“Yes, sir!” came the urgent response.
On his View Screen, Billy took in, and understood, the whole battle in a few moments. Already, on the flanks of the installation, Billy could see personnel carriers streaming to their designated locations. The combat troops from Endurance had been similarly successful. The Touway, taken completely by surprise, had been flung back by the ferocity of the Thexxian assault into the buildings of the Rentrec Processing facility. Meanwhile, the troops from Endeavour were making astonishing progress through the slave miners’ shanty-city and the personnel carriers had almost enveloped the entire facility. Their hover-bikes were unchallenged in the air, and strafed any and every Touway position at will. The Thexxians were starting to move forward again, after an initial halt to regroup.
“Send in the Relief Teams from Endeavour, it looks safe enough,” Billy began, “and, then start making preparations to bring Aquarius down to the surface.”
From the Landing Bays of Endeavour, the Relief Teams were turned loose. With the same grim determination and courage as their combat colleagues, the Thexxians rushed down the ramps, and into the slave miners’ shanty-city. They had two tasks to perform. First, to deal with any immediate medical emergencies or issues they discovered amongst the slave miners. Second, when they considered it safe, they were to start evacuating the slave miners from the facility.
“Sir, Excalibur reports that the Central Control Facility has been captured,” the WATO announced proudly with a beaming smile, “Pathfinder reports no casualties.”
Switching to Real View, Billy saw Martus Tardak and his squad were being carried at shoulder height, by their celebrating comrades, in the area outside of the Control Room they had captured. Martus, grinning broadly, was doing his best to retain his helmet, and his dignity, as he was paraded around by the hundreds of cheering Thexxians.
“Very good, congratulations and compliments to Pathfinder group,” Billy requested, and switched back to Graphic Mode.
The Central Control Facility had been taken, and was now being controlled by Thexxian reinforcements, which meant that the Touway could not get to their escape capsules. The battle with the few surviving Touway guards in the mines was still raging.
“Endurance reports that the Rentrec Processing Plant has been surrounded,” the WATO once again confirmed what Billy could already see, “and we have complete encirclement of the facility, sir.”
On the View Screen, Billy could see that the troops from the personnel carriers on the perimeter were now starting to advance towards the centre of the installation. With the Control Facility and the perimeter in the hands of Thexxians, the tactical battle was effectively over.
“Right, bring Aquarius down to the surface,” Billy ordered.
Aquarius was the only vessel large enough to carry fifty-thousand or so refugees, and, if required, Billy could throw another five thousand scratch combat troops into the fight with her arrival. Looking at the situation unfolding in the installation, Billy felt that such a move would not be required.
“Sir, Excalibur reports that the mines have been cleared of Touway, and that they’re bringing the first of the miners up,” the WATO called.
“Good, send out the Relief Teams from Excalibur, and order their assault troops into the shanty-city to support Endeavour,” Billy ordered knowing that there might still be some stubborn pockets of Touway resistance, “What’s the situation in the Processing facility?”
“Still facing heavy resistance, sir,” the WATO responded.
“Do they need additional support?” Billy asked.
“Negative, sir, pockets of resistance, well dug in,” the WATO replied.
“Bringing Aquarius into planetary orbit, sir,” a Propulsion Officer announced.
“Very good, proceed with approach and landing,” Billy ordered, and turned his attention back to the View Screen.
Switching to Real View, Billy could see the Relief Teams swarming all over the shanty-city. Already, the rescuing Thexxians were clambering into the lean-tos and hovels of the slave miners to check out the occupants. Meanwhile, sporadic weapons fire indicated that not quite all of the Touway had been suppressed in the shanty-city.
“Ready to begin approach to mining facility, sir” the Propulsion Officer indicated.
“Proceed,” Billy uttered the one word order.
“Sir, Endurance reports the Rentrec Facility is secured,” the WATO announced.
Switching to Graphic Mode, Billy could see that the surviving Touway were now encircled with the noose of Thexxians drawing ever tighter. The battle was effectively over. All that was left was the mopping up.
“Approaching planet surface now, sir,” the Propulsion Officer announced.
With no resistance expected, the huge Star-Cruiser came in slowly and deliberately through the toxic pale-blue atmosphere of Sarg. Slowly and deliberately, to the accompanying harsh deafeningly shrill shriek of her engines, the pilot set the enormous space vessel down, onto her massive landing struts, with a jolt that made the ground shudder. Aquarius landed side-on to the facility within the protective artificial atmosphere of the installation. She had two hundred loading bays on her left side, but, it would still take many hours to get all of the Thexxian slave miners aboard her.
“All Explorers report that Touway resistance has been terminated,” the WATO smiled and a small, ragged and muted cheer arose from the War Room personnel.
On the View Screen, Billy switched to Real View, and found that the weapons fire had ceased. The last of the Touway had either been killed or had capitulated. The sound of weapons fire, screaming slave miners and the shrill shriek of the hover-bikes was replaced by Thexxian cheering and celebrations. Thexxian combat troops were dancing and cavorting like happy school children in the grime, mud and slush. They yelled and cheered and hoisted their helmets and rifles in the air. Some were singing a triumphant Thexxian song, whilst others stood around grinning inanely.
The military part of the rescue was over. The next stage was to get the Thexxian slave miners aboard Aquarius and away from this place.
“Congratulations to the assault troops,” Billy ordered, “now, let’s get these people aboard and away from here. Put the onboard Medical Teams on stand-by and start teleporting the priority casualties direct to the Hospital Decks. Bring the rest up the ramps. I want to be away from here as soon as possible.”
“Yes, sir,” the WATO replied.
The Relief Teams were already starting to move the frightened and confused miners and their families to the Aquarius. To Billy Caudwell and many others in the Fleet, they were a pathetic sight indeed. The adults cringed and cowered away from even the kindest and gentlest of persuasions from fellow Thexxians. Slowly and patiently the medical technicians began to coax them out from the squalid and filthy shelters they called homes. The children were just as Billy had seen on the spaceships back on New Thexxia. They were skinny, dirty, dressed in filthy rags, feral-eyed and petrified of strangers, even Thexxian strangers. With a great deal of patience and determination from the medical technicians, the first trickle of liberated Thexxians was very slowly and painfully starting to become a steady stream. It was only then that the full horror of their cruel and brutal ordeal became apparent to their liberators.
Grim faced combat troops stood guard in an angry silence as the pathetic stream of refugees silently shuffled, were helped, or were carried, by friendly shoulders and hands, towards the great cavernous doors of the Aquarius. The angry silent combat troops’ hands tightened around their rifles, and the guilt at having killed other living creatures began to fade.
As Billy watched on the View Screen, a combat soldier, carrying what looked like a bundle of rags in his arms stamped his determined way towards the enormous Star-Cruiser heading for one of the loading ramps. Beneath the green Garmaurian helmet Billy could see an olive-skinned Thexxian face, set firm with determination and tear tracks rolling down his cheeks from his eyes. It had been a one in ten billion chance. That b
rave young combat soldier had discovered the mother, he had thought dead for almost ten years, cringing and shrieking with wide-eyed terror, like a trapped wild animal, in the corner of a squalid, filthy little lean-to. The young soldier had a younger sister, who was a Junior Scanner Technician aboard the Aquarius. They were the only survivors of what had been a very large family.
The Touway guards who had been captured were secured so as not to interfere with the departing Alliance vessels. They would now be shuddering with terror and dismay as the ground shook beneath them from the explosions set by Alliance Engineers in the Rentrec mines. The Engineers were also systematically destroying the processing facility with high explosive charges. The Touway would not be making much of a profit from this facility this particular year.
Meanwhile, back on New Thexxia there would be tears either of joy or of sadness. Families would re-discover sons or daughters, brothers or sisters, mothers or fathers they thought lost. For some there would be grandchildren they did not dare dream they had, and for others only confirmation of what they had felt for all those years, that their loved ones had indeed perished. Meanwhile, the Integration Technicians recorded, sifted and sorted the people and their information. The news of the rescue operation was already breaking on New Thexxia. At first there was consternation and disbelief that so many Thexxians could have survived for so long.
Then, the inevitable normal thoughts sprang into hundreds of thousands of Thexxian minds.
Who were they, and were any of my lost loved ones amongst them?
Chapter 42
From the moment Aquarius emerged from the Trionic Web, the sense of anticipation aboard the Star-Cruiser seemed to raise several notches. The first foray of the Universal Alliance had been successful; almost fifty-thousand Thexxians, previously believed dead, had been rescued, and the search for other survivors was ongoing. Billy decided that he did not wish to risk civilian lives by taking them into Bardomil territory to complete the search before bringing them to New Thexxia. The Registration Computers and their Technicians had worked tirelessly on New Thexxia, working through the data beamed from the Aquarius. They collated the data and investigated amongst the rescued slave-miners who had living relatives on the new planet. Relatives were contacted by the Civil Militia almost as soon as they were identified and traced. As the Aquarius approached the Landing Pad, Billy Caudwell viewed a veritable sea of expectant Thexxian faces, all garbed in their traditional black clothing. They waited patiently and, in most cases, nervously in anticipation of reunion with lost family members.
As the Aquarius drew in for her pinpoint landing on one of the Landing Bays, the crowd around the edge of that Bay surged forwards. The cordon of Civil Militia Officers was hard pressed to stem the black-clothed tide. However, the thin line of green uniforms held. Despite buckling dangerously, the line did not break. More green uniformed Thexxian Civil Militia Officers arrived, just in time, to bolster the struggling line of their colleagues. The Militia commanders that knew there would be no malicious or violent actions from this crowd. There would be no riots. But, an overexcited mob could be just as dangerous as an angry one.
“Sir, I have Praetor Maximus Margallan requesting permission to come aboard, he wishes to see you urgently” a Communications Technician announced to Billy in his Private Quarters as he was putting the finishing touches on his report.
The First Admiral’s Private Quarters were located next to the War Room. The darkened gloom provided him with a soothing and relaxing sanctuary from the harsh lighting and heavy pressure of the War Room. With very little accumulated furniture and possessions, the Private Quarters were bare and sparse compared to the offices of Falkus Margallan.
“Did the Praetor Maximus indicate what he wanted to see me about?” Billy fished for any information to explain the uncharacteristic and unexpected visit.
“No, sir, he just said a matter of great urgency,” the Technician replied.
“Very well, direct him to the Main Conference Chamber, I’ll be with him in about five minutes,” Billy responded wearily.
Stepping into the P.E.S. that adorned the floor of the room in front of his desk, Billy sighed once more, and lifted the red folio containing his report.
A few minutes later, Billy stepped down from the teleport plate and into the Main Conference Room where the whole rescue mission had been planned. Expecting to see Praetor Maximus and his whole retinue of staff, complete with Tele-screen camera operators Billy was astonished to find Falkus Margallan alone.
“Praetor Maximus, I,” Billy began, and got no further.
“First Admiral, it is magnificent, simply magnificent!” Margallan began, swooping forwards and grabbing Billy and lifting him from the floor in a huge bear hug.
“Praetor Maximus!” Billy gasped in astonishment being held in the air, his arms pinioned to his sides, and feeling as if his breath was about to be squeezed from his body.
“First Admiral, I do sincerely apologise,” a very embarrassed and emotional Margallan, realising what he had done, set Billy back onto the floor, “but, it is just too magnificent for words, First Admiral!”
“Well, I’ll just give you my report,” Billy said awkwardly holding the red folio, “and I can leave the rest in the capable hands of your people to reintegrate the miners and their families,” Billy continued eying the door and planning for a hasty exit.
“Not a chance, First Admiral!” the beaming Margallan began, mimicking one of Billy’s favourite phrases, and, ignoring the red folio, grabbed Billy’s hand, “we are going to have the biggest celebration Physician Laxxor will allow, and you, my friend, will be the guest of honour,”
“I don’t think that would be,” Billy began to protest, the dread horror of a formal Thexxian reception materialising in his mind.
“Nonsense, First Admiral, I will hear none of it,” the emotional Margallan stifled any resistance from Billy, “my staff say that it will take around twelve hours to start releasing the newcomers back into the population, then we can really celebrate,”
“Only twelve hours?” Billy gasped, marvelling at Thexxian efficiency.
“Oh, yes, First Admiral, we had a contingency plan for settling five and a half million onto New Thexxia,” Margallan beamed proudly, “we can get the newcomers back to their families just as quickly. And, now, First Admiral, will you join me in the Reception Centre, I want to be the first to greet our long lost people?”
Seeing no point in resisting the tidal wave of emotion that was Falkus Margallan, Billy nodded his agreement, and, a few moments later, materialised on one of the Teleport plates of the huge Reception Centre. The Reception Centre was swarming with hundreds of people.
Thexxian green military uniforms mingled with the black robes of the civilians with a smattering of Alliance blue. They all seemed to be determinedly carrying out whatever duties they had to perform, and paid no attention to Billy and Margallan. Within moments, surrounded by Falkus Margallan’s bodyguards, Billy found himself being swept through the organised chaos of the Reception Centre to the Landing Bay dock. In the dock area, a huge crowd of dignitaries and Tele-screen camera operators jostled with the hard-pressed medical personnel in the confined space that would welcome the miners and their families. The atmosphere was tense with a combination of anxiety and excitement that masked the uncertainty of what was about to happen. On one wall of the dock area, a huge Tele-screen was beaming live images of the Landing Bay, which would be seen by five and a half million Thexxians.
Already, on the Tele-screen, Billy could see the huge crowd of black-clad Thexxians trying to force their way through the Civil Militia lines to get at the massive Alliance Star-Cruiser. As before, the thin green line of Civil Militia was being stretched. The line of green bulged and flexed with every surge and whim of the crowd, leaving the Militia bruised and anxious.
“That looks like it might turn ugly, Praetor Maximus,” Billy commented, looking worriedly at the Tele-screen image.
“They are despera
te people, First Admiral, desperate to see their loved ones whom they believed were dead,” Margallan replied with a similarly worried look, “it’s not every day family members come back to life.”
“Still, I’m sorry, but I can’t afford to take chances with the safety of the newcomers or with the ship,” Billy indicated and touched his right collar tab with his left forefinger, “Security Officer?” Billy projected into the Comms Net on the Aquarius.
The beauty of the P.E.S. was that the Mind-Control technology could broadcast Billy’s request on the specific Security frequency with simply the thought being required.
“Duty Security Officer, sir,” a clipped and precise Thexxian voice responded in Billy’s auditory cortex.
“Request support for Civil Militia on the Landing Bay,” Billy ordered, “minimum force protocols and coordinate with Civil Militia command.”
“Acknowledged, sir” the voice responded in Billy’s brain.
“Do you really think that’s necessary, First Admiral?” Margallan asked.
“Better to be safe than sorry, Praetor Maximus, if that Militia line does break an awful lot of people could get hurt,” Billy explained.
Before Margallan could respond, dozens of Cargo Bay doors opened and extended their ramps to allow hundreds of Alliance blue clad Security Technicians to emerge. The crowd surged forward, thinking that the newcomers were about to disembark. Fortunately, the new contingent, in support of the Militia, was able to comfortably hold the mass of people back.
“It still looks risky out there, Praetor Maximus,” Billy warned, “Perhaps we should just teleport the newcomers into the Reception Centre?”
“No,” Margallan protested, “If we did that, there would be a riot out there.”
“We might just have one anyway,” Billy responded anxiously.
“First Admiral,” Margallan began, “the Thexxian people need to see these newcomers, to know that our Alliance is working for their benefit. They need to see these new arrivals. They need to be given hope that maybe there are more such people out there waiting to be found.”
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