Navaj turned to Lieutenant Regul. “While tracking the Kthpok patrol I noticed these two were also in the area,” he announced. “Jerah joined me and we kept track of them following the Kthpok.”
“What were you thinking?” asked Forst of his missing pilot. He shook his head in disgust. “Following the Kthpok. You’re a pilot not a scout!”
Regul moved over to stand next to Rian. “This is the pilot we were supposed to rescue?” he asked.
“Look,” said the Ranger, “this reunion is nice. But night is coming and I want to get back home so I can sleep in my bed.”
“Home?” exclaimed Jerah. “Where’s that? In a tree?”
“A tree!” repeated the Iidx in disgust. “Of course not. It’s a rather comfortable cavern.” Rian waved his antennae in agreement.
“A cavern,” chorused the rest of the Iidx.
Regul stared at the Iidx. “Who are you?” he asked. “And how did you get here without the Kthpok knowing?”
“He never left,” answered Rian.
Regul glared at the pilot. “I wasn’t asking you. I was asking him,” the Lieutenant growled then turned his glare back to the Ranger. “Well?”
“I’m Fairron,” the Iidx replied, “and he’s right. I never left so I couldn’t ‘get here’ as you put it.”
“Explain!” ordered Regul. Once again Rian went to answer but this time he was stopped by Forst.
Fairron drew himself up in a proud stance. I was…am the Conservationist assigned to study and protect the endangered species on this island,” he announced. “That responsibility didn’t end just because the Kthpok arrived.”
“I see,” mused Regul. A flash of lightning followed seconds later by a clap of thunder interrupted the Lieutenant. Water continued to leak through the leaves. He gestured at the storm above the jungle canopy. “Can you get to this refuge of yours even in this?”
Rian and the Ranger both nodded. “If we hurry,” replied Fairron.
“And you can climb down a line,” added Rian.
The Iidx of the Regul’s swarm looked at each other then shrugged. “We’ll get our gear then you lead the way,” said the Lieutenant. “I know what our place looks like. Let’s see what your accommodations are like.”
A pack of three Kthpok piloted aircraft swept high over the prairie of Main Hive looking for targets. Water vapor contrails trailed off the wing tips then disappeared. A glint of light flashed in the sea of green ahead then winked out. It appeared for only an instant but drew the attention of the Kthpok commander. “This is One,” called Captain T’Rap. “Anyone else see that flash?”
“Confirmed,” returned Lieutenant H’Ram who was flying Ripper Two. “I make it just to the left of our heading.”
“It’s probably a farmer heading for safety in a city,” said Lieutenant A’Tok after consulting his navicomp. “The computer shows there’s a small city not far from here. It won’t be large enough to have defenses, Captain,” he said anticipating the next order.
T’Rap worked his own computer. By this time a dark line had appeared in the prairie. “That city hasn’t been destroyed yet and it’s in our area. That makes it a target. We’ll take the vehicles first,” said the Captain, “then follow the road. Strafing runs only until we reach the city.” He gave a feral grin, “then we use napalm. Execute!”
Still trailing white vapor trails, the three aircraft banked and changed formation. A moment later Captain T’Rap had lined up to follow a straight line heading for the horizon. Then he saw what had caught their attention and keyed his transmitter again. “One here,” T’Rap called. “We’ve found a convoy of approximately ten vehicles. Strafing confirmed. Follow me in.”
The aircraft reduced altitude and roared down the highway. Ripper One took the lead with Two and Three following behind at prescribed intervals. The supersonic speeds they were travelling at kept any warning from reaching their targets. It took an instant for T’Rap to recognize what his flight would be destroying. A’Tok was right! It looked like farmers were moving for a nearby city. This should prove a valuable training mission for his less experienced pilots.
When he came into range the Captain triggered his pulse cannon. The pulses of concentrated light stitched a series of explosions tracking up the road before reaching the vehicles. A large explosion marked the destruction of a vehicle the Iidx called a bus. Then a second and third explosion sent fireballs rolling skyward. Ripper One flashed through the flame and smoke then pulled up into a sharp turn so he could come back and make another run at the convoy if it was needed.
Ripper Two followed with his own pulsers firing. More explosions from vehicles rose towards the sky but none were as spectacular as those set off by the Captain. A’Tok in Ripper Three brought up the rear and destroyed the surviving vehicles. A long pillar of dirty, black smoke marked the location of the massacre.
“Two, Three,” called T’Rap, “take position on my flanks. Check arming and drop circuits.” The Kthpok flight returned to their arrow formation then confirmed the readiness of their equipment. Still following the country road they streaked for the small city thirty miles distant.
Twenty minutes later Ripper flight neared the outer structures of the city. The pack gained altitude and increased distance between each ship. Looking out of their cockpits as they overflew the city the pilots saw small figures scurrying for cover. Captain T’Rap circled around to come at the target from the opposite direction. The other two craft matched his movement precisely. “Timed release on my signal,” the Captain ordered. “Release begins…now!”
Talons reached out to tap a button. Loose groups of cylinders began to tumble from each craft. When the first drop was halfway to the surface another group appeared. As the first was hitting the surface a third was dropped. A wall of flame and smoke appeared sweeping over buildings and vehicles. The fires expanded and intensified as the second and third drops struck. Secondary explosions added to the fury as fuel sources in vehicles and structures were ignited. Iidx in the buildings suffered for just an instant as the oxygen in the area was consumed before they were incinerated. Those who were outside were burned to ash before they knew they were dead.
The Kthpok ships climbed and circled back. Buildings that hadn’t been engulfed and destroyed in the first pass caught fire from the intense heat. Keeping well away from the windstorm created by the inferno the pilots surveyed their handiwork. The target city had been incinerated with only a few outbuildings remaining.
“Back to the carrier,” ordered Captain T’Rap. “Let’s rearm and come back to do this again.”
J’Tan listened as the reports of the various missions worldwide were transmitted over the net. “When do we get some of that?” The commander of Battle Flight glanced to his left. Off his wing and a little behind was the complainer, Lieutenant T’Xada in Battle Two.
“Patience, Two,” replied J’Tan. “Our mission is to scour a specific area. If we see something we can hit it. But the Iidx won’t always be stupid so we need to be alert.”
The sound of Lieutenant T’Xada snorting came over the receiver. “We drew an area that’s the biggest desert on the planet, Captain,” he said. “I’ll settle for any Iidx, dumb or smart.”
“You’ve got your wish, Two,” came another voice.
“Don’t forget communications protocol,” chastised the Captain. “Make a proper report if you have anything to say otherwise stay off the net.”
“Yes, sir! Sorry, Captain. Battle One, this is Battle Four. I have a sighting of a road two degrees to the right.”
The Captain looked in the direction indicated and saw a dark line cutting across the yellow desert. A faint trail of dust wafted away from the road by a slight breeze indicated the passage of vehicles. J’Tan checked his naviputer. “I show a minor Iidx base seventy to eighty miles from here,” he announced. “That’s bad luck. We’re supposed to stay away from any large city or military base.”
“I don’t see why, Captain,” complained T’Xada. �
��We’ve already blasted their orbitals and communications. We took out their major bases with minor losses. And this isn’t a major base! So why can’t we have a little fun now?”
The Captain glared over at the offending pilot. “We don’t attack bases because we have our orders, Two,” he replied. “If you disobey them or forget proper communications protocol again you’ll lose your tail. And it’ll be an inch at a time without anesthesia. Is that understood?”
After a properly chastened pilot confirmed his understanding J’Tan swung back to look at the road. “Battle Flight, this is One. That road and what’s on it are within our area and are designated targets. Weapons are free. Separate and take position on my wings.”
He paused as a thought surfaced then continued his orders. “Since we’re relatively close to a base the target may have spotted us and requested support,” J’Tan announced. He glanced in Battle Four’s direction. “Four will take position a thousand feet over the target to watch for any Iidx craft. Once we’ve made our pass we’ll watch and Four can take his shot.” Clicks came over his receiver to acknowledge his orders.
Battle One, Two, and Three banked to alter course for the convoy. They were timing their run to intersect the road where the Iidx convoy would be. As the other three aircraft made their turn Four broke formation and gained altitude to watch for any enemy fighters that might be sent. “Targeting systems active,” ordered the Captain.
“Battle One, this is Four. From this altitude I show two large vehicles at each end of the convoy.”
J’Tan checked his own equipment and bobbed his head. “We’ve got at least thirty vehicles. This’s definitely one of the better targets,” he commented. “The two at the ends have the highest energy readings. They could be military.” He paused as he thought then spoke again. “They might be escorting all the civilians they could find to the ‘safety’ of that base up ahead.”
“Military?” wondered Lieutenant N’Voi in Battle Three. “Does that mean we have to break off the attack Captain?”
“Break off!” exclaimed T’Xada forgetting communications procedures again. “We miss a convoy because there might be a threat? You’ve heard the reports, Captain. Its target practice out there! We can’t return to the ship and tell everyone we let a convoy go because two vehicles might’ve been military!”
“Are you quite finished, Two?” asked J’Tan. His tone suggested that Lieutenant T’Xada would be dealt with after the flight returned to its carrier in orbit.
When there was silence the Captain continued his instructions. “We are not going to break off,” he announced. “But we aren’t going to be stupid about this either. Missiles will be used for the first pass. The larger vehicles are designated as military which makes them a threat. Therefore, they are our priority targets. Once they’re gone we’ll be able to shoot up the rest of the convoy at our leisure. Two, you have the responsibility to destroy the lead threat.” A click acknowledged. “The trailing threat is Third’s.” Another click was heard. “Now come into line and let’s blast that convoy.”
With Battle One in the center Two and Three pulled abreast. Targeting lasers speared ahead to pick out the assigned targets. Seconds later two air-to-surface missiles from each craft were launched to race ahead. The white smoke from their drives showed the weapons were flying true. J’Tan glanced at his instruments - twenty seconds to target. It looked like the encounter Battle Flight would have with the Iidx would be identical with the reports they had heard.
Ten seconds before the missiles arrived on target the scenario changed. Panels slide aside on the lead and rear vehicles to let chain guns swing into place. They were indeed military. Using the Kthpok targeting lasers as a guide the Iidx guns opened fire. Brass casings flew in the air as five thousand rounds per second were sent towards the missiles. Six black cotton balls appeared a hundred yards from the convoy.
The noise from the explosions of the missiles and firing of chain guns was deafening. Iidx in the vehicles who were being escorted to the base by the military cried out in surprise and pain from the shock. Shrapnel from the destroyed missiles rattled off the armor of the military vehicles, smashed windows and peppered the thin metal coverings of the civilian machines. Shrieks of anguish came from those unlucky enough to be in the way of the flying metal.
Before J’Tan could adjust to the danger chain guns shifted to new targets. At the same time three surface-to-air missiles erupted from their launch boxes. Instead of heading for the incoming craft the three missiles raced upward towards the aircraft keeping watch overhead. The chain guns opened fire at the oncoming aircraft using short bursts sending another spray of casings.
Ignoring the destruction of his missiles Lieutenant T’Xada targeted the lead vehicle with his lasers. A light shudder went through his ship causing him to look up. A quick glance showed a line of holes had appeared running down the fuselage. The clawless Iidx has shot holes in his aircraft! Cursing, he turned his attention back to his target. He was reaching for the trigger when a second burst from the Iidx chain guns tore through the cockpit plexiglas, shattering everything inside. Without a pilot the ship bobbed up then went into a steep dive to explode in the desert sand a thousand yards from the convoy. An instant later Battle Three exploded when projectiles from the chain guns ripped into its fuel reservoir and drive chambers.
Captain J’Tan keyed off a quick burst from his pulsers and watched as the explosions walked up to the convoy. Two vehicles exploded, throwing fragments of metal, flesh and shell in all directions. He was banking to fire down the length of the convoy when a chain gun had him targeted. Rounds ripped into the right wing. Metal shredded and tore away from the force of his flight. With one wing gone J’Tan’s craft began tumbling and fell from the sky, disappearing in a fireball on the opposite side of the convoy.
A thousand feet overhead the spotter craft saw the missiles rising up from the surface. Knowing he had only seconds to live, Lieutenant M’Nor threw his ship into evasive maneuvers. There was no question what the target for those weapons was. A quick glance at the scanner showed that the missiles were still closing. Increasing the complexity of his maneuvers he ejected chaff packets and decoys. One missile veered off course to chase a decoy but the remaining two kept their lock. The Lieutenant looped and jinked his aircraft but the missiles followed, making up the distance. He was reaching for the ejection release when the first missile raced up a drive tube and the other went for a wing. Battle Four disappeared in a ball of flame an instant before Battle One lost a wing.
The main door of the Command Center for Refuge opened to let Senior Queen Dahoni enter. Swarm Master Zelof and his Second, Sesum, glanced up from the tactical plot they’d been studying. A slight dip of their antennae was the only indication of their surprise. The Queen had come without her junior companion.
Dahoni didn’t hesitate but hurried through the busy room to where the two surviving Swarm Leaders were standing. “I heard the alert,” she said. “What’s happening?”
Zelof bobbed his acknowledgement and gestured at the plot. Dahoni moved up next to the table and looked down at the symbols. “What am I seeing?” she asked.
“The reason for the alert, your Highness,” replied the Swarm Master. “After several days in orbit the Kthpok have initiated their assault.”
The Queen’s antennae drooped and her posture sagged at the news. “What cities have been hit?” she wondered. “How many of our people have they massacred?”
“We have no way to know the number of casualties, your Highness,” replied Zelof. “But no major cities have been attacked.”
“No cities have been attacked,” repeated Dahoni.
“No major cities have been attacked,” clarified Zelof and nodded at the plot. “The Kthpok have been concentrating on rural areas. All of the medium and smaller population centers are gone along with many villages. They’ve been attacking the convoys heading to the cities as well.”
The Swarm Master gave a light chuckle drawing a ster
n look from the Queen. “Sorry, your Highness,” he said. “But the Kthpok’ve learned we aren’t without teeth. A flight of three aircraft attacked a convoy heading for Refuge.” His antennae reflected his amusement. “All three aircraft were destroyed with little loss to the convoy.” Then his mood grew somber. “But for the most part their attacks have been successful and without loss.”
“But in ignoring our main cities the Kthpok’ve left our manufacturing centers untouched,” added Sesum. “Our war making machinery is still intact.” He hoped to inject a note of optimism in a dismal situation.
The Swarm Master motioned with his antennae to confirm what his Second had said. “We can build the weapons,” Zelof said. “But the problem is getting those weapons into orbit where the Kthpok are. Our missiles don’t have the range.” He shrugged. “We could even build ships and attempt to get them into space. But I don’t think the Kthpok are going to let us do something like that.”
A gesture from the Queen indicated her question and Zelof continued. “They control the planet from orbit, your Highness and they’re not going to allow that to change,” he explained. “Everything they do will be from orbit or in the air.”
“But why?” wondered Dahoni.
“It’s a matter of numbers,” Zelof replied. “If the Kthpok empty their ships in orbit of all personnel and send them against us on the surface we’d outnumber them by millions. They’d kill many of our people but we’d overwhelm them with our numbers. They’d die! No,” he said shaking his head. “They won’t come to the surface and, with our Space Swarm gone, we can’t challenge them.”
“I see,” said the Queen, her fluffy antennae draping across her back in dejection. “If they have that ability, that power, what hope do we have for keeping our planet?”
Betrayal Page 41
