Last Stand on Talos Seven

by Rodney Hartman

  Beams of green and yellow struck the force field fifty meters to the gun crew’s front. The mayor took one look and grabbed the gun’s firing computer. “You heard her! Get this gun moved. Now!”

  The remaining members of the gun crew jumped to respond. Whether it was due to the mayor’s orders or the continuous fire against the force field in front of their position, Trinity didn’t know or care. All she knew was that they were moving. Even the militiaman who’d tried to run rose to his feet and helped lift the antitank cannon off its tripod. The mayor gave Trinity a nod and then took off for the gun’s alternate location, dragging stray computer cables behind him.

  “Great speech,” said Jennifer, sounding anything but impressed. “I suppose we will have to wait to see if it does any good in the grand scheme of things. What are you going to be doing if I may be so bold to ask?”

  Trinity didn’t bother replying. She pointed the Tomcat in the direction of the force field and took off running.

  “Hmm, I was afraid an all-or-nothing frontal charge was your plan,” said Jennifer. “I will save you some time. There is a high concentration of energy coming from one of the medium cats in the second wave. I calculate it is carrying an anti-energy generator. I will mark the medium UHAAV on the Tomcat’s tactical display in blue. I highly recommend you take it out.”

  A blue dot appeared on the cat’s view screen. Trinity angled the Tomcat’s path to a point on the force field that would intercept the approaching medium cat.

  “It is a Crosoian Wingbat,” said Jennifer. “It is similar to the one Lieutenant Commander Stevens and Connor are piloting. According to the specs in my databanks, the Wingbat’s plate armor is nearly as thick as a heavy cat’s. None of the weapons on this Tomcat are powerful enough to penetrate its armor.”

  “Understood,” Trinity said.

  When Trinity got within ten meters of the shimmering wall of energy that marked the edge of the force field, she slowed the Tomcat slightly. “Transmit the IFF code.”

  “Compliance. I have activated the Identify Friend and Foe code.”

  A slight tingle passed through Trinity as she dived through the energy field. She bent the upper part of the Tomcat forward and did a summersault to dissipate the force of the landing. She whipped the tail-like third leg of her cat forward and used it to leverage the Tomcat to its feet. Two beams of green plasma energy from one of the approaching scout cats passed through the spot she’d just vacated. She shot off four rounds from the 40mm cannon, catching the pirate scout cat in the chest. The thin armor of the light cat was no match for the 40mm armor-piercing rounds. Smoke spewed out of the scout cat’s chest area before the whole thing exploded in a shower of plasma and phase energy.

  “The forty millimeter is your most effective weapon,” said Jennifer, “but only against the light cats. I calculate it has a zero probability of penetrating the Wingbat’s armor, even if you get a shot at its belly.”

  Trinity laughed as adrenaline surged through her body. “For once you’re wrong, old girl.”

  “How so?”

  Trinity gave another laugh. “You’re forgetting I’m a wizard scout. The forty millimeter isn’t my most effective weapon. I am.”

  “Hmm. I calculate we will soon see.”

  Dodging additional beams of energy from two of the other scout cats, Trinity maneuvered her Tomcat toward the Wingbat. The energy reading from the pirate cat showed up as a bright spot on her passive scan. One of the other pirate medium cats, a four-legged Macron bristling with rocket launchers cut in front of the Wingbat and let loose a volley of eight rockets in her direction. Reaching out with a line of Power, Trinity wrapped it around the warhead of the lead rocket and crushed inward with telekinesis.

  Boom!

  The explosion took out three of the rockets. She prepared to wrap a second rocket in Power.

  “No time,” said Jennifer. “Give me control of the Tomcat.”

  “Done,” Trinity said, fully aware she was no match for the nanosecond brain of her battle computer when it came to aiming weapons when time was of the essence. She felt the kick of the 40mm cannon as it shot out four rounds of high-velocity, armor-piercing creallium. The blazing red streaks of phase energy headed straight for the incoming missiles.

  Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Four of the approaching rockets exploded in quick succession. The last rocket passed through the fire and smoke directly for the Tomcat’s chest.

  “Eject!” ordered Jennifer.

  The possibility of asking questions or disobeying her battle computer never crossed Trinity’s mind. She thought the command to eject.

  Whoosh!

  The backside of the Tomcat blew out as a blast of pneumatic air sent Trinity flying out the rear of the scout cat’s emergency escape hatch. The Macron’s remaining rocket hit the Tomcat’s chest at the same time that a dozen beams of green energy sliced into the cat’s armor.

  Boom!

  Pieces of hot metal tore at Trinity’s battle suit as she flew through the air. None of the shrapnel penetrated the tough armor of the suit. Not for the first time, she thanked the efforts of the Empire’s unsung technicians for creating the best body armor in the galaxy. Hitting the ground, Trinity rolled on her shoulder to reduce the impact and came up with her activated phase rod in her left hand and a Deloris phase pistol in her right.

  One of the pirate’s six-legged Leviathans turned its weapons in Trinity’s direction. The sides and front of the deadly UHAAV lit up like the night sky on Velos during an Independence Day celebration. Drawing Power from her reserve, Trinity put up a hasty defensive shield to her front and angled it slightly to the left as she dived to the right, making for a shallow depression in the rocky ground. Beams of energy sizzled overhead. A 200mm phase round exploded on the ground ten meters away. A wave of energy combined with energized pieces of creallium hit her defensive shield. Most, but not all of the energy and shrapnel ricocheted off to the left. The remainder slammed into Trinity like a ton of brerellium steel. Two hot pieces of metal tore into the leg armor of her battle suit, exiting out the opposite side. White hot pain temporarily blinded Trinity.

  “You are lucky the shrapnel went all the way through,” said Jennifer. “Otherwise it would still be bouncing around inside your armor, turning your leg into ground hamburger. I am administering a painkiller and coagulant through the battle suit’s thread needles. Recommend you not allow the pirates to hit you again.”

  As a cool liquid spread through Trinity’s leg, her sight cleared. The Leviathan was moving toward her at top speed. The massive cat wasn’t fast, but it was quick enough that Trinity knew she’d never reach the Wingbat before the Leviathan cut her off.

  “That is assuming you can get past the Macron,” said Jennifer. “I sense it is preparing to fire another salvo of rockets.”

  “I’m depending on it,” Trinity said. She sent an image of her plan to the part of her mind she shared with her battle computer.

  “Interesting,” admitted Jennifer. “However, I must point out that the odds of success are low. I calculate the Leviathan will be on you before you can put your plan into effect. That is, unless you are abnormally lucky.”

  Trinity smiled. She wasn’t worried. She was a wizard scout. She’d always been lucky.

  * * *

  Wizard Scout Yardis felt lucky as he watched the battle unfolding before him. The pirates were deploying their forces just like he’d expected. Four of the pirate’s Leviathans, two Macrons, and six Long Cats were concentrating their fire on a point of the mine’s force field directly west of the ravine. Another Leviathan and a Macron were in front of a Wingbat providing cover while firing every weapon they had at Trinity. Yardis sensed a large energy source coming from an elongated metal container bolted to the Wingbat’s backside.

  “Wizard Scout Trinity is fortunate to have gotten out of her Tomcat in time,” said Jonathan. “I suspect her battle computer warned her to eject. Also, as I am sure you have noticed, the Wingbat has
an anti-energy generator attached to its back. I calculate the pirates are attempting to get the generator close enough to the mine’s shield to create a hole to send in a strike team. If they do that, you can bet they will make straight for our transport to take out the force field generator once and for all. If they succeed in their objective, the outcome of this little shindig will be all but a foregone conclusion.”

  “Thanks for the blow-by-blow analysis,” Yardis said. “Don’t know how I’d have survived without it. Now, can you contact Trinity or her battle computer for me?”

  “There is no need for sarcasm, Wizard Scout. As for contacting Wizard Scout Trinity, you know I cannot. The pirates have not yet discovered your location. If you drop your stealth shield, or if we attempt to make contact via the tele-network, I calculate the pirates will identify where you are at. Your best chance of survival is to remain hidden until the pirates are fully engaged, then you should be able to make your way back to the mine.”

  “My best chance of survival would’ve been to stay on Trecor and spend my days walking in the park until my Power reserve ran out in twenty or thirty more years.”

  “True,” said Jonathan, “but you came here instead. You are seventy-two years old and disabled. Your Power reserve is not what it used to be. I calculate this adventure of yours may not end well for us.”

  Yardis reached out with his passive scan, merging the locations of the various life forms onto the Warcat’s heads-up display. Once the first, second, and third waves of the assault force had been deposited on the ground, the assault shuttles had disappeared back into the sky. He assumed they’d returned to the pirates’ transport ships to pick up additional troops and equipment.

  “I calculate a ninety-four percent probability you are correct, Wizard Scout,” said Jonathan. “As you can see from the enemy locations on your display, you have waited too long to return to the relative safety of the mine. I calculate Wizard Scout Trinity is attempting to stop the Wingbat from getting close to the force field. As I pointed out earlier, if it can activate the anti-energy generator it is carrying, the pirates’ strike team will be able to get through the mine’s shield. Of course, I also calculate that even if the Wingbat fails, the medium and heavy cats on this side of the mine’s shield will be able to combine enough firepower to eventually blow a hole in the force field. They will succeed by sheer force of numbers if given enough time. I see no logical way the Talosians can win.”

  Yardis scanned the battle area with the Warcat’s sensors. He sensed the assault shuttles zooming in from above as they made their way back to the ravine with a fourth wave of attackers. “For once we’re in agreement Jennifer. I see no logical way either.”

  Energy beams lashed out from the Leviathan stationed in front of the Wingbat. Yardis sensed as much as saw Trinity dodging the enemy fire as she headed for the Macron.

  “I have analyzed your friend’s actions, Wizard Scout. I calculate she is attempting to commandeer the Macron and use it against the Wingbat. I calculate an eighty-six percent probability the Leviathan will kill her first. It is equipped with a disintegrator beam. Even a wizard scout’s self-heal cannot repair damage faster than a disintegrator beam can deal it out. Your fellow wizard scout is as good as dead.”

  “Not if I can help it,” Yardis said as he pushed himself erect, “Plot me a route that will get me as close to the Leviathan attacking Trinity as possible before we’re discovered.”

  “Compliance.”

  A nearly straight green line appeared on the Warcat’s heads-up display

  “What, no zigzagging?” Yardis said. “That’s not like you. I could’ve come up with a straight line all by my lonesome.”

  “This is all I have, Wizard Scout. I was unable to calculate a route that would get you close to the heavy cat before being detected. My algorithms all indicate that your best bet is to close the distance as fast as possible and hope you get lucky.”

  Yardis laughed in spite of the situation. “You know, Jonathan, I believe this is the first time since I was introduced to you as battle helmet serial number one-two-five-nine-two, version six, edition five that you’ve told me to rely on luck. I knew you were trainable. I just didn’t think it would take fifty years to do it.”

  “I fail to see the humor in the situation, Wizard Scout. I recommend against this course of action, but if you are determined to throw our lives away, then it is time to move. I sense the Leviathan’s sighting computer lining up its disintegrator cannon on Wizard Scout Trinity. Jennifer is good. She will assist her wizard scout in dodging the disintegrator beam, but I calculate a ninety-two percent probability it will connect with its target within twelve-point-one seconds.”

  Wasting no more time, Yardis took off running as fast as the Warcat’s legs could take him. Adrenaline rushed through his body. He thought about the time thirty-seven years earlier when his Power reserve had been damaged. He’d been medically retired and on the disabled wizard scout list ever since. It felt good to have a purpose once again.

  A purple beam shot out of the Leviathan in the direction of Trinity. A glance at the Warcat’s forward view screen told him that his friend had dodged the deadly beam. He pushed the Warcat even faster. Unlike other UHAAVs, a Warcat scout cat was more like wearing a second set of skin than it was piloting the vehicle with controls. The faster and harder he physically ran, the faster the Warcat went. He pumped his legs for all he was worth. At the same time, he supplemented his physical muscles with Power from his reserve.

  “No,” said Jonathan. “Your reserve is damaged. You cannot draw Power from it like that. It could breach a wall in your reserve. You’ll die if that happens.”

  Yardis pumped his legs even harder using every trick at his disposal to make the Warcat go faster. A second purple beam shot out from the Leviathan, striking the ground just in front of Trinity. She was thrown into the air. Hitting the ground, she rolled once before jumping to her feet and angling toward the Macron, seemingly ignoring the danger posed by the Leviathan. The medium cat’s missiles fired in salvo at Trinity, but somehow she avoided the worst of the explosions.

  “The Leviathan’s sighting computer has locked onto Wizard Scout Trinity. I calculate the next disintegrator beam will hit her dead on.”

  The six-legged Leviathan was only thirty meters away now. Yardis sensed the cat’s short-range weapons locking in on his Warcat. He didn’t care. He specialized in shifting. Drawing Power from his reserve, he wrapped it around his body and shifted into the void between dimensions. Plasma beams and anti-armor rockets from the Leviathan blasted into the Warcat blowing it into a hundred pieces. The cat’s destruction didn’t matter. He was in the void. Only phase weapons could harm him. Still wrapped in Power, he levitated up to the belly of the Leviathan, easily passing through its thick brerellium steel armor.

  “The wall of your reserve is starting to leak,” said Jonathan. “Shift out of the void now before it collapses.”

  Yardis remained in the void. He sensed the weak points in his Power reserve growing weaker. Power began seeping out of pinholes in the walls of his reserve like water through a sieve. He sensed the Leviathan’s disintegrator cannon lining up on Trinity for one final destructive shot. His passive scan picked up the location of the disintegrator’s reactor located directly below the cannon. He made straight for it, passing through the walls of the Leviathan. He was still in the void. Walls couldn’t stop him.

  “Get back to the ground now and shift out of the void,” said Jonathan on the verge of panic. “Your reserve is going to collapse in six seconds. Please. I don’t want you to die. You are my friend. I do not want to continue living if you die.”

  Pain swept through Yardis as he passed into the reactor. Disintegration particles tore into his body. Not even the void could fully protect him. His self-heal drew Power from his reserve, but much of it leaked out of the increasing number of holes in the link connecting him to his reserve. He removed his battle helmet.

  “You have to live, Jon
athan. They’ll reprogram you. You’ll forget about me.”

  “Never! Do not do this. If you are determined to die, then I will die with you. I will never forget you. We are a team.”

  White-hot pain passed throughout Yardis’s body as the reactor’s disintegration radiation destroyed cells faster than his self-heal could regenerate them. He sensed the radiation building in the cannon above as the disintegrator beam formed in preparation for firing.

  “Goodbye, my friend,” Yardis said. “I know you will serve your next wizard scout as well as you have served me.”

  “No! You are throwing your life away.”

  Yardis gave a final smile. “For once you’re wrong. My life means something once again after all these years. I’m a wizard scout. I need to make a difference.”

  Levitating his battle helmet downward with telekinesis, Yardis got it all the way to the ground before he shifted the helmet out of the void. Then he drew every last drop of Power remaining in his reserve and exploded it outward as his tortured body shifted out of the void. Blackness swept over him.

  Then he knew no more.

  Chapter 28 – Anti-Energy

  ____________________

  “Get ready to dodge,” Jennifer warned. “I calculate the Leviathan will fire its disintegrator cannon again in five, four, three—”