled into the vent shaft that led into a bunker filled with fuel cells and purified materials awaiting shipment to the agricultural worlds and satellites.

  In the noise of the battle, no one outside the underground store noticed the initial flash and blast of debris ejected from the entrance of the big bunker. The subsequent eruption got everyone’s attention.

  The Base Communications Centre took the full force of the explosion and the debris of a damaged strike craft. The wreckage smashed into the external wall and hurled debris through the compartment.

  ComRate Cam Khodro never knew what hit him. Seconds before the blast, he had finally traced the source of the interference, but now he would never report it.

  On his hillock, Harry and his team saw the debris hurled skyward, and seconds before it reached them, saw the shockwave. He had time to yell, “Everyone — down!” He threw himself into the depression as the ground leapt beneath him, and debris and heat blasted over them.

  Harry picked himself up, shaking a layer of filth and debris from him as he did so. He first checked that everyone with him was uninjured. Then he scrambled up to the ridge and stared at the scene of devastation. Nothing stirred below him, and an eerie silence hung over the entire panorama.

  A cold hand clutched his heart as he cast his gaze to and fro. Where was Ferghal? Where were the rest of his people? Turning to several men who had joined him, he snapped, “Signal all our positions. Check status and ask who needs assistance.”

  Maddie used her flags to attract attention, her concern tempered when she got a response from Errol Hill’s position.

  “Seven responses, sir. Nothing from Warrant Kellerman. He and his team were close to the blast.”

  “Team Six needs assistance, sir. Same with Team Four,” called a second signaller.

  “Mr. O’Connor says his people are all fine, just shaken, sir.”

  “Thank you. Signal Team One, repeat to Five — Render assistance. Add the location of the teams needing help. Direct Team Three to assist Warrant Kellerman.”

  “The Cons are regrouping, sir.”

  Studying the enemy positions, Harry lowered his ranging optics. “They’re falling back and taking up positions closer to the main structures. Signal all the other teams to regroup on Mr. O’Connor’s position. I think our part in this is almost at an end.” He indicated the mass of contrails and bright bursts of fire overhead. Below him, smoke and desultory flames issued from a huge crater, all that remained of a large part of the hastily prepared landing dock area.

  “Message from Sergeant Timlik of Team Three, sir.” The signalman sounded subdued. “No survivors from Warrant Kellerman’s team. The Sergeant asks for orders, sir.”

  “Tell him to secure our dead and join us as soon as possible.” Harry suddenly felt very tired and very alone. These were his men, and he had led them to their deaths. How many others, he wondered, had he lost in his determination to stay free of his enemy’s clutches and cause them injury?

  A party of Canids joined them on the hillock. “How have your people fared, Raki?” Harry asked. “That explosion was unexpected. Did it kill or injure any of yours?”

  The Canid leader stared at him for a long moment as if gathering his thoughts, then growled a lengthy response. From the translator Harry learned that the Canids had lost a large number of their fighters. Then he heard, “Rathol and his warriors say there are more coming, strangers we do not know. What is your intention now?”

  “Some will be our friends,” Harry replied. “But these ones” — he indicated the new contrails — “may not be.” He thought quickly. “I think we must do our best to prevent those that hold this place from joining their friends, and we must release our officers if possible.”

  “Then we will assist you. But warn those who come that they must not attack our cities or buildings, as your people call them, because these are living nodes of our Provider.”

  “I shall do my utmost,” Harry promised. “But now, let us join Ferghal and the others so we may plan our next actions.”

  The blast registered on the scanners of the descending Fleet landing barges, and seconds later, so did the shockwave on those nearest the source.

  “Someone’s touched off something big,” commented the pilot in charge of the Command Launch. “And there was some sort of fire fight going on around the location of the target area, but against someone using something that doesn’t show up on the scanners — and now that.”

  The Colonel leaned forward to study the screen. “What the hell? That looks like a volcanic blast.”

  “Unlikely — this area is seismically inactive,” replied the barge Commander. “It doesn’t register as a reactor failure, but there is something else. The atmospheric analysis is showing up chemical products. Some of it could be ruptured fuel cells, but there are other things in there I’ve never seen before — high levels of nitrates and
carbon, and some metal salts.” He stopped talking as his helmsman signalled a course change and a potential landing site. “That’s our landing zone — put us down.”

  “Right.” The Colonel warned his team. “We’re going in. I want the CC set up as soon as we are on the ground. Coms, signal the others. I want them down in an arc across the agreed drop zone. Air Support, stand by to repel their landers. The second wave will have to take them on. I want our people to advance on the target ASAP. That blast should have disorganised them enough for us to take them out before their cavalry can get here.”

  The roar of the landing engines announced the final phase of the flight, and there was a slight bump as the landing gear touched the ground. Within seconds, the cargo of Marines discharged and set up their defensive perimeter. Right behind them, the Colonel’s team disembarked and unloaded their sleds full of equipment for the Command Centre. Spread over several miles in a great arc facing the semi-destroyed Base, other barges touched down and disgorged their forces. Before the Colonel’s team had finished deploying their equipment, the first units were advancing toward the great pall of smoke and dust hanging above the Base.

  Admiral Enescu studied her visual displays. Her opponent was playing a wily game. The opposing fleet was either smaller than she had been informed, or elements of it weren’t yet committed. This was not the sort of deployment she had anticipated. Could Admiral Hartmann have changed her tactics? No time to worry about it now; she’d shown her hand and would have to play it through. To her Flag Captain, she said, “Identify the Vengeance and engage her.”

  “No sign of the Vengeance, Admiral,” came the response. “We identify the Valiant, Ramillies, Constellation and Karl der Größe.”

  “Damn, has she changed flagships as well?” She paused. “Very well, target the American ship. Let’s give them a reason to regret siding with the North European Fleet and not us.” She listened to the flow of orders and tracked her ships as they closed the enemy.