He gave a slight shrug. “Our ships will be coming in fast, under emissions control and at dusk. It’ll appear as if they’re trying to sneak in assuming any watchers to be off guard. That way if the Kthpok are on guard it’ll be the type of approach they’re expecting which is what we’re counting on. The idea is for the Kthpok to have to work for it but eventually spot the decoys. If everything works they’ll miss the real force.
“The people we’re really expecting are coming on less visible ships, just after dusk and are taking a longer course for the north eastern coast. The beaches there aren’t very good so we hope the Kthpok will be distracted by the decoys and won’t be looking in that direction. We hope.”
Rian went to ask another question but Forst held up a false-hand to stop him while keeping the magnifiers to his eyes. “That’s one,” the Captain announced then moved the glasses to look in a slightly different direction. “Two.” Again a shift. “And three. That’s all of them.” Putting down the magnifiers Forst looked over at Rian. “Flash Lieutenant Regul,” he ordered. “Let him know the decoys have been sighted.”
Without a word Lieutenant Rian moved over to the light and began to work the shutter. A moment later he saw a series of answering flashes coming from the distant mountains. “They’ve been told,” he called, “and they acknowledge. Should I pack up?”
Forst paused for a minute to consider then shook his head. “No, your earlier idea is a good one,” he replied. “Let’s wait to see if or when the Kthpok respond. If they don’t the Lieutenant will need to know. The Kthpok may not be watching or aren’t taking the decoy. If they don’t respond like we want them to he may want to postpone the real drop.”
“Can he do that?” Rian wondered.
The Captain gave a wave from his antennae. “Who knows?” he replied. “All we can do is provide him with the best information available. You’d better let the Lieutenant know what we’re doing.”
Rian grunted his agreement and moved back to the light. He’d finished sending the message and was getting a confirmation when a deafening roar sounded overhead causing the ground to tremble. Surprised he and Forst glanced up through the concealing branches in time to see several shapes racing towards the channel. They hurried to look out at the strait and saw hordes of flying insects rising above the jungle, startled by the unnatural sound. Several aircraft were heading away from the observers. The noise diminished as the aircraft moved for the coast and the insects began to settle back into the jungle.
“They’re low,” commented the Lieutenant. “I could’ve hit ‘em with a rock.”
“It seems the Kthpok noticed our decoys,” Captain Forst said looking at the ocean through his magnifiers once more. “That was faster than I expected. They obviously had their antennae up.” He shook his head. “I just hope they aren’t this observant elsewhere. You’d better flash Lieutenant Regul that the Kthpok are after the decoys.”
Rian worked the light for several seconds. Once the message had been sent he dove for his pack. There was no waiting for a confirmation this time. He was not going to miss any part of the events out on the sea. After retrieving his own magnifiers Rian moved up next to the Captain who shifted to one side. The two observers watched as the flight of six Kthpok aircraft roared out over the Strait.
It was apparent to Forst that the incoming Iidx sea vessels were trying to use the setting sun to hide their approach. Besides coming from the west they were spread out in single file making for the island at their best speed with considerable distance between each vessel. To help make things difficult for the Tails each ship was heading for a different beach. And if their Captains were following the plan that’d been transmitted they were under emissions control.
A moment later the two Iidx saw the attacking flight split into three groups of two aircraft each. One pair peeled off while the remaining four continued out to sea. “They’re after the decoys all right,” confirmed Forst. Rian nodded his agreement.
As the Kthpok aircraft left the island they’d been picked up by passive sensors of the closest Iidx vessel. The Captain immediately ordered his ship to turn away from the island and radioed an alert to the other vessels but the action wouldn’t save his ship.
Forst saw laser pulses begin to track from the vessel and streak towards the attacking aircraft. In response, similar pulses and missiles left the two Kthpok craft. The pulsers fired by the Iidx caused the Kthpok to begin evasive maneuvers but the aircraft maintained their pulser fire.
When the pulses of concentrated light from the aircraft hit the water of the Strait erratic lines of steam explosions moved towards the vessel. Within seconds one line of pulses crossed over the bow and another moved over the stern blasting holes in armor. Metal shards were blown in all directions shredding any Iidx who were on deck. Electrical surges created by the pulses shot throughout the vessel causing equipment to explode killing more Iidx and setting fires. The computers in the Combat Information Center blew apart sending shrapnel throughout the room. Thorax, abdomen, limbs and heads were punctured and thrown in all directions. Ichor and fluids were splattered over the walls and floor. The power plant went into overload and shut down. SAM launchers and chain guns which were preparing to fire lost power and dropped out of sight.
The missiles launched by the aircraft arrived as the vessel began to slow. Two had been confused by electronics counter-measures or the sudden cut in speed and plunged into the sea to detonate sending plumes of water a hundred of feet into the air in front of the ship. A third missile smashed through the metal armor amidships reaching the magazine while the fourth penetrated to the power room. Two huge explosions obliterated the ship sending a roiling ball of smoke, flame and steam into the sky. Jagged fragments sprayed outward in a hail of metal creating a series of splashes.
The two attacking aircraft circled up and away from the carnage, looking for another target.
With the first ship destroyed Forst scanned the waters of the strait for the other two. The second ship was easy to find. It hadn’t been obliterated like the first but was engulfed in flames, dead in the water. A column of thick black smoke was beginning to ascend.
The remaining vessel had fared better than its companions. Since it had been last in line, further away from the island than the other two it’d been able to swing around and race for the main land. Before the two aircraft assigned to make the kill could reach attack range the ship was building up speed.
Forst watched the Kthpok close on their target as the sea vessel lifted up on its hydrofoils to get even more speed. But he knew the ship was doomed. Even at her best speed there was no way any seagoing vessel could outrun aircraft.
The aircraft began to fire their pulsers the moment they entered range, sending a line of explosions towards the fleeing ship. At the same time Forst saw several puffs of smoke appear on the ship that was swept away by the speed of the craft. An instant later puffs of smoke appeared above and ahead of the craft and its image grew hazy. The puffs of smoke continued to appear.
“Brilliant!” exclaimed the Captain to no one in particular as understanding came. His antennae went stiff in his excitement. “Using chaff packets as a defense against pulsers instead of missiles. Who’d’ve thought? That’s brilliant! Now, if it’s a thick enough cloud it might work.”
The line of pulse explosions reached the chaff cloud and climbed into the air. Explosions appeared one on top of another. At first Forst thought the chaff cloud hadn’t been dense enough, hadn’t worked and the last Iidx ship had been destroyed. Then the vessel appeared out of the cloud of explosions, sending a spray of water and foam into the sky.
“Go!” he muttered, urging the ship on to its escape. “Faster! You must go faster!” More chaff packets exploded above and ahead of the ship. The two Kthpok aircraft over ran their target, circled and came back. This time the Captain expected them to close so the targeting computers for their air-to-surface missiles would burn through the distortions caused by the metallic strips.
It appeared to the observers the target vessel had carried an excessive amount of chaff packets and its captain wasn’t stingy in their use. The launchers were on rapid-fire maintaining the cloud over the ship. Forst imagined the metallic strips made breathing difficult for any Iidx exposed on deck. Then without warning, the firing of chaff packets stopped and SAM launchers rose from the bow and stern of the Iidx ship.
At this point events moved in quick succession. The Kthpok aircraft fired their missiles and SAM’s erupted from the sea vessel. The instant the incoming missiles were detected several chain-guns on the bow and stern of the ship swiveled around, targeting the threats. A stream of projectiles erupted from the guns and spent brass casing littered the deck.
A black puff of smoke appeared a distance from the fleeing craft as an incoming missile was destroyed. Seconds later the two observers on the island heard a sharp report from the distant explosion.
Still watching the fight through his magnifiers Forst saw the attacking aircraft pull up and veer away. One went left while the other right. Decoys and flares were ejected as the aircraft began evasive maneuvers. Other puffs of black smoke appeared then explosions heard when the remaining Kthpok missiles were destroyed.
“I can’t believe what I just saw!” exclaimed Rian while watching the battle. “That ship survived two attacks!” His antennae reflected his amusement. “But it took the Kthpok forever to realize they’d been targeted. Is that the pilot’s fault? Or is it their equipment? Either way it’s sloppy on their part.”
Forst grunted his agreement but didn’t take his eyes off the battle. The two aircraft continued to fire decoys as they raced away from the missiles, swinging back and forth, alternating speed and altitude. While they struggled to break missile lock the sea-going vessel continued to race for safety.
At the last minute the Kthpok pilot who’d gone to the right extended drag fins, cut power to his drives and dove further to the right which let the aircraft fall like a rock. The missiles which had the craft targeted moved to respond but couldn’t react fast enough. They flew past and detonated.
The other Kthpok aircraft continued racing away, dropping chaff packets and infra-red decoys. But the Iidx missiles that had him targeted weren’t distracted. They flew past the decoys, followed the frantic pilot’s maneuvers and blotted the craft from the sky.
The surviving pilot powered back up to gain altitude then circle around for another shot at the Iidx ship. But before he could target the vessel his threat alert sounded: two more missiles had him targeted.
Once again the Kthpok tried every trick he knew to break lock but it wasn’t enough. The weapons were closing in. With the missiles a hundred yards away and closing fast the Kthpok reached down to pull the ejection lever. Explosive bolts blew away the cockpit canopy and rockets propelled the pilot out of the aircraft. An instant later missiles blew the aircraft apart. Shrapnel peppered the pilot’s ejection seat. A large piece of jagged metal slashed through the still firing propulsion units rupturing the fuel cell. A fireball engulfed the Kthpok still strapped in his seat.
The Iidx vessel continued to race for safety and resumed firing chaff packets.
While their Pack mates were losing the fight for their lives the remaining four Kthpok aircraft arrived. Forming a line all four bored in for the fleeing ship loosing decoys and employing ECM at full power. The death of their comrades had warned them this would not be easy prey. They closed until their targeting scanners burned through the distortions caused by the chaff cloud over the vessel and a flight of eight missiles was volleyed off.
Once again the chaff stopped being fired by the fleeing vessel and SAM’s were launched at the aircraft. The Kthpok peeled away to evade the missiles targeted on them.
After launching their SAM’s the Iidx on the sea vessel resumed firing chaff packets and boosted power to their ECM. Chain-guns spewed projectiles at the incoming missiles killing two, then a third. Three of the five remaining missiles were lured off target by the ships ECM and dove into the water. Geysers of water erupted around the ship then cascaded down onto the deck. Two missiles struck an instant later. They pierced the ships thin armor and exploded. A huge explosion sent a cloud of fire, smoke and steam into the sky. Once again jagged metal fragments were sprayed in all directions, peppering the ocean surface.
His antennae drooping, Forst lowered his magnifiers. It wasn’t necessary to see if any of the SAM’s killed an aircraft. “It’s over,” he announced and looked at his companion. “The Kthpok killed all three vessels and I didn’t see any survivors. There were a lot of good people lost with those ships. I hope their deaths weren’t wasted.”
Rian lowered his own magnifiers but still looked out at the columns of smoke rising in the distance. Glints of light and specks of dark indicated the movement of the Kthpok aircraft. The appearance of a flash of light followed by a deep boom seconds later indicated the death of an aircraft. “For a minute there it looked like that last one’d get away,” he said then glanced back at the Captain. “I was hoping they’d get away.” The Lieutenant shrugged his antennae. “At least they got three Kthpok.
“So, what do we do now?”
By this time Forst had walked over to his pack and was putting his magnifiers away. He glanced up at his companion. “We do what was planned,” he announced. “There’s still a little daylight so we start back now. Tomorrow we can meet up with Regul and help transfer any equipment the new people brought to the new hive.” The Captain looked down as he tied his pack shut. “There’s a lot of work to be done and not much time to do it in so we’d better get going.”
Queen Krissen sat in the passenger cabin of her ground effect vehicle and stared out the left window without anything registering. The terrain which flashed by had changed from an arid, mountain desert to a vast expanse of prairie grass.
Finally, she glanced away from the view and down at the small computer placed on the seat next to her. Her Swarm Master, Sesum, had given her the device when the journey began so she could track their progress. A small dot of green light indicated their location along the red line of their anticipated route. Mountain ranges, grasslands, rivers, lakes and other terrain features were shown. Tonight, or possibly in the morning, they’d reach mountains and the alpine forests. Beyond that were the coast and a dense rain forest.
Krissen gave a sigh and glanced out at the prairie again. The sun had reached the western horizon starting to paint the clouds gold. From past experience and the time of day she knew they’d be making camp soon.
The young Queen wanted the safety and concealment of the jungles but ached for the comforting stone walls of Refuge. Since leaving to establish her new hive the small convoy had been forced to hide from Kthpok raiders on several occasions. The first time they couldn’t avoid contact, all three aircraft in the attack had been destroyed without the Iidx experiencing any casualties. Then they had to hide for several days to avoid being spotted by follow up flights of Kthpok searching for the killers of their comrades. Her people were able to destroy the second flight that found them as well although the convoy lost one vehicle with its six occupants.
The computer beside her chimed, breaking into her thoughts, and she jerked around to look at the screen. She’d programmed it to sound an alert when the convoy approached a suitable city. Taking a deep breath of anticipation she picked up the device to work its keyboard. A second later her immense antennae started to quiver when the details appeared and she began to read. The city they were nearing wasn’t large but it would have food and a place to sleep along with the other amenities that were due her regal position. She was getting very tired of military rations and sleeping in a tent.
Although her ‘escort’… Krissen paused. Escort wasn’t quite the right word she wanted. Perhaps, ‘jailer’ was a better description.
She gave a slight shake of her head. Over the years she’d learned that it was important for a Queen to be honest with herself. So, even with all the trials and tribulations she’
d been forced to endure, she had to admit that Sesum and his people were trying to make this journey as pleasant as possible. She shrugged her antennae. Despite all their efforts it wasn’t what she’d become accustomed to as a Regional Queen. Or as a City Queen for that matter.
A slight jolt took her attention away from the computer and back to the windows. The sun was disappearing on the western horizon turning the clouds in the sky a brilliant red and orange. She realized they’d left the main prairie thoroughfare, turning away from that city and were following a dirt road heading for a canyon in nearby hills. Minutes later they reached the hills and trees and bushes began to appear on the hillsides. After ten minutes more travelling a cliff appeared in the eastern window. While she was admiring the view another jolt told her the vehicle had stopped then her compartment door opened.
At her drivers invitation Krissen stepped down out of the vehicle to look around. She found the convoy had halted at a fairly large, level area of the valley they were in. A waterfall was coming off the eastern cliff and dropping into a pool. At the opposite end of the fall a stream bordered by trees left the pool and headed down the canyon. Creatures could be heard chirping and rustling in nearby bushes.
The Queen turned from the picturesque scene to see Iidx moving about. Some were carrying boxes while others were starting to set up tents. The vehicles of the convoy had lined the road while, a short distance away, in the middle of the level area Sesum stood surrounded by Iidx. As Krissen watched one officer broke from the huddle to hurry off while another quickly took his place. The Queen walked off to one side and watched while the Swarm Master continued giving instructions to the officers who remained.
Betrayal Page 45
