As soon as they arrived, Chuck was asked to report to the general.
"Sir, Master Sergeant Chuck Alistair reports," Chuck said saluting. The general returned the salute, stood, and approached Chuck. "Stabsfeldwebe Alistair, sie sind nicht länger ein Feldwebel—" The general paused and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he continued in English. "You are no longer a sergeant."
"Yes, sir, I take full responsibility for this disaster, the plan was mine, I—"
"You misunderstand me, you are no longer a sergeant, you are now a hauptmann, a captain, whether you like it or not. I don't have any American rank here, but I do have the three pips of a German captain, I hope they—"
"I'd be honored, sir."
"You may have noticed we have a shortage of officers, and, given the courage, intelligence, and leadership you exhibited, I need you as an officer."
The general removed Chuck's chevrons from the center of his chest and replaced them with a patch containing the three small pips indicating the rank of Hauptmann. As he did so, he stated, "I expect you to be fluent in the German language by 18:00 hours." Then he smiled and returned to his seat. "Sit down Herr Hauptmann."
Chuck took a seat.
"I have read your file; you were among those who defended JILL against the terrorist attack. That was a remarkable defense, particularly at sector zero, where you were surrounded."
"First off, sir, I wasn't at zero, I was at nine. And, you may recall, we had to abandon sector zero, and the position at sector nine was demolished and overrun with heavy losses. The most remarkable thing about it all was that any of us survived it."
"You called the position at sector zero 'the Alamo', did you not?"
"Yes, sir, because it was surrounded."
"The Alamo is an excellent example of a small force delaying a larger force. This is my plan here. The main difference here is that there is no Major Fanning to write to."
"He never made it anyway, sir."
"Then you understand our position here. We face a numerically superior force, and there is no possibility of relief. The best we can hope to do is delay the pending massacre. We might bleed them enough that they throw in the towel, which though a forlorn hope, is the only hope we have. They have the numbers, but we have skill, experience, professionalism, and Kameradschaft—comradeship. And of course, having over 240 SUBs does not hurt either.
"I want you to direct the construction of defenses like those at the Alamo built at JILL."
"Sir, we'll need a place with interior lines of communication, all our logistics; beans, bullets, and band aids, must be centrally located. There must be very few avenues of approach, and they must all be devoid of anything behind which the advancing enemy might find cover. We'll need good, solid barricades, several, because we'll want to defend in depth. And sir, we'll have to find a place in a corner so we don't have to defend a three hundred and sixty-degree perimeter. The back wall of that corner should possess an airlock, just to keep that option open."
"Hauptmann, what you describe is less the Alamo and more like the defense at sector nine."
"Yes, sir. At the Alamo, we had our enemy outnumbered and our troops were all Mark two eleven Kilo Whiskey robots, whose aim was deadly accurate.
"The defense at sector nine would have held had the terrorists not had missiles. Wilmington's guys don't have missiles…do they?"
"Not as far as we know. Look at this map. What do you think of this location?"
Chapter 18
Copay
Dave, Kathy, Zolna, and Le'ha followed the east branch of the Kau'Etay, and swam that mighty river just below the confluence, and then headed northeast toward the mountains wherein was hidden the clinic.
The sun was low to the horizon directly in front of him as Dave and the others trekked over the low rolling, heavily forested, hills several kilometers east of their destination.
They came to the top of a small, rocky hill with far fewer trees on its crest. From here, they had a good view of the terrain before them. Almost on the horizon in a manmade clearing between three hills covered by the massive photo-generative camouflage membrane, they could see the clinic.
"Ma'am," Dave remarked to Kathy, "might I suggest we wait here for dark before we proceed?"
"Why? The Bios in there have night vision devices, they see as well at night as we do."
"Only if they're using them. We have no reason to think they expect us— their coms are down, too. And the night hunters will be out, so they will expect to see and hear things in the forest."
"Okay, that makes since,” Kathy replied. “Besides our guide, here, might need the rest. Everyone keep your eyes and ears sharp, they might just have patrols out."
Dave and Le'ha took a seat near a rock that overlooked the jungle and allowed them a clear view of the clinic and the beauty of the setting, red sun.
"The Kath-ee one does not like us," Le'ha remarked.
"Naw," Dave replied casually, "that's not true; it's just that she's carrying a great burden. She's responsible for our safety, and the success of the mission. And our success does not mean good things either way. If we prove the Ukse are mistreating your people, it could mean Tias tappa ukse varie…war, between my people. If we are wrong, then Kathy, I, and several of the CDF will be imprisoned."
"The Ukse would fight and kill each other for the E'meset?"
"There is evil everywhere Le'ha, and if the good among us don't stand against it, then evil will win, and evil destroys all, even those who practice evil."
After a moment, Le'ha glanced toward Kathy who sat alone under a tree. Then she turned to Dave, "You have known her for many rains?"
Dave glanced at Kathy. "We worked together for a long time without really knowing each other. I got to know her on Earth's Moon before we came here. She's a remarkable woman."
"You are…halo vat of her?"
"I'm sorry, I don't understand…halo vat?"
"You―much like her."
"Of course, I like her, but she's my commander, we can't be seen being too friendly."
"You are friends, but you cannot be friendly?"
"I know, it sounds funny, doesn't it?"
"No, Dave, it sounds very sad. I think you are very much halo vat of her. But Dave, I do not think she is halo vat of you."
"Oh…ah, we like each other well enough."
"My Dave, halo vat is more than a friend to like. How do you say it? You want to make of her your mate, but you fear she does not halo vat you. I do not see it in her eyes; I do not feel it in her words. Your halo vat is wasted on that woman who only halo'ah missions. I do not say this is a bad thing, only bad for you."
Dave glanced again at Kathy who must have been looking in his direction as her eyes shot away. "Well, Le'ha. It's okay. I quit looking to halo vat anyone a very long time ago. It's just not in my stars."
"Not in your stars from your Earth, but look at the stars from Eya'Etee Ki Kee. They will speak differently to you."
○O○
Kathy sat under the tree watching Le'ha and Dave converse as the sky grew darker. She noticed them glance her way, convincing her that she was the topic of their conversation.
In the failing light, Le'ha's and Dave's silhouettes stood out against the sky beyond. Dave turned his head toward her, so she quickly looked up and away at the growing number of stars.
She remembered as a child in Yuma, Arizona, making wishes on stars. Now, she was out among them. Had any of those wishes come true? When she was young, she could never have imagined all that she'd been through, and now, here she was a SUB, on another planet, light years from her birth place.
She never imagined herself alone when she was a child. As a teenage girl, she envisioned a husband, children, and a home in her future. Then adulthood came along, and adult ambitions that were far removed from her childish dreams.
She had come close to death twice; once when she was shot, and again, because of cancer. This last time caused her to re-evaluate her life. Here on Antyl
lus, her old ambitions seemed less important than her dreams.
If this all worked out well, she would most likely end up the commander here. If it did not…well, there would be no future. She had told Dave she wanted to be happy, and this was true; she was just not sure what that meant.
As she watched Dave and Le'ha sitting together in the fading twilight, she felt a sort of anger simmering in the back of her mind. A thought occurred to her. She shook her head. No, don't be silly. But the thought persisted. Could it be true? Was she jealous?
No. What's happening here is Le'ha is turning Dave's attention into a competition. I have no idea why, but that's the obvious answer. Kathy knew herself well enough to understand that she had a very competitive streak. She knew she was responding to Le'ha's challenge instinctively. Knowing this provided a solution; she would just not play Le'ha's game. That way she would not be caught up in, or concerned with, the silly competition and thus, be better able to focus on the mission.
Kathy stood. "Huddle up," she ordered.
Le'ha, Dave, and Zolna moved over to her. "When we get there," she stated, "we'll break into two teams; a security team and a recon team. Major, you and I are the recon team, we'll be going inside. Zolna, you and Le'ha are security. Do not attempt to contact us by COMde unless it is an absolute imperative.
"During our first recon of this place, I noted a hatch on the roof near the antenna. Le'ha, unless you know another way inside, that will be our point of entry."
"I know only the big doors on the morning, middle day, and evening sides. That is all." Le'ha replied.
Kathy looked out into the darkness, adjusted her vision, and said, "Okay, let's move out."
Everyone rose, grabbed their weapons, and this time, they followed Kathy down the hill and into the forest.
They approached the clinic from the east following the small stream. They entered the valley between the three hills and were soon under the camouflage membrane which blotted out the stars.
The clinic building itself was dark, and very little light was escaping from the west compound where the E'meset were housed. Kathy noted that far too much effort had gone into concealing this facility for it to be anything other than a clandestine operation. And they weren't trying to hide it from the E'meset, they knew exactly where it was, and they didn’t fly. The only prying eyes they were trying to hide from were the satellites in orbit, which were monitored by the CDF, and of course, Indra.
Kathy and her team used the ruins of the mostly demolished and abandoned city to mask their movement.
Le'ha stopped them at the base of a damaged pyramid. "Little Zolna and I, we will mount here. Our eyes can see much from the temple of Lu'aya."
"Okay," Kathy replied. "Remember Zolna, we're COMde silent unless compromised. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am," Zolna replied.
Kathy looked over her shoulder at Dave, "Major, you're with me." She had decided that calling Dave by his rank in front of Le'ha would signal that she was no longer a competitor.
As they started to move into the forest toward the clinic, that little voice finally chimed in. No longer a competitor, eh? So, what then, you're just giving up, just gonna quit, just like that?
Kathy responded to the voice, as she often did. Look, I'm a little too busy for this Bravo Sierra right now.
As always, the voice wanted an argument. Be a liar and a hypocrite to anyone you like, Kathy Selina, but you can't lie to me. You have feelings for Dave, and you just flat refuse to admit it to yourself or to him.
Kathy paused before engaging the voice. Like I said, I'm too busy for that. I've got to complete this mission without getting anyone killed. I've got to get in, record evidence, get out, and then get back to New Roanoke in one piece.
Sure, the voice kept on. And you have to be the iron maiden to do that? Okay, quit, let Le'ha have him. He'll be happier with a woman who is ready to fight for him anyway.
Just who the hell are you? Kathy asked angrily.
Someone you left behind.
Hey, wait a minute! I've never left anyone behind! But the voice was gone.
Damn it! Kathy's anxiety at penetrating a hostile facility was replaced with anger, anger at that voice, at the truth in the voice's words, at herself. She looked over her shoulder at Dave. He was about twenty meters behind her. He was hyper alert and in an Infantryman's crouch. She stood still, watching him as he moved through the forest behind her. Her eyes zoomed in on his face. She wondered what he thought of her. Wasn't he trying to express himself to her when he said he wasn't that robot from that old movie…Klaatu?
Dave was three meters away now, he looked up and made eye contact— and froze.
"Keep up," was all Kathy said, then she turned and kept moving.
Keep up? She asked to herself. You could have said stay close or even stay close to me, but no, you had to bark an order at him like he was a cherry. He probably thinks I'm mad at him.
The metal wall of the clinic loomed before them. The structure was a large rectangular building with a flat roof. The walls were eight meters tall. Easy enough for SUBs to jump up to, particularly in this low gravity.
"I'll go first," Kathy stated.
Dave winked and replied, "Let me." Then he jumped up, grabbed the edge of the building and pulled himself up. Almost instantly, he turned around and gave her the hand signal to wait.
Kathy remained on the ground seething.
From above, came a sudden thump and the unmistakable sound of a scuffle. The sound of something breaking ended the noise. Then two meters to her right, a body fell from the roof and hit the ground, hard. There was a millisecond of panic in Kathy's breast, when, from above, Dave's voice whispered, "Clear, come up."
Kathy sprang up and grabbed the edge of the roof. Dave's hands reached down and grabbed her wrists and he pulled her straight up. She flew right into his chest, again.
Dave turned and set her down to his right.
Kathy froze, she looked into his face, she knew her eyes were wide and she felt her lips part. She lingered there a tad too long.
"Ma'am?" Dave asked, confused by her hesitation.
Kathy backed up and straightened her uniform. "What was that?" she asked.
"Guard," Dave replied.
"What?" Kathy had asked about his pulling her into his chest, not about the scuffle and falling object.
"It was a guard. Big as this place is, there will be others." Dave indicated the dead guard with a nod of his head. "He'll have to check in at some point. We may not have much time." He paused a moment. "And…I've killed a man, Kathy. I don't think this will end well for me now, regardless."
"Don't be silly, we're at war."
"No, Kathy, we're not."
"Don't worry about it, you acted under my orders. We are now time critical, remember? Let's move." Increasing the sensitivity of their night vision, they made for the antenna.
Just as she had suspected, there was a door-sized hatch flat on the roof. Kathy tried to open it as Dave kept a lookout.
The simple door was locked from the inside. Kathy dug her fingers under the lip of the door and pulled. The metal peeled back like the wrapping paper on a birthday gift. She reached inside and unlatched the door. Beyond, was a short set of stairs that led to an airlock. It was a very old, manual type. They entered and closed the door. Dave operated the valves that vented the atmosphere and replaced it with air. They, of course, didn't need either, but to get the inner door to open without setting off alarms, this procedure was necessary.
Opening the inner door, they found themselves inside a small dressing room with four S-suits and several respirators stored on wall mounted brackets. From here, there were two doors, one to their left the other right. They turned left and slowly opened the door.
They were looking out onto the skeletal frame of a gigantic catwalk system that seemed to crisscross all over the darkened ceiling of the interior of the clinic. It was kept dark up here so those in the well-illuminated area below could not easi
ly see those on the catwalk. From where they crouched, Kathy could see two guards slowly strolling on the catwalk and looking down. She was certain there were more, they were just lost among all the steel beams up here.
Though the exterior walls of the clinic were only eight meters tall, the distance to the floor from the catwalk was twelve meters—a good drop, even for a SUB.
Kathy and Dave chose their course to avoid being seen or making contact. From the east extent of the clinic, they saw the Indigs being brought in and sprayed with something that either rendered them unconscious or killed them. Looking down, Kathy and Dave followed the path these unfortunate people were being forced to take.
Moving west, they arrived over an area that took up a lot of the space inside the clinic. Here were thousands of Indigs, strapped into brackets, and suspended from an overhead conveyor. Each had a double set of hoses attached to their arms below the elbows.
Along the walls were hundreds of cylinders, like those used to contain compressed gas. Each cylinder was color coded with bands around their bodies and attached by hoses to a large device suspended from the ceiling. Hoses from each Indig led into this same device. As Kathy and Dave looked on, something struck a chord.
"Do those cylinders look familiar to you, Dave?"
"They damn sure do. We saw them on the Demeter. Tell me, ma’am, what does this look like to you?"
"It looks like mass venipuncture to me."
"If by that you mean they’re draining their blood, then yeah, that’s what it looks like to me, too.”
“Look at the individuals on the last row back there." Kathy pointed toward several dozen Indigs who were exceedingly thin and almost devoid of their many colors.
"They are bleeding these people to death!" Kathy was shocked.
"I saw this before, in Le'ha's cave," Dave whispered, "but why?"
"We have to find out, and we have to get proof," Kathy said, "There must be documentation that explains what's going on here."
From their vantage point, they saw that a large section of the southern portion of the facility held what must be offices and billets for the onsite personnel. They all appeared to be off duty except for a skeleton crew. A quick examination indicated that the southwest corner was the safest place for them to descend.
The Vampires of Antyllus Page 25
