Star Kitten

by Purple Hazel

  Then, the really bloody part: Thousands of Naustie warriors would rush up the ramp and literally pour into the breach. In a matter of mere hours the whole terminal would be overrun.

  Of course the driver and his spotter would also be blown up right with the explosions; but most any Naustie would be honored to make that last sacrifice for the future of their new home planet. Finding volunteers for that mission would be no problem at all. Also, the driver could be most anyone. But the spotter would have to be trusted with activating the detonators at precisely the right time. Perry would have to choose just the right “man” for that job….

  As the ramp neared completion on the last day before the assault, Perry and the other War Council members met with General Hicks. Perry had privately begun to reveal his plan for the final phase of the ramp assault to General Hicks that morning; and Hicks for the first time in several years was actually a bit skeptical of his partner’s logic. Of course he understood the basic premise: Detonate a large explosion that the enemy could not possibly expect, and wipe out a large section of the enemy defensive position. Pour troops into the breach before the enemy recovered, and overwhelm the entire enemy stronghold. It was just like the Battle of the Crater in 1864.

  In this battle during the American Civil War, Union troops secretly tunneled underneath Confederate Army positions for an entire month while they laid siege to the city of Petersburg, Virginia. On July 30th, they detonated a large amount of gunpowder right before dawn, killing 278 Confederate soldiers and creating a crater 30 feet deep. Nearby Confederate troops were paralyzed for several minutes, while Union troops rushed into the breach… but the follow-on attack by Federal forces was unsuccessful. In the aftermath, the Union general was relieved of command. Some even suspected him of being drunk during the battle.

  Hicks snarled and shook his head, as he watched the Slarts carefully removing the detonators from the warheads inside the Earth Space Cruiser. “I see what you mean, Perry, but this idea of using nuclear warhead detonators… do we really know what we’re doing? I mean, I know YOU do… you were a physicist… but how… I mean WHO is going to be able to activate the detonators when the dump tractor gets to the top?” Hicks asked. He gave Perry a suspicious look, which began to melt into raw emotional concern.

  Perry just grinned, and folded his arms. He said, “Not to worry General. The detonators can be activated long before the dump tractor gets to the window. We just need five feet.” Then Perry pointed up the ramp to the Mess Hall window. He said, “Get that ramp within ten feet of the glass, leave the hauler in reverse, hop out, run like hell… and our detonators will do the rest.” This seemed to be enough to satisfy Hicks temporarily; but he still had an earie feeling that Perry had something else far more terrible in mind. After all, who could Perry really trust with this task? The Slarts couldn’t go. Pumalars were too big to ride in the vehicles, too. Spleefs were not incredibly bright when it came to technology, and they’d never be able to handle activating the switch if there were any technical difficulties. Zorgs were unreliable, and they’d likely try to just jump out of the dump tractor before they even got close. Porkos were plenty brave enough, but quite uncoordinated at manipulating small devices. Only an Earther could do the job. And the smartest Earther anyone knew of, was Perry.

  Hicks tried to not think about it, but the fear was with him constantly. Could it be that Perry was planning on driving that last tractor himself? After all, Perry was never the type to trust anyone with complicated details or instructions. Plus, Perry was a much braver man than most anyone knew. Perry would never ask anyone else to drive that hauler up that ramp with thermonuclear detonators on it. Still… Hicks tried not to think about it. If Perry was gone from his life, Hicks just couldn’t imagine how he’d live without him.

  Finally it was the day for the main assault, the day everyone had been waiting for and working toward. Slart planners were now estimating that less than fifty truck-loads of dirt would be necessary to complete the ramp, and the word had spread to the thousands of Nausties now camped inside the cavern and service tunnels. Practically no one was left below in the mines besides supply divisions under the command of the Schpleeftkorkii gang. Excited Nausties gathered around in the cavern, surrounding the dirt-covered Earth Cruiser, and cheering each dump tractor as it came back down from the ramp.

  The trip up the ramp for each of the last loaders took less than five earth minutes, but the trip down was accomplished in less than a minute. The Earther drivers had become quite skilled at backing uphill by now! And the drive back down was certainly—more than anything—a real relief for each driver. There was always the threat of a counter-attack from Security Troops positioned behind that thick glass wall. So after dumping their load, those Earthers driving those dump tractors just wanted to high-tail it back down!

  Each loader full of dirt would be cheered on by the growing throng of Nausties below as it carefully backed up the ramp to the glass wall of the Mess Hall. Then each returning vehicle’s driver or his spotter would announce how much farther they had to go before the ramp would not only touch the Mess Hall’s thick glass wall, but be solid enough for the tractor drill. Anticipation grew with every truck load, and relief followed with each driver’s safe return. It was becoming a very treacherous climb!

  As the last of the fifty dump trucks came down from the ramp, the drivers of the vehicle gave a triumphant signal that the distance now was within ten feet. The news spread throughout the throng of excited miners, diggers, supply workers, and thousands of warriors. Then a cheer rose up from the crowd. Almost everyone in the enormous mass of bodies was ecstatic. Bloodlust. Excitement. Anticipation. The thrill of combat… and the thought of revenge for five long Earth decades of oppression and cruelty. It was nearly payback time! They now realized that in less than an hour they’d be battling all the way up inside that main terminal, fighting through hails of bullets, and slaughtering everyone they found.

  There would be no quarter, no prisoners, no mercy, and no surrender possible. This was not just a takeover, or a palace coup d'état. This was more of an eradication… a cleansing even. Architeuthis stood in the back of the crowd, near a large planning table with all his Slartigifijian planners. This was his vision and he was there to bear witness to it… now it was finally about to happen.

  Every Naustie in that crowd was spoiling for revenge. They’d make Warden Ggggaaah and his troops pay dearly for all they’d done. The souls of tens of thousands of their comrades who’d starved or died in those mines over the years… all those would be avenged as well. Beings in the crowd sporadically called out vows of revenge, as the last of the vehicles finished their journey up the ramp and returned empty. Some Nausties who’d lost a lover or even just a great friend in the mines or in the recent battles sang songs or chanted the names of their fallen comrades. Many joined in with those songs too. It was an historic moment for New Australia.

  Oh yes, almost everyone was excited, from Pumalars to Slarts. From Spleefs to Zorgs. Humans and Porkos cheered together as well; and almost everyone shared in the celebration. Everyone except one single Earther in the crowd, that is….

  Only one being in the crowd did not share in the revelry and saber rattling. For this one Earthman that last dump tractor returning from the ramp meant something far more important. Perry’s face gradually went completely cold. It was finally time for him to perform the mission he’d been planning all along. One last mission. One that he’d been saving for himself alone.

  All along he’d been revealing only bits and pieces of his plan, which had begun forming the very day that The Impaler proposed piling up dirt to reach the command bubble. And weeks before when Perry had first crawled inside the Earth Cruiser and discovered the thermonuclear warheads were still operable, the idea had solidified in his mind. It all hit him at once that day, and a chill ran right through his body. There was only one good way to blow open that wall and allow his fellow Nausties inside with enough superior numbers to overwhelm t
he garrison. Otherwise they’d be slaughtered by the thousands.

  General Hicks walked past Perry, who seemed now suddenly very cold and distant. Hicks placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, as the crowd of warriors around them cheered wildly. Perry just stared up the ramp, coolly contemplating the task lying ahead of him. A chill ran through him again, as a driver brought up yet another battered grey-green metal electric hauler. It was all charged up and ready—ready for the ascent. This was the hauler which had the detonators hidden under its payload.

  Porkonji welders had created a rack that held the three detonators in place, just like Perry had requested; and Slarts had devised a switch that could activate the proximity detonation devices right as the tractor dumper approached the wall. The driver could simply flip the switch, so to speak, and the detonators would begin seeking a target within five seconds.

  But… the real truth was this: Whoever drove that vehicle, and whoever activated those detonators: they were not coming back alive.

  Proximity detonators were designed to activate five seconds after exiting from the space craft firing them. This way, when they simply neared their target and got within maximum destructive range, they’d detonate the warhead and destroy their target. Perry had known that all along, but he’d cautioned the Slarts working with him to keep it secret from other Nausties for as long as possible. It did no good. Porko welders working on the rack gradually figured it out. Slarts couldn’t lie anyway, and with a little probing, the Porkos pieced it together. It was going to be a suicide mission. Even the several hundred Earther dump tractor drivers who had developed proficiency in climbing the enormous ramp backward, began to find out. Yet it didn’t frighten them. They all just assumed they’d have to draw lots to see who would get to go.

  No one speculated on how the choosing would actually occur. And no one really wanted to know either. Finishing the ramp was everyone’s main concern.

  The moment General Hicks had been both dreading had finally arrived. Who would do the honor of driving that last dump tractor to the top, and detonate the warheads? Hicks just smiled awkwardly at Perry and proceeded to prepare for his speech to the Army.

  A cold feeling rushed through Hicks’ body, as he mounted a small platform made from cannibalized mine crusher components. And as he began to address the immense crowd of warriors, his heart seemed to be caught in his own throat. He just knew Perry had been planning to drive that damn tractor all along, and it was killing him to try and speak boldly now to his army with this gut-wrenching fear in his stomach. He struggled to compose himself as the crowd turned to face him and listen to his final commands.

  The General began by addressing the different commanders of the assault units. He bellowed out the names and unit numbers for the entire assault division. Every Brigade, every battalion, every company, and even every platoon was recognized by the General, and named specifically. All the names of all the units in that first assault division were sounded off by Hicks from memory, and their assigned commanders shouted out acknowledgement. Yet all the while Hicks was really just trying to ignore the fact that his partner Perry… was now quite clearly walking through the crowd over to the last dump tractor… apparently to inspect the detonator activation switch inside the cab. Hicks hoped that’s all he was doing anyway.

  General Hicks reviewed the order of battle for this massed audience, which fell hushed as he spoke in a booming snarling voice that filled most of the canyon. He detailed the order in which the assault would go, so that every being in every single unit knew exactly when they’d be going in. Hicks didn’t even use notes. He’d already memorized the entire battle plan backward and forward.

  The first wave was an entire division of shock troops, divided into brigades of about 2000 warriors each. Each Brigade was further broken down into battalions of about 500 warriors. Pumalar shock troops in one battalion. Earther Javelin men in another (with one platoon of Earthmen armed with EIC’s). Zorg Slingers carrying sulfur bombs made up yet another battalion. Spleef light infantry comprised the rest. Porkos made for good heavy infantry yes, but not as frontline troops. They were less fearless; and more prone to break during melee combat. But they were heartless killers in mop-up operations, there was no doubting that! Several of the battalions had a company of Porko heavy infantry armed with shields and makeshift cutlasses.

  Of course, everyone knew the battle plan by now, and all the commanders in the crowd already knew where they were to position their troops for the assault waves. They’d all known the battle plan for days, and even drilled at it, in full view of the Warden’s troops above. The only thing almost no one in the crowd knew for sure was… just who was going to drive that last dump vehicle with the detonators in it?

  Finally, General Hicks called out directly to Perry (who by now was done checking the detonators). Hicks swallowed hard with choking fear—something he’d not felt in decades. Perry was clearly starting up the hauler and getting ready to drive it! The crowd remained mostly silent in anticipation, with thousands of battle-ready troops literally encircling the dramatic scene unfolding at the base of the ramp.

  “So… Mister Perry! Are you planning on leaving us, my good friend?” Hicks tried to smile confidently and look strong. He’d been dreading this all along, and had tried not to dwell on it. A hush fell over the crowd, as it all finally sunk in with everyone around the base of the ramp. The reason no one had yet been announced as the suicide driver, was quite clear now. Perry was planning on doing it all by himself instead! Hicks’ heart was breaking in two in his chest… he knew there was only one thing left he could do now.

  There was no way he could stop his lover from going on that brave and glorious mission. No way in hell that General Hicks could order his best and brightest man to simply stand down and let someone else drive that tractor up that ramp… all the way to certain death. Oh yes, if the General commanded it, Perry would have yielded and exited the vehicle. He’d never be insubordinate to his direct superior. But Hicks knew, Perry would never trust the task of activating the detonators to another being. If there was any problem at all with that switch, only Perry could trouble-shoot it. Only Perry could be trusted with this task. It was just one shot, after all. It had to be perfect.

  A murmur ran through the crowd. The murmur rose and swelled like an ocean lapping up on a beach. The name “PERRY” kept being spoken, and then gradually it was even being chanted. This was to be Perry’s final fifteen minutes of existence, and as the tears of pride welled up in his General’s eyes, Perry poked his head out the window of the cab and replied humorously back to his commander, “Yes General, with your permission, Sir…” Perry patted the side door three times and smiled broadly, then added boldly, “I’ve always wanted to drive one of these things.”

  The smile on Perry’s face was that of a man who’d come to terms with the end of his existence, and made peace with his own God. He beamed with a smile like that of a man who had no cares left in the whole universe. But it was also the look of a man who had made the decision to sacrifice himself willingly and quite downright eagerly, for the good of his comrades’ future. There was no other greater potential honor for a man or any other creature for that matter in the entire galaxy. All of these thoughts and emotions seemed to show in Perry’s eyes, as he threw the vehicle into reverse and began backing up the ramp. The crowd began to cheer even louder, and chant his name vigorously.

  But General Hicks surprised everyone, by screaming out in a powerful growling voice that rivaled even the strongest of Pumalar battle cries. He roared, “WAIT!” And everyone nearby fell silent with shock, turning back toward the General to see what his next command would be. Perry stopped backing up the ramp, and looked out the window, still grinning like a madman. Hicks paused for a moment to blink tears from his eyes. Then he yelled out, “Mister Perry… I don’t believe you’ll be safe without a spotter guiding you! It’s a long way up, my—!” Hicks cut short, almost choking on his words. But he soon recovered. Then G
eneral Hicks continued in a loud and powerful yell, “If you don’t object to my assistance, Mr. Perry… how about letting me ride shotgun?!!!!”

  Perry just smiled with a surly wink.

  A murmur again arose within the crowd, as Perry merely nodded proudly, and the full gravity of the situation began to sink in with the thousands of beings armed and ready for the final assault. Good God… General Hicks himself? Yes… the General himself was going to join Perry in this suicide mission, joining with him as his spotter for the ride up to the top! They would be going out together, as lovers and partners for all eternity… loyal to each other to the very end. And soon, the entire crowd—thousands of warriors in all directions—was aware of what was truly happening.

  Almost half the crowd could even see the whole thing going on, and those who couldn’t see it, were being told by their neighbors around them. Spleefs hopped up on the shoulders of Pumalars. Zorgs climbed up the sides of machinery or nearby Stalagmites to watch the spectacle. Earthers strained their necks to get a look at this amazing event. This was truly going to be a moment in their planet’s history that no one would ever forget for the rest of their lives….

  Their own commanding General as well as his Aide de Camp were going to sacrifice themselves for the rest of the Naustie Army. One last heroic act of courage, to rival any brave deed that anyone else was going to perform that day. This inspired the entire assault division; and prompted thousands of beings from all species to cheer wildly. Hicks hopped off the platform and strode proudly over to the dump hauler to join his life partner in the cab. Warriors stepped aside to let him pass, nodding and bowing their heads in respect. He climbed in, slammed the door shut, reached over the side, and slapped the door three times, signaling to Perry he was ready to go. The cheers swelled louder, and even louder, until it was almost deafening!