by Doug Farren
The machine floated over the open hatch and dropped down. It then moved sideways, joining several other machines hovering in the near total blackness just outside the ship. The only light available was the weak illumination from the open hatch. The light was reflected off the inner surface of the shield providing them the only indication of their relative position.
Tom looked over towards Lashpa and asked, “Are you alright?”
“I’m secure,” she replied, her voice easily carrying in the silence. “I suggest we get to the ground as soon as possible.”
“Agreed.”
Seven minutes later, the shield shrunk in size putting them outside the smaller shield. The blackness here was absolute. A minute later, they emerged from the mountain into a raging storm.
“Tom,” Krish’s voice came through the private peacekeeper channel. “Do you copy?”
The computer built into Tom and Lashpa’s cybernetics had been periodically attempting to reestablish contact with the Krish’s AI. Now that they were out of the mountain, their radio signals were no longer being blocked.
“Loud and clear,” Tom replied, knowing that Lashpa was also receiving the same query. “Standby.”
“Acknowledged.”
Oblivious of the rain, the assault unit flew around the mountain until it arrived at its designated spot. It deployed its legs and settled to the ground. Tom and Lashpa jumped off as soon as they could and quickly put some distance between themselves and the deadly machine.
“Let’s hope that Yonth is able to keep his promise,” Lashpa said as soon as they were together.
“Krish,” Tom said. “Can you get a fix on our location?”
“Standby while I remote activate your combat suits. I can use them to triangulate your position.” Three seconds later, the ship said, “You are on the west side of the mountain 29.4 kilometers from me. Sending a return route.”
Tom’s HUD displayed a route that curved around the mountain then traveled in a straight line to Krish. Glancing at Lashpa, he knew she had received the same data.
Tom issued a silent command switching his cybernetics into combat mode. Lashpa did the same. Without another word, they began moving down the mountain as fast as possible.
“What is your status?” Lashpa asked.
“Repairs are complete. Power is being supplied by a single auxiliary reactor.”
“Stay that way but prepare for emergency restart of main power. Plot a course away from the base keeping as low as possible. We will execute as soon as we are aboard.”
“Acknowledged.”
Although Tom’s computer was attempting to move his right arm as naturally as possible, he was having a hard time keeping his balance. He slipped on a wet rock and his legs went out from under him. Lashpa instinctively tried to use her tail to stop him from falling but realized too late that she no longer had a tail. Tom slid for several meters and stopped, his feet buried past his ankle in thick mud.
“Tom!” Captain Scarboro’s excited voice began. “Where the hell are you? How did you escape?”
“We had some help,” Tom replied, getting up and resuming his near suicidal dash down the mountain. “We’re heading for the Krish now. New orders: The Proprietor’s base is actually a buried battleship of immense power. Its weapons are active. We must destroy that ship. Move the fleet into the system. Make sure they stay at least half a million kilometers from the base. Make preparations to use whatever means you have available to destroy the Proprietor’s base.”
Glancing at her HUD, Lashpa estimated their time of arrival, added a few minutes for safety, and said, “I suggest you plan to launch the attack in exactly three and a half hours. Do not wait for us to give the order.”
“Understood,” Captain Scarboro replied. “Who should we thank for getting you out of there?”
“His name is Yonth,” Tom replied. “He’s the other surviving crew member the Proprietor said had isolated himself. Turns out, he’s actually the good guy.”
Lashpa was in a controlled slide down a steep slope when her front legs dropped into a crack between two large pieces of stone. Her remaining back leg swung around and before she could react, she found herself tumbling down the slope. Instead of fighting to regain control, she rolled herself into a tight ball and let gravity take her to the bottom.
Tom was already moving faster than he thought was safe and once again lost his balance. He came down on his damaged right arm, slamming it against a rock. The impact sent a surge of pain into his shoulder as he rolled down the steep hill. He came to an abrupt stop when he collided with Lashpa.
Had they not been cybernetically enhanced, Tom and Lashpa would have had multiple broken bones and contusions. They lay at the bottom of the hill for a moment gathering their wits.
“Are you alright?” Lashpa finally asked, as she slowly stood up.
“A bit rattled,” Tom replied. “But otherwise I’m fine.” He looked down at his damaged arm which now hung limply at his side. “This damn thing’s got to go,” he said, grabbing his right arm with his left just below the elbow.
Using his HUD, he scrolled through a series of menus until he found what he was looking for. A moment later, he gave the arm a twist disconnecting it from his shoulder. He tossed it away, looked at Lashpa, and said. “Let’s go. We have a lot of ground to cover.”
Chapter 26
A powerful bolt of lightning flashed from the unseen clouds to a point on the ground briefly illuminating the trees around the two peacekeepers. Three seconds later, the air reverberated and rumbled with thunder.
“Captain Scarboro?” Lashpa began. Her tone of voice gave no indication that she was running as fast as she could weaving around trees and forcing herself through the underbrush.
“Go ahead,” Scarboro replied through the open channel.
“The Proprietor has deployed a number of heavy ground attack units. I suspect he will attempt to destroy the HKs you have positioned near his base.”
“Understood. Two of them are hidden inside an old lava tube and will be very difficult to detect. I will get the others out of there.”
“If you can,” Tom added. “Position them to destroy the two ships he’s captured. He’s using the parts to build more combat drones.”
“Roger that.”
Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky directly overhead followed almost immediately by a loud clap of thunder. The air around them was still rumbling when a much brighter flash lit up the entire side of the mountain. This was followed by a tremendous explosion. Turning around, Tom could see a glowing fireball rolling into the sky. It quickly dissipated.
“Good lord!” he exclaimed. “That looked like a blast from a planetary defense gun but it must have come from one of the assault tanks.”
“It’s obvious that the Proprietor’s weapons are far more powerful than we anticipated,” Lashpa said.
“We’ve lost contact with two of the HKs,” Scarboro reported. “Make that three.”
The woods around them were suddenly illuminated as Breetak targeted an HK not far from the fleeing peacekeepers.
“Down!” Lashpa yelled.
Tom dropped to the ground as a tremendous shock wave passed over them. He could feel the earth tremble and a moment later he was pelted with falling debris.
“All HKs have been destroyed,” Captain Scarboro reported. “The last was only seven kilometers from your current location. Are you alright?”
“We’re fine,” Tom replied, getting back up.
Lashpa looked at Tom. After making sure he was ready, she took off running. “Krish, are you in range of those guns?” she asked.
“I am.”
“Then we have a problem,” Tom said, following closely behind Lashpa. “The only reason the Krish hasn’t been targeted is because Breetak thinks it’s not a threat. If we power up the drive, he’ll blow us apart before we can get off the ground.”
“Who’s Breetak?” Captain Scarboro asked.
“I
t’s the Proprietor’s real name,” Tom explained.
“I was wondering if he had a name. Sounds like you need a diversion.”
A large clod of mud kicked up from Lashpa’s rear foot hit Tom squarely in the face. He tried wiping it off, but it left a dirty smear across his faceplate. “Do you have something in mind?”
“The fleet is on its way. I’ve been discussing a possible plan of attack with Admiral Shurvith. Given the weapons we’re up against, bringing the fleet in too close to the base would be suicide. We’re planning on a large-scale strike using every missile available, chemical as well as nuclear. Hopefully, we can overwhelm his defenses and enough will get through to destroy his ship. When the attack begins, the Proprietor will be so busy trying to intercept our missiles that he probably won’t even notice when you leave.”
Lashpa suddenly slowed when she encountered a particularly dense patch of underbrush. “Yonth told us that four 30 megaton explosions would not damage the warship. You’ll need to deliver more than that in a concentrated blast to ensure success.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Captain Scarboro replied. “We’ll be using every missile in the fleet’s armory. There won’t be anything left of the mountain or his ship by the time it’s over.”
“Unfortunately, that also means the Rouldians will be losing a potential colony world,” Tom said. “With that many nukes being used, the radiation levels all over the planet will be affected.”
“You aren’t having second thoughts are you?” Captain Scarboro asked.
“Actually, I am,” Tom replied, ducking out of the way of a branch.
“You can’t be serious! A combat drone from that ship easily defeated a Chroniech heavy cruiser. It damn near managed to survive everything the Dragon could throw at it. Those ground assault tanks are packing planetary-scale guns. I can’t imagine what sort of armament that warship is carrying. It must be destroyed, regardless of the collateral damage.”
“Tom,” Lashpa said. “I know you’re concerned about the viability of this planet and the effect our weapons will have on the environment and the local wildlife. But remember what Yonth told us—we must destroy his ship at all costs.”
“As long as Yonth continues to remain isolated, that ship can’t go anywhere,” Tom argued. “I agree—Breetak’s ship needs to be destroyed. But there’s got to be a better way than nuking half the planet.”
“Breetak might be able to regain full control of the ship at any moment,” Lashpa said. “Right now, the ship is vulnerable. We have to attack now.”
“Unfortunately, I agree with you,” Tom replied. “I was just hoping to find another way.”
They reached a small stream, plunged into the calmly flowing water without slowing down and waded across. They were climbing up the opposite bank when an energy bolt lit up the sky.
A huge explosion lit up the entire sky in the direction they were heading—the glow illuminating the underside of the rain clouds. A moment later, the shock wave hit like a clap of thunder powerful enough to be felt as well as heard.
“Krish!” Lashpa said. “Report!”
“I am undamaged,” the ship replied. “An energy weapon targeted an area approximately two kilometers from my current position.”
“Peacekeepers, can you hear me?”
It was Yonth. Checking his HUD, Tom noted he was using an open channel, one that Breetak was sure to be able to listen in on.
“I hear you,” Lashpa replied.
“Breetak has discovered your escape and has correctly concluded that I was responsible. He has also discovered my presence in the ship’s lower-level systems and is furious. I have control over several systems and have locked him out. You must hurry.”
“We’re going as fast as we can!” Tom replied. “Won’t he be able to listen in on this conversation?”
“No. I have control of all communication systems. He has developed a means of using your cerebral interface to gain control of the ship and is intent on capturing at least one of you alive. He believes he has destroyed your ship and is deploying a large number of drones to search for you.”
“How did he miss?” Tom asked. “He must have known where our ship crashed.”
“I altered the records,” Yonth replied. “I will not be able to stop him a second time if he discovers that it is still undamaged. You must get to your ship as fast as possible. I suggest you engage in no further communications. The drones will be able to detect them.”
“Understood,” Lashpa replied. “Thank you Yonth. We are going radio silent.”
Tom issued a mental command turning off every communications device built into his cybernetics. Lashpa did the same. Turning to Tom, she said, “At least this rain will help mask our thermal signature.”
“And here I was hoping it would stop,” Tom replied.
For the next two hours, the peacekeepers crashed through the woods as fast as possible, pushing their cybernetic systems to the limit. Although he was focusing all his attention on the path ahead, Tom kept wondering if a drone was tracking them from above. He half expected to be shot in the back as he plunged through the underbrush.
As soon as the Krish was in sight, they stopped and took stock of their situation. Lashpa went right and Tom went left and together they surveyed how the ship was positioned. Standing a meter from the battered hull, they shared the results.
“The ramp is inaccessible,” Lashpa said. “The ship is leaning to one side and the airlock is being blocked by several fallen trees. I doubt we will be able to remove them before the attack begins.”
“The emergency escape looks like it hit something,” Tom reported. “That whole section of the hull is bent. That rules that out. What about extending the landing struts?”
“Krish,” Lashpa said, knowing that the ship’s AI would be able to hear her. “Attempt to raise the ship using the landing struts.”
Tom and Lashpa took a few steps back as the ship shuddered and began to move. A groaning noise could be heard and the ship began to lift. There was a loud pop followed by a bang and the ship settled back down.
“Krish is going to have to lift off and deploy the ramp,” Lashpa said. Glancing at the time, she added, “We have about 20 minutes before the attack begins.”
“Breetak is sure to pick up the drive emissions,” Tom replied. “Hopefully, he’ll be too busy trying to shoot down our missiles and won’t notice us.”
The peacekeepers positioned themselves so they would be able to run straight under the ship and up the ramp as quickly as possible. The rain had slowed to a steady drizzle and the lightning had stopped.
Lashpa found a clear area and settled into a squatting position. Tom sat down in the crook of her left front leg and leaned back against her. Lashpa rolled her head around and took a close look at the spot where Tom’s arm used to be connected.
“You’re bleeding,” she said. “I smelled the blood after we took that tumble down the hill.”
“I’ll live,” Tom said, angry at himself for having got himself injured.
“You do realize there’s a good chance we’ll be caught out in the open when the first missile hits,” Lashpa said. “If a warhead detonates on this side of the mountain, we’ll be killed in the blast.”
Tom leaned his head back and looked into Lashpa’s eyes. “I know,” he said, reaching up with his good arm and stroking the underside of her jaw.
“I can’t think of a better way to die than in the company of my gra,” Lashpa said, flicking her tongue out.
“I would rather us die together than face a life without you,” Tom said.
“My thoughts exactly,” Lashpa replied.
They sat together in silence, listening to the gentle hiss of rain and the sounds of distant thunder rolling across the land. Tom found himself becoming tired and almost nodded off to sleep.
Sitting up, he said, “I must be more tired than I thought. I almost fell asleep.”
“We both deserve a long period of rest once this
is over,” Lashpa replied.
A bright flash of light lit up the sky illuminating everything as if a sliver of sun had suddenly shot out from the side of the mountain. A moment later, another one appeared. Breetak had detected the incoming missiles and was firing on them.
Tom and Lashpa jumped up and prepared to run as the ship began to lift off. The movement was accompanied by the sound of cracking timber and the thump of several large trunks slamming into the soggy ground. When the ship was a meter off the ground, Tom ducked and began running towards the ramp.
A large flash of light lit up the entire underside of the ship. Lashpa screamed out in pain, a high-pitched roar like nothing Tom had ever heard before. Sliding to a stop, he spun around and saw Lashpa laying in the mud writhing in pain, a glowing line could be seen on her external armor where a laser had struck her, slicing her open from her midsection all the way to the stump of her tail.
“Lashpa!”
Chapter 27
Another laser bolt struck the side of the ship sending a shower of sparks raining on the ground less than half a meter from Lashpa’s writhing body. Her forward momentum had caused her to slide under the protection of the ship. The drone that had attacked her was now firing on the Krish, trying to burn its way through the hull.
Tom reversed direction and crawled over to Lashpa. The ear-splitting roaring suddenly ceased and she stopped moving. Fearing the worse, but knowing they both had to get to safety, he grabbed a front leg and began dragging her towards the ramp.
The drone’s attack was suddenly cut off as Krish’s shield snapped on, cutting off the sound of rain.
“Lashpa is alive,” Tom heard Krish say from inside the ship. “I have sedated her. She has sustained critical injuries.”
The ground beneath him moved. It was a strange, disorienting, liquid-like feeling. For a moment, Tom worried that his lack of sleep and possibly even blood loss from his injury was beginning to affect his senses until he realized what had happened. Krish’s shield had sliced out a section of the ground and was now carrying it aloft as they tried to get out of range of Breetak’s guns. Any acceleration would cause the chunk of earth to slide along the almost frictionless interior of the shield like a blob of mercury inside a bowl.
