ARMS Beckland's Fall: (Book 5)

by Stephen Arseneault

  "Spectral analysis, and data mined from the Denzee ships, points to a specific soil and water alkalinity the grass prefers. Gondol and Beckland meet those requirements. Midelon, with its fresh water, is the next viable candidate, but it lacks the desired soil composition. The next closest candidate after that has less than one hundredth the capacity to grow trellis as compared to Gondol and Beckland. The Denzee need the Beckland colony."

  A short while later, Harris opened a comm to the colonel. "You find anything?"

  "Everything. The complex is as you described for Gondol. I'm forwarding a data packet that contains maps of the sections of the complex that have been explored."

  "Got it. And thanks, Colonel. Looks like we might be taking Beckland back by storm."

  The comm closed.

  Tawn chuckled. "By storm. Nice play on words there."

  The following afternoon the fleet lifted off with four boson bombs at the ready. Alex performed periodic scans until the four-ship group of Ratoons opened wormholes to elsewhere and moved through. With that event, the small Human fleet jumped into Beckland space and detonated a boson bomb.

  Harris pushed the Bangor toward the onrushing Ratoon fleet.

  Tawn grabbed his arm. "We have two hours. Why not go straight in where the Ratoons can't fight? If needed, we can fight them on the way out."

  Harris glanced over. "Miss Freely, I like the way you think. Fleet, we have a change in plans. We're going straight in. Only engage those ships if you have to. Get us down to the surface and you can come back out to fight. Hailstorm, open a bay, I'm coming in. I'm transferring two of the boson bombs to you. Your mission will be to keep that field active while we're down on the surface."

  "Bay three is ready for your arrival, sir."

  Again two Banshees were vaporized before any return shots were fired. The remaining fleet entered the atmosphere just as the Ratoons moved within inescapable range. The atmosphere of Beckland prevented them firing their superweapons.

  Fourteen fireballs raced down to the surface. The Bangor came to a full stop only centimeters from the landing pad. As Harris and Tawn stepped out of the hatch, the entrance to the scientific research center the Domers had abandoned erupted in plasma fire.

  Tawn dove back into the ship with Harris only a second behind. "Crap. Wasn't expecting them to be occupying that place."

  Harris pulled a plasma rifle from its holder on a back wall. Poking his head out of the hatch, he took careful aim, firing a round into the doorway of the center. "I can't see to get a clean shot."

  Tawn sat in the copilot's chair. "I can. Get ready to storm whatever's left of that doorway."

  A low power tungsten pellet left the rails at a hyper speed. The doorway exploded as the kinetic energy from the weapon made impact. Harris sprinted from the hatch, sending round after round of plasma into the remains of the entrance. Tawn emerged only seconds behind him.

  As they arrived at the remains of the door, the carnage from the weapon was evident. Bits of Denzee warrior were splattered and scattered among the debris. Harris hopped over several twisted steel girders before coming to an intact hallway that ran perpendicular to the blast.

  "Down this way. Stairwell going down should be just around the corner."

  The only resistance remained in pieces at the front door. The long jog down the stairs took twenty-three minutes. The massive door to the control room was open. Harris grinned as he sprinted to the console to begin pressing buttons. The power button did not light.

  "This is bad."

  Tawn looked over the connections going into a wall. "All hooked up like the other one was. Where's the power?"

  Harris moved over to the door heading to the room with the drum-shaped machines. "In here! This look like a power feed going through that wall?"

  "It does to me."

  A heavy rumble could be felt reverberating through the walls.

  Tawn said, "Wow. Whatever that was, it was big."

  "This look like a circuit breaker?"

  "It does."

  Harris flipped the breaker on.

  A comm came in from above. "Sir. Four Ratoons are landing at the research center. They are using the short range missiles to keep us away. Two others have been shot down. Sensors are showing thousands of Denzee warriors coming from those ships."

  "Do what you can to keep them off us."

  Harris turned to Tawn. "Hit that stairwell and see if you can slow them down. Shoot straight up for the entrance to that room."

  Tawn sprinted to the stairs as Harris hurried back to the console. "Flashing light. That's good."

  Harris pressed the first button. Seconds later, three new buttons began to flash. The distant echo from plasma rounds impacting above were soon drowned out by the cracks and spraying debris from those hitting the floor at the bottom of the steps.

  Tawn stepped back into the room. "Tell me that's working."

  Harris nodded. "So far."

  He pressed the second button. Tawn stepped out, loosing another burst of plasma rounds going up.

  Harris pressed the third button. The several-second wait for a reaction seemed to take an eternity. Tawn moved back into the room as a new set of rounds impacted the floor outside, sending a spray of disintegrated concrete in every direction.

  The final button of the sequence began to flash. Several seconds of silence were broken as the final button gave a solid light and rumbles were heard from the drum room.

  Harris moved over to the door, going back to look in. "They're spinning up."

  One after another, whirs were heard as the drum-shaped machines came to life. Harris looked back with a grin as a new set of rounds impacted the floor just outside.

  Tawn stepped out, firing several more rounds as the first of the whirring sounds turned into high pitched whines.

  A comm came in from above. "Sir, the swamp surrounding the building has turned chaotic. Jets of water and muck are shooting skyward. The Denzee ships are lifting off."

  "Can you see the Bangor?"

  "It's covered with Denzee. Still appears to be intact."

  Tawn said, "If we want out of this place, we better start working our way up. We don't have long before the world up there is nothing but catastrophic hurricanes."

  Harris took one final look around the room. "Whoever you were that built this... thank you. And thank you again."

  As Harris moved into the outer room, Tawn asked, "Who were you talking to?"

  "Just thanking whoever built this thing."

  "Well, don't thank them yet. It might just be what finally kills us."

  Harris chuckled as he began sprinting up the stairs. "Last one up is a loser."

  Tawn shook her head and sighed as she began to hustle after him. "You're an odd bird, Gruberg. I ever tell you that?"

  "More than once."

  A two hour jog going up had the duo nearing the top. A dozen plasma rounds coming down from above broke their constant run.

  Harris opened a comm. "Tell us what's happening up there. We have hostiles blocking the stairwell above us."

  "The second boson bomb has been deployed. The four Ratoons that landed have been destroyed. Two more Banshees have been lost. Thirty-one of the thirty-eight Ratoon remain in high orbit, awaiting our ascent."

  "What of the weather outside this complex?"

  "Winds are spiking to a hundred twenty kilometers per hour. We are in process of clearing the several thousand Denzee who were left behind."

  "How long before you have to pull out?"

  "Hurricane force winds are not an issue for these ships sir. Our only issue will be getting you aboard. The Hailstorm will be setting down beside the Bangor at any moment. Should a worker be sent over to pilot the Bangor, sir?"

  "Good thinking. Can you spare a few bots with rifles to clear out the top of this stairwell?"

  "One moment, sir. A team of six has been dispatched. They are taking heavy fire, sir. This may require some time."

  "Sure. We've got no place t
o be. Take all the time you need."

  The bot pilot laughed. "Ha. You are a funny, funny, man, Mr. Gruberg. Hold your position while our team works its way to you. Winds have increased to one hundred fifty kilometers per hour and are building rapidly, sir."

  Tawn shook her head. "Notice they aren't shooting down any more? This might be our time to act."

  Harris nodded. "Ladies first."

  Tawn chuckled. "You seem to break out the chivalry at the most convenient of times."

  "That's why the ladies love them some Gruberg."

  The next dozen flights of stairs were ascended without incident. Tawn was the first to see the Denzee who had been left to guard the steps coming up from below. His attention was focused upward on the attack from outside and the roar from the heavy wind. Two additional flights were sprinted before the unsuspecting guard exploded from a plasma bolt to the chest. A heavy firefight ensured.

  "Give me a status!" Harris yelled over the increasing din from above."

  Winds are passing a hundred ninety kilometers per hour, sir. Our bots are losing the ability to keep themselves grounded. We are ordering them back."

  "Give me a bioscan of what's still down here!"

  "Twenty-eight Denzee and two Humans."

  Tawn chuckled. "Wonder which ones we are?"

  Harris shook his head. "And you called me the odd bird. Look, we either fight our way up through them or we're stuck here for what... three to five years?"

  Tawn looked up. "I think I'd prefer the fight. You ready?"

  "Move us out, Miss Freely."

  The firefight lasted all of five minutes when a new report came in from above. "Sir, winds have reached two hundred fifty kilometers per hour and are increasing."

  A huge rumble was followed by the roar of a freight train as the research building above tore away from its foundation. Harris dropped his plasma rifle, grabbing an inner rail and reaching for Tawn's arm as she began to be sucked upward. He pulled the Biomarine slug close to the wall as the air from below raced upward due to the extreme low pressure created from the high winds.

  Word came from above. "Winds have passed two hundred ninety kilometers per hour, sir. The latest bioscan shows two Humans remaining. It is clear to come up."

  Harris chuckled as he yelled, "Up is not an option! We're barely hanging on! Figure out a way to get us safely out of here!"

  ~~~~~

  — What's Next? —

  * * *

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  (Flip the page!)

  ARMS

  (Vol. 6)

  Domers Unite

  — Chapter 6.1 —

  * * *

  The hard upward force of wind slowed considerably. Harris looked up the remaining eight flights of stairs to see the ramp of the Hailstorm jutting just into the opening. More than a dozen bots emerged, dropping down the two missing flights at the top that had been ripped away with the building.

  A set of mechanical hands were held out to Tawn and Harris as a calm voice came over the comm: "Ma'am, sir, if you would care to come with us, we only have seconds."

  The last flights of stairs were sprinted. As they reached the top, Harris looked up at the stack of worker bots standing on each other's shoulders, bridging the final two flights to the ramp. The bot next to Tawn held down its hand for a boost. Bot by bot, reaching down to grab their valued leader, Tawn was pulled to the top.

  Harris stepped up into the hand that was held out to him. Again, hands reaching down pulled the stump up to the ramp and to safety. As the last of the bots was pulled to the top, Harris hustled up the ramp.

  "Nice work, team. Using the ship as a windbreak... genius."

  Tawn smacked Harris on the shoulder. "Come on, we still have thirty or so Ratoons to fight our way through."

  The W66 bot said, "The Bangor is waiting in bay four, sir."

  As the Hailstorm lifted up through the high winds, the Bangor emerged from its bay. Two fireballs were joined by a dozen others. As the small Human fleet reached orbit, the remaining Ratoons engaged. Three Banshees were lost before the first of six additional Ratoons were disabled or destroyed.

  Harris gave the command and the fleet turned for the safety of free space. The deadly beams from the Denzee warships followed. All were successfully dodged but one. Another Banshee was vaporized. As they reached free space, a portal was opened and the ships slipped through, landing on the grass at Midelon twelve minutes later.

  Harris and Tawn each walked into the supply hut with grins on their faces.

  "We did it!" Tawn said.

  Gandy replied, "You beat thirty-eight Ratoons?"

  Harris shook his head. "We managed to kill off a dozen. They took five of our Banshees. We did start up the terraformer though. They won't be harvesting anything there for a few years."

  Tawn nodded. "It was harrowing, but exciting."

  The fight was told as it was showed in detail from helmet recordings and from those of the ships.

  Harris opened a comm to the Retreat. "Colonel, we did it! Beckland has been cleaned of Denzee!"

  "Fantastic news. I'll forward that to my contact, if they don't already know."

  "We're down to eleven ships now. Not enough to take on any more fights. I know I keep saying we're desperate for parts and supplies, but I have to repeat it—we are. We still have that Denzee building on Jellon where we know they're producing more ships. That has to be taken out."

  "I know you won't want to hear this, but I've been told the Earthers are going full-out at rebuilding the mines at Eden. This time they have the assistance of the Denzee. Must be several million of those Denzee workers down there, and things look to be progressing rapidly."

  Harris rolled his eyes. "Great. What we need is a way to just transport that planet out of our space. It gets knocked down and they rebuild it. I know I said this ages ago, but so long as there is titanium to be mined on Eden, the Earthers will be after it."

  Tawn said, "Alex, can you add Eden to your regular scan list?"

  "Consider it done."

  Harris scowled at the display wall. "Oh. So she can form a command as a question and you accept that? For me, though, I just get a smartass reply."

  "My apologies, Harris. Would you prefer I treat you in the same manner?"

  "Yes I would."

  "I don't think so. I prefer the current way."

  Harris nodded. "I see. Insert knife and twist. That's how you play."

  Tawn said, "Can we get back to this important alien invasion we're trying to thwart?"

  Harris placed his fists on his hips. "You have any suggestions?"

  "Just that we figure out how to hit Jellon. And now Eden as well."

  Harris moved over to a bench by a table and sat. "I know you'll call me crazy, but I think we should enlist the help of Bax. Maybe she has a way we could hit the Earthers hard, using what little resources we have. Maybe that means going the pirate route that Gandy is so fond of."

  "She does know the Earther fleet and their routines."

  "I thought you would have been opposed to including her in anything?"

  "We're at war. I'm not opposed to using whatever tools we have available to us to win."

  Harris chuckled. "Are we nuts for even considering to include her?"

  "We are. We could of course just sit here and do nothing too."

  Harris sighed. "Alex, can you open a comm to Baxter Rumford?"

  "I can."

  Taw
n smirked.

  "Alex, open a comm to Baxter Rumford."

  An image of the woman formerly known as ‘the Red Witch’ and ‘the Red Menace’ appeared on the display. "What is it now?"

  Harris cleared his throat. "We need your help."

  Bax stared into the comm for several seconds. "Why would you need that?"

  Harris glared back. "Look, I know you're enjoying your cushy retirement there and all, but if we don't get this war under control, you won't have a station there to be retired on. The Earthers are rebuilding Eden, this time with the help of the Denzee. And I can guarantee those mining operations will be more productive than they ever were for you. They have millions of Denzee workers on the ground."

  Bax half smiled. "How is it the two of you are still alive? Will I get myself killed by allying with you?"

  "Maybe. Of course you can always stay right there in the safety and security of your apartment and rot. That has to be exciting, right?"

  Bax sighed. "You know just where to hit a girl, don't you. Look, I'm kind of stuck here, under guard. Unless you can figure out a way to spring me from this prison, I'm not joining anything."

  Tawn nodded. "Consider it done. You just be ready to go when we get there."

  The comm closed.

  Harris shook his head. "We must be crazy."

  "She has knowledge and she has skill."

  "And she has the DDI watching over her."

  Harris glanced back at the comm display. "Colonel, any way you could help us with this? You can still travel to Chicago Port. We can't show our faces there without being rounded up."

  "You asking me to help free a known collaborator from the watchful eye of the DDI while that same DDI is watching me?"

  "If you could."

  The colonel grinned. "I'll put a team on it right now. If she can be sprung, consider it done."

  Tawn said, "We can pick her up from wherever you want, Colonel. Just give us the time and coordinates and we'll be there."

  The colonel nodded as the comm closed.

  Harris looked over at Tawn with a raised eyebrow. "We biting off more than we can chew with her?"