The Peacekeepers. Books 1 - 3.

by Ricky Sides

  “He doesn’t like the order,” Pol observed, and then he said, “Sorry, sir. I was just thinking out loud.”

  “That’s all right, Pol. I don’t like the order myself. But sometimes we have to make the hard decisions in life to save the most people,” Jim explained.

  “No disrespect meant, Captain, but I’m glad I don’t sit in that chair,” Pol said sadly.

  “There are days that I wish I didn’t,” Jim stated. Turning to Patricia, he said, “Send a warning on all channels that a band of heavily armed bikers numbering in the hundreds is in the area. List the route they are taking and tell all civilians that the peacekeepers are in route to deal with the problem, but that all civilians should take shelter, as these men are armed and extremely dangerous. Report what they did to the last town. Inform them that taking shelter in their homes is unwise. Record that broadcast and send it every fifteen minutes.”

  “Aye, Captain, and who should I say is transmitting? The captain of the Peacekeeper or just leave it at the peacekeepers?” she asked.

  Jim didn’t particularly care either way, so he shrugged and said, “Whatever comes to mind when you compose the message will be fine with me.”

  Patricia transmitted the message Jim had ordered her to and when she signed off, she did so in the name of the peacekeepers. Peacekeeper bases in Northwestern Alabama, Northern Mississippi, Eastern Arkansas, and middle Tennessee all heard that message. They got their maps, studied the locations, determined the appropriate routes to take, and assigned men to leave at once. Not all could go as they had trouble spots of their own to watch, but from all these bases, peacekeepers rushed to gather their equipment, put on their body armor, grab weapons and ammunition and get to their vehicles.

  Soon these elements were en route to deal with a threat that another band of peacekeepers was rushing to meet alone. The Arkansas team sent a message of encouragement as they sped toward the coming conflict telling their peacekeeper brothers and sisters to hold on and reassuring them that help was on the way from the Arkansas peacekeepers. Hearing this message, the Northwestern Alabama team sent a similar message. The Mississippi team followed their message quickly with a similar communication. The middle Tennessee group was the last to send a communication. They were speeding westward toward the coming conflict. Base one having heard all of these messages sent a message that they were also sending a large element toward the area.

  In the control room of the Peacekeeper, which was speeding toward the coming battle at three hundred miles per hour, the crew heard these messages and marveled at what was spontaneously happening. “Maybe we should tell everyone that we can handle this,” Jim suggested.

  “Don’t you dare!” Patricia said, but then she said, “Pardon me, sir,” and she remained silent.

  Pete turned and said, “What Patricia said sums it up for me. We need this sort of spontaneous showing of support to build deeper bonds among the peacekeepers.”

  Jim ordered the series of messages piped through the intercom so that the rest of the crew not present might have the opportunity to hear what was happening. The people aboard the Peacekeeper hearing these messages for the first time stood stock still in amazement and pride in their fellow peacekeepers. When the message ended, young Evan and Lisa both came into the control room. Jim noted that both were wearing their hats and uniforms. Lisa asked, “Captain, are we going to help those people too?”

  “Yes we are, Lisa,” Jim answered truthfully.

  “Good,” she said simply and walked over to Pete. She hugged him and said, “If you leave the ship, be careful. Don’t let them take you prisoner.”

  “I won’t, sweetheart,” Pete answered.

  “Good,” she said simply and turned to walk away. She took a step and then stopped. Turning back to face Pete she said, “I love you, Dad.”

  Pete got down on his knee then and extended his arms to her and she ran to him and hugged him. “I love you too, my daughter,” he said and kissed her cheek. He wished Maggie had been there, and then this moment would have been perfect. Glancing toward the hall, he saw Maggie standing there with tears in her eyes and her hand to her mouth and he knew that she’d witnessed everything. He smiled at his wife and then spoke to Lisa saying, “You’d best go help your mother now. She has a lot to do before we get where we’re going.

  Lisa smiled and turned to her mother and said, “Need a hand, Mom?”

  “I sure do, dear, if you have the time,” Maggie said and led the girl to the infirmary.

  Pete resumed his seat as if nothing had happened, but the crew knew that both Maggie and Pete had fervently hoped that one day the girl would think of them as parents, and not just as the nice people that took her in when she needed a home. Patricia wiped her eyes and sniffed. Pol blew his nose lustily. Jim cleared his throat and Tim stared straight ahead but Pete caught him sneaking a finger to wipe an eye.

  Finally, Pol spoke up for the rest of the control room crew when he said, “Pete Damroyal, if you don’t go to the infirmary right this minute and kiss your wife, I will.”

  Pete stood and faced Jim, trying to keep a straight face at the thought of Pol kissing Maggie. He asked, “Permission to leave the control room for five minutes, sir?”

  “Permission granted,” said Jim with a smile.

  ***

  Lisa had heard the sergeant getting his orders from the captain. She knew the sergeant well, and knew he didn’t like having to leave anyone behind. However, Lisa knew from her own horrifying experience what being taken prisoner meant, so she felt she had to go talk to her friends in the cargo bay. Walking into the cargo bay, she saw the men all gathered in a circle sitting on the floor and talking quietly.

  Lisa walked over to sit beside Sergeant Wilcox, who always welcomed her to their conversations. The sergeant looked at her with sad eyes. She knew he was thinking about the captain’s orders and she said, “Sergeant, I overheard the orders. I know you don’t want to leave anyone behind, and you might wait too long,” then she turned to his men and added, “Or some of you may wait too long.”

  She sighed then and said, “There are things you don’t know about me that I think I should tell you.” Lisa was unaware that this team had rescued her. She’d been unconscious at the time and woke up in the infirmary, never certain how she’d gotten there because no one in the crew would speak of it. Sighing again, she said, “I was taken captive by a bad man. He did things to me. Bad things. He hurt me very badly,” she said, her young voice breaking. “He did things to another girl too, but she died.”

  Some of the soldiers had to look away so she wouldn’t see the pain in their eyes.

  “If you don’t listen to the captain and do as he says, then some of you will be taken captive by the bad men. And they’ll do bad things to you like what was done to me. Please, oh please don’t let that happen,” she begged, and then she began to cry, not for herself, but in fear for them.

  “We won’t, Lisa, I promise,” Sergeant Wilcox said.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and thanked him. He gently patted her on the back and felt her body stiffen briefly. He cursed himself for forgetting. He’d never touched her before, but then she relaxed and wiped her eyes. She kissed him on the cheek and then walked around the circle of men, kissing each on the cheek. As she did so and the men patted her on the back in appreciation, a broken part in that little girl’s soul was mended. When she left the cargo bay, the sergeant looked each man in the eyes and saw the emotions that he was experiencing reflected in their eyes. “Well there you have it boys. We have our orders from the captain and we have the request from Lisa. Each of us promised that little girl we’d do our jobs and not get captured in the process. Which of you will let her down and go back on his word? It sure as hell won’t be me.”

  “Letting that sink in a moment he said, “We’ll go in and we’ll try to get the people to listen. We’ll save those we can, but we get out and we don’t get taken captive. Agreed?” he asked.

  “Agreed,�
�� they said in unison.

  Chapter 25

  The Peacekeeper made excellent time on its flight to intercept the Marauders and soon they arrived at the outskirts of a small city. Tim immediately began to look for a decent place to land so that they could deploy the strike team and then proceed to intercept the bikers as far from the city as possible. To the northeast, Jim could see the woods that the map had depicted present on that side of the city. He could also see the street that would be best to utilize to get the evacuees out of the small city and into the woodlands. He ordered Tim to hover in position and called for the sergeant to come forward so that he could get a view of the lay of the land. That intimate knowledge could well save lives.

  As he was waiting for the sergeant to come forward, he asked Tim, “What’s the name of this city? In all of the excitement I forgot to ask.”

  “Actually I haven’t noted the name yet. Been too busy dodging trees,” Tim said and glanced down at his screen. He did a double take and then said, “Captain, you’re going to think I’m joking, but the name of the city is Alamo.”

  “That’s really not funny,” Jim said in irritation.

  “He isn’t kidding,” Pete said looking at the map and shaking his head.

  “Well let’s hope this Alamo has a better outcome for the defenders than the last,” Sergeant Wilcox stated dryly as he stopped beside Jim.

  “No wonder the peacekeepers are rallying to get here,” Jim said amused despite himself. Turning to Patricia, he asked, “You sent the name of the city or the coordinates?”

  “The coordinates, sir. That has been the protocol since the exercise last spring when one element ended up going to the wrong city because two had identical names. I did note the name, but thought you guys weren’t mentioning it because of the dark undertones associated with that historical name,” Patricia said by way of explanation.

  “In this case we’ll have to see that the outcome is much different,” Jim stated with confidence. Turning to the sergeant, he said, “If possible, I’d use that street below to get the people out of the city. Note the landmarks quickly please. We need to land so that you can deploy your men, and then we will proceed to the confrontation.”

  The sergeant walked closer to the windshield and stared out at the city below for a full five minutes. Jim was beginning to get impatient when the sergeant turned and said, “I’ve seen enough, sir. Thank you for the opportunity. This will make my task easier.” Saying no more he saluted and headed for the cargo bay.

  “Find us a spot to set down near the center of town,” Jim ordered.

  As Tim landed the Peacekeeper, a small crowd left their homes and businesses to go outside and stare at the strange craft in their midst. Tim moved to open the cargo bay hatch, but Jim asked him to wait a moment. The strike team boiling out into their midst with weapons could lead to misunderstandings, so Jim told Patricia to activate the Public Address system and he would deliver a short message before sending out the team.

  Clearing his throat he said, “People of Alamo. This is, Captain Jim Wilison of the peacekeepers. A band of hundreds of motorcyclists is heading in this direction. They are outlaws who burned the last small town they passed through. We are going to try to stop them before they can enter Alamo, but it’s doubtful that we can keep them all out of your city. These men are heavily armed and extremely dangerous, but we have a plan that will help you to remain safe. Our strike force will disembark and lead you to a place of safety. If you go with the peacekeeper team, you should be safe. Stay in this city at your own risk. Those who stay, kiss your loved ones goodbye because the odds are you won’t live to see them again. My men have orders to escort you immediately to the relocation site. Good luck to you all. Follow the orders of my men and you will all live to see tomorrow. Ignore our instructions and you are on your own.”

  Jim signaled for the PA system to be deactivated and then motioned for Tim to open the cargo bay door. Moments later Patricia said, “Strike team deployed, sir.” Then she said, “Sergeant Wilcox says that the people are not hostile, just full of questions. He said he is telling them that he doesn’t have time for a more detailed explanation and if they want to live they had better plan to leave immediately.”

  Jim nodded his acknowledgment and said, “Navigator, find me some Marauders,”

  “With pleasure, sir,” Tim said. The Peacekeeper lifted into the air, spinning on its axis. At two hundred feet altitude, the ship surged forward, accelerating rapidly to maximum speed. Tim followed the highway, knowing that they had to engage the Marauders as far from the city as possible.

  All too soon, they encountered the first of the Marauder bikers. Turning to Pete, the captain said, “Fire at will. Try to create a roadblock with their bikes if you can.”

  The laser lanced out, striking a biker who lost control of his bike and slammed into two other bikers. All three motorcycles went down in a pile of wreckage.

  Pol spoke up as Pete continued to fire saying, “If we descend to about twenty feet and use the belly gun we could force them to stop or enter the ray could we not?”

  “ Yes, that might work. But would the ray stop them if they are traveling at a high rate of speed?” Pete asked.

  “I must confess that I do not know. This is not my specialty,” he said apologetically.

  “It should partially liquefy the surface of the road and that might cause a massive pileup. Only one way to see if it will work and that’s to try the technique,” Pete stated with a grin. Turning to Tim, he said, “Bring us around and put us into position.”

  “All right, but watch the energy levels. This is going to be a steady drain on our power,” Tim said.

  “I will friend, you just watch that tree!” Pol exclaimed reflexively covering his face with his arms.

  However, there was no collision. Tim darted the ship around the tree with precision and brought it back to the front of the Marauder bikers in position for Pete to try the belly gun.

  “Now to try this,” Pete muttered and activated the belly gun. He also fired the forward laser several times, killing numerous bikers. Then the first of the bikers hit the ray being emitted by the ship. Their tires spun on the liquefied asphalt, slinging the hot mixture onto those directly behind them, and in many cases tossing it up onto themselves with their churning tires. The riders were severely burned by the ray, but they made it through. Pete fired the rear laser at several, killing them and slowing the progress of the bikers behind them, as they had to brake and take evasive action to try to avoid slamming into the wreckage.

  For three minutes, they fought in this manner, but then Pol said, “We are down to sixty percent power reserves. We cannot maintain this sort of attack. I recommend you break off now before we become critically low.”

  Pete ceased fire with the belly gun, but continued to attack those fore and aft with the lasers, still attempting to create a roadblock of sorts.

  All during this attack, the bikers had been returning fire. Their bullets pinged harmlessly off the skin of the Peacekeeper, but it was impossible to stop them in this manner. Try as he might, Pete could not shoot them all as they speed past. He was lucky to get one out of five.

  “Do you think we’d be better off just strafing them?” Tim asked. “Or perhaps we should fly to the end of their column, get behind them, and match their speed. Then we could pick them off efficiently and keep going till we reach the front ranks.”

  “They’d be in the city before we could take out very many at the rate they are traveling,” Pete said.

  “I am beginning to think we cannot stop them from entering the city. Though smaller in number than the Mongol Hordes, they fight with that same approach. They ignore their dead and ride on,” Pol observed.

  “Yeah, well how were they defeated?” Tim asked and then he admitted, “Sorry but I can’t remember the associated history that well.”

  “Two things had a profound impact on the Mongols. In one case, the people they conquered absorbed them and they became c
ivilized. In the other case, the plague decimated untold numbers. I’m afraid neither of those solutions will help us,” Pol stated sadly. Then he had a thought. “The Chinese built a great wall to protect them from the Hordes. We do not have time for that, but perhaps we could retreat and locate a few trees to drop? That might buy the people of Alamo an hour.”

  Jim considered that possibility and said, “Let’s try that. We can’t keep them out of the city and we know that, but if we can give the strike team a decent chance they can save those willing to listen to them.”

  ***

  Sergeant Wilcox had organized a group of locals willing to help and they were rapidly going door to door telling their friends and neighbors that a dangerous outlaw gang was headed for town, and that they had to leave at once. Most came willingly and soon the street was lined with people milling about and wanting to know where they were going. The sergeant assigned two of his men to lead those already gathered to the woods northeast of the city. He had to get these people moving. He told the men to walk the people at the best pace practical and that when they arrived at the woods they were to get the people out of sight and keep them quiet. It would be terribly impractical to attempt to evacuate the city in vehicles. There would be nowhere to hide them, and a string of vehicles would definitely lead to their discovery.

  Alamo was a small town. The sergeant estimated that there were approximately one thousand residences. There was simply not enough time to go door to door. The volunteers were concentrating on the homes nearest the main highway that the bikers were likely to follow. He hoped to get that section of the town cleared before the bikers arrived. Meanwhile he commandeered a vehicle that had a small PA system. He had a local begin driving around town telling the people to leave their homes and follow the crowd if they wanted to escape imminent danger. This did help to speed the evacuation considerably. Many citizens were watching what was happening in the streets, but they had no idea what was going on in their city. In some cases strong men worked together to carry the very old or push the wheelchairs of the few disabled people in evidence.