Firestorm d-6

by Taylor Anderson

  “Has Sor-Lomaak reported any such incidents?”

  “Mebbee so,” the signalman said uncertainly. “They go in with dark and gun smoke. Some few reports say see boat Maa-reens shoot at sky. Mebbe same monsters get planes, then jump on boats-nobody see good.”

  “They’ve been keeping the damn things at New Dublin!” Irvin Laumer said, hearing the last as he came onto the bridge.

  Lelaa looked back at Orrin. “You were saying?”

  “Okay, I do have an idea. First, I get every plane not already committed for New Scotland to make for the lake at Waterford. I take the Tenth Pursuit straight to Waterford now, no bombs, just gas-and weapons for the spotters! We refuel the planes that make it there and rearm them with mortar bombs-they’re the same thing, anyway. That’ll give us airver Waterford, and you can still support the landing with the bombers left aboard here, plus any that refuel and rearm at Glasgow!”

  “Flying at night is too risky, especially now with those ‘draa-gons’ out there!”

  “Captain, I probably have more night flying time than anybody on this world, next to Lieutenant Mackey. I can get there, and the rest of the squadron can follow me in.”

  Lelaa hesitated. “Are you sure?”

  “Sure I’m sure. And besides”-he tossed his last ace on the table-“with the planes there, we’ll have communications!”

  “Very well, then. How will you defend against the monsters?”

  “How many modern weapons are aboard?”

  “We brought everything we had with us to get the submarine,” Laumer said. “Two tommy guns, a few Springfields and Krags, and a couple of 1911s.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Afraid so. There were some Jap rifles and pistols left on Mizuki Maru, but Okada kept them.”

  “It’ll have to do. Muskets with buckshot are probably just as good. The pursuit squadron will fly top cover for the bombers and try to keep the lizard birds off them. They won’t need the best spotters, just the best marksmen.”

  “I can outshoot anyone here with a pistol,” Sandra said suddenly from the opening to the bridgewing. Her new “orderly,” Diania, stood beside her, the expression on her face betraying the contrast between knowing she probably shouldn’t be there, and daring anyone to send her away. No one had noticed them till now, but they’d clearly caught most of the conversation.

  “I’m sure of it,” Captain Lelaa agreed, “but this time I command, and you cannot go. Besides some rather obvious reasons, we will likely need your medical skills quite badly very soon.”

  Silva suddenly popped his head around the corner, just above Sandra’s. Diania instinctively recoiled. “Well I damn sure ain’t goin!” Dennis boomed. “Flyin’ in the dark? With wingy Grik birds chasin’ us? My beloved ass!”

  CHAPTER 16

  USS Walker

  I t was still dark when Walker steamed into “Saint Francis” Bay in the wee hours of January 4, 1944, and they met nothing but a few brightly lit, anchored ships, probably waiting for the morning tide. They were not challenged by so much as a picket boat, and neither guns nor whistles brought them a pilot. Even when they crept through the shockingly narrow “Golden Gate”-with leadsmen on the fo’c’sle-beneath the guns of the twin forts situated on what should be “Fort Point” and “Lime Point,” there was no challenge to their passage.

  “They ain’t got a clue,” the Bosun snorted from the port bridgewing.

  “He’s right,” Jenks declared disgustedly. “Low fruit, ripe for the picking. Obviously, the dispatch vessel we sent never arrived, but there’s no excuse for this degree of complacency, ever. Had we been the Doms, the war would be over before those here even awakened.”

  “Well, you’re the only one who’s been here before,” Matt said, lowering his binoculars. “You’re our pilot. Where now?/font›

  “The governor’s residence is some distance south, beyond the North Point, in the West Bay portion of the city, but I believe our first stop should be Colonial Naval Headquarters just a few miles ahead, to starboard.” Jenks fumed. “From the look of things, that will likely become our headquarters after I relieve the incompetent fool in charge there.”

  “It is disconcerting,” said Bradford, “and rather… achingly. .. peaceful.” He glassed the bay in all directions and saw sleepy, predawn lights everywhere. “Even now I can tell this may be the largest city we’ve seen; yet it slumbers so blissfully unaware.”

  “It’s almost as big as New London and Plymouth together, on New Britain Island,” Jenks said, “though not as densely populated. Less congested too. More space to expand. There, Captain Reddy”-Jenks pointed-“you can just make out that empty stretch of dock with the large buildings beyond. That’s where the dispatch sloop would be had she arrived. We’ll tie up there ourselves; there’s no time to lose! Feel free to make all the noise you want. The guns of the fort will no longer bear, so we needn’t worry about some fool waking up and touching one off in a panic. Perhaps we might at least awaken someone for your crew to throw their lines to!”

  Matt turned to the bridge watch. “Take her in, Mr. Kutas,” he said. “We’ll sound general quarters and honk the horn, if you please.” He chuckled. “Is there a specific window we should shine the spotlight in?”

  The noisy tumult at the dock did arouse a reception. A few Imperial Marines were the first to arrive, milling about with their muskets, unsure what to do with them. An agitated naval officer finally appeared along with a trickle of sailors, but once they saw the utterly unfamiliar old destroyer, all they could manage was to stand and stare. Jenks held a speaking trumpet to his lips, and after identifying himself, demanded that those on the dock assist in securing the vessel. A few bold men scrambled forward and took the lines thrown to them-but then had trouble securing the lines after they saw the creatures that threw them.

  “You there!” Jenks addressed the officer. “What’s your name?”

  “Uh… Lieutenant… uh, Daniels, sir, if you please.”

  “Lieutenant Daniels, who commands here?”

  “The harbormaster, sir? The fort?”

  “No. Who is high admiral here?”

  “A… Admiral Rempel, sir.”

  “I must see him immediately. The very Empire is at stake!”

  “Well, but… you see, he’s asleep.”

  “Then wake him yourself this instant!” Jenks roared. “I’m here on behalf of the Governor-Emperor himself, and I’m the direct representative of his authority! Sound the alarm and have all officers gather in the Naval Headquarters conference room. If Admiral Rempel considers a few more hours’ sleep more important than the safety of this city and the people here, he can take longer than the twenty minutes I give him to arrive.” Jenks glanced at the large watch he pulled from a vest pocket by a chain. “Twenty-one minutes from now, he will be replaced.”

  Admiral Rempel, a short, obese man with the almost-universal mustache and a set of curly muttonchops, bustled into the noisy chamber with three minutes to spare. His face was red and his expression dour-until he saw the several Lemurians who’d accompanied Matt, ing trumpe, Spanky, the Bosun, and Courtney Bradford. The ’Cats were all members of the Captain’s Guard and had come armed. No one wanted to take any chances the unpreparedness they’d witnessed was due to Dom or Company influence.

  “What the devil is the meaning of this?” Rempel demanded when his surprise subsided and he regained his voice. “And what are those… creatures doing here?”

  “Your attention, please,” Jenks commanded, ignoring the admiral. “The Empire and the Dominion are at war, and have been ever since they recently perpetrated a dastardly, sneak attack against the Home Islands!” The room erupted with shouted questions, oaths, and excited conversation.

  “Silence!” the Bosun bellowed. “Jenks ain’t done yet!”

  Harvey glanced at Gray and nodded ironic appreciation. “That’s right,” he said, “there’s more.” He took a breath. “At this moment, a most formidable force approaches here. It
was to arrive tomorrow, but we… may have disrupted their schedule. Regardless, it’s coming, with ships, infantry, and even trained dragons to attack from the sky!”

  “Impossible!” someone muttered, but Jenks forged on.

  “Not impossible. Fact. As of now, we don’t know where they are or how their plans may have changed, but we have little time to prepare for whatever they mean to do.”

  “My God,” muttered Rempel. “What will we do?”

  “What do you have?” Matt asked.

  “My apologies, gentlemen,” Jenks said. “This is Captain Matthew Reddy. His is the lovely, fast ship tied to the dispatch dock. He and his crew, largely composed of the… unusual folk you see-‘Lemurians’-are our allies in this war, and you may thank God for it. We haven’t the time at present for me to detail all the ways they’ve already helped us. Suffice it to say they will be treated with courtesy, and Captain Reddy’s word carries the same weight as mine; the same as that of the Governor-Emperor himself.” He faced Rempel. “What do you have?”

  “Why… there are two hundred Marines in garrison here, and half a dozen river steamers; gunboats you could say, but they’re more suited to responding to the depredations of the local denizens than fighting battles. Other than that, there are a number of armed Company ships in port, and a few Imperial warships undergoing repairs.”

  “Immediately after this meeting, the Marines will take possession of those Company ships,” Jenks said darkly, “and I need a full report on the disposition of the Navy vessels and crews. What of the militia? Every able-bodied man in the city is a member, if I recall.”

  Rempel glanced about. “True… but only the Governor may call up the militia and… he’s not in the city. He’s on a sport shooting expedition in the mast-tree forest.”

  “Sport shooting… after the creatures near here? Is he insane?”

  Rempel fidgeted. “The greater beasts grow fewer near the city, but small game abounds.”

  “Regardless, the militia will be called in the name of the Governor-Emperor. See that the alarm is passed for a full mobilization! How many troops will that give us?”

  Rempel’s face had turned darker. “Some five thousand or so, if they all report. You must bear in mind that the militia is not a professional force by any means. Their personal courage and individl fighting skills are… sufficient, certainly, but they’re not given to a high degree of discipline. An example is that some, more than a hundred, have already left against specific orders to scout some dubious reports by a brigade of trappers that arrived yesterday from the south. They brought wild tales of Dom troops coming ashore…” His eyes widened. “I had no reason to credit the tale and considered it ridiculous, of course…” He paused. “You don’t suppose…? Oh damn me, I had harsh words with the militia captain who wanted to investigate. I… ordered him not to go-the expense of an expedition!-but he went anyway, under threat of charges to strip his rank…”

  “Pray I don’t do the same to you, Admiral Rempel,” Jenks said. “Where did these reports put the incursion?”

  Rempel stepped hesitantly to a map of the coastline on the inner wall of the chamber. “Here,” he said, pointing at a bay about fifty miles south of where they stood.

  Matt vaguely recognized it as Monterey. “How large a force did they report?” he demanded.

  “Um, a dozen ships, perhaps a thousand troops-now see here, these trappers are notorious liars! Information is as much a commodity to them as the hides and ivory they bring to sell!”

  “Are they in the habit of selling false information? What would that gain them?” Matt asked. Rempel didn’t respond, and Matt studied the coastline during the uproar that ensued. “These can’t be from the same force we tangled with,” he said loudly, regaining everyone’s attention. “It might arrive at any time, but allowing for the travel time of those trappers, it couldn’t have gotten there days ago. This must be a separate force sent to establish a beachhead, maybe a base of operations. They might put the rest of their troops ashore there for a flanking attack while their Navy tries to force the forts guarding the bay. Maybe that’s where they mean to base their damn lizard birds. We have to be sure about the range of those things; it might be crucial!”

  “I say,” said Bradford, “there wouldn’t be any naturalists in the room at all?” A few hands tentatively rose. “Natural scientists” were fairly common in the Imperial Navy. “Splendid! Let’s put our heads together and see if we can answer Captain Reddy’s crucial question!” He looked at Matt. “Will these gentlemen miss anything important if they leave with me now?”

  “Not unless they command troops or ships. Otherwise, what you come up with is of extreme importance.”

  “Thank you, Captain.” He motioned at one of the officers who’d stood. “Please lead the way to a suitable chamber, preferably one where refreshments might be had!” Courtney Bradford followed half a dozen officers from the room.

  “You believe the attack will come from two directions, sir?” Rempel asked Matt.

  “At least two. They know we’ve seen them, their main force at least, but they’ll probably assume we don’t know about the landing at Monterey-that bay down there. I think those trappers have helped a lot because, based on their observations, we know the gist of their strategic plan. As I said, a direct attack on the forts and the bay, combined with an overland attack from the south. They’ll even have most of their troop transports with them here so we’ll think they plan to land infantry. Maybe they will, but my bet rides on that southern force, for the most part, coming up through the San Jose valley.” He blinked at the blank stares, then turned to look at the map. “Oh. Up through here, the Saint Joseph lowlandport/div›

  “If what ye say is true, sir,” said a Marine captain, “an’ we deploy in time, I’ve no doubt we can drub twice our numbers there, even wi’ militia!’Tis really their only avenue o’ advance, an’ we already ha’ barricades there ta guard against maraudin’ beasties!”

  “What kind of ‘beasties’?” Spanky asked darkly, speaking for the first time.

  “Oh, we’ve some beauts, sir! Not so many as before, an’ the bigger predators pervide excitin’ artillery practice for the militia, so they’ve learned to keep scarce hereabouts, but we do nae massacre the big vegiticians-like monstrous great bloody coos, an’ tasty as well. The barricades simply keep ’em from stompin’ the city flat!”

  “Okay,” Matt said, turning to Jenks. “I recommend you command the land force here. Maybe some of your recent experiences will inspire a few alterations to the local tactics.”

  Jenks nodded, appreciative that Matt had spoken so delicately, but he was right. These people just didn’t know!

  “Deploy as quickly as possible with all the troops and field artillery you can get your hands on,” Matt continued. “I’ll send the ‘Nancy’ up at first light to confirm our suspicions, but for now, proceed as if our suspicions are fact. Take your Marines from the ship, and I’ll also give you a few of my guys with modern, long-range weapons. A few Springfields knocking off some enemy brass at the right moment might come in handy.” He looked at Gray. “Take the Bosun. Walker ’s already got Carl Bashear, and Gray’ll just stomp around yelling at everybody-and you might need that!”

  “But Skipper…” Gray began.

  Matt shook his head. “It’s going to get weird out on the water, Boats,” Matt said, “but we’re used to weird, and I’ve got the whole crew of Walker to ‘protect’ me. Harvey’s never fought with any of these guys before, and he needs somebody he can trust to watch his back… and kick ass for him, if need be.”

  “Aye, aye, sir.”

  “The forts must remain fully armed,” Matt went on. He looked at Rempel. “And vigilant. We’ll also need to keep a reserve in the city. Otherwise, every ship and boat with so much as a swivel gun will prepare to defend the harbor mouth or join my ship in repelling the naval assault.”

  A number of officers in the chamber, including Rempel, had been listening with gro
wing alarm. “Perhaps I don’t understand,” Rempel said at last, “but who exactly commands here? And how do you plan to face an enemy the size you described with only your-evidently-lightly armed ship, a few Company vessels, a Navy ship or two, and a handful of gunboats?”

  Jenks pointed at Matt. “As for overall command, he’s it,” he said, “and any man who does not follow his orders instantly and to the letter will be hanged. Am I perfectly clear?”

  There were sullen nods.

  “And do not underestimate his ship. It’s far more heavily armed than you think. Besides, we do expect reinforcements. A sizable portion of Home Fleet should be just over the horizon. We’ve had no communication with those elements-by means I’ll explain later-but they’re due anytime. Walker -Captain Reddy’s ship-should be able to make quite a dent in the Dom warships if the dragons can be kept at bay. Some plan for that is crucial, but all is not as gloomy as it seems.”

  With the first light of the rising sun coloring the clouds overhead, Fred Reynolds and Kari-Faask lifted “their” PB-1B off the waters of Saint Francis Bay, to the incredulous amazement of those watching from the now fully alert forts and Naval Headquarters. Early risers in the city were equally astonished, but they didn’t have time to ponder what they’d seen before the church bells began to ring. Despite the early hour, there were no services on Tuesdays, and an emergency was confirmed when the alarm horns wound up, beginning near the Southmouth fort and spreading outward from there. The alarm horns were an obligatory call to arms, and fishermen preparing for the morning trawl, shopkeepers, yard workers, bankers, farmers, and even female indentures (conventions were less restrictive on this frontier) dropped what they were doing, fetched weapons, and moved purposefully toward their assembly points. Some heard the engine of the “Nancy” and saw the plane circle back toward the mouth of the bay and quickened their step. They didn’t know if the flying machine was hostile or not, but clearly something was up, and this alarm was no drill.