Solbidyum Wars Saga Book 1: Battle of the New Orleans

by Dale C. Musser

  “It would seem,” Thimas was saying “that the Federation is not taking me seriously enough. Admiral Regeny and his staff wish to play games with me, begging me that they need time to get the Solbidyum and the TRITYTE from where ever they have them hidden and that I should be tolerant and not send any more person of out the airlock, but rather I should allow them time to accomplish their tasks. They take me for a fool, I know full well they devise some fiendish scheme to try and regain the DUSTEN, but I am not that foolish. It seems it is necessary to remind the Federation just how strong I, Captain Thimas, and the Brotherhood,” he quickly added, “are. Our word is never to be questioned.” As he said this, the image on the screen shifted to the air lock which was now filled with more panicking people. Once again the red light began flashing and Thimas voice was heard saying in a sickening tone, “Bye, bye people say thank you to the Federation for your little trip!” Behind me I heard someone being sick as the doors was opened and the people were sucked out into the vacuum of space. “Now, let us get back to business shall we.” Thimas said his image now displayed on the screen once more. His mental state obviously had digressed since an hour earlier and the mad look of desperation in his eye and his erratic mannerisms more pronounced. The front of his uniform displaying more blood, obviously from Captain Maxette who could be seen in the background tied in a chair, his uniform covered in blood and his head hanging down but still moving so we knew he was still alive. “Like ex-captain Maxette, who I am sure would gladly tell you, if he could speak, just who is Captain of the DUSTEN now, it is not wise to resist my wishes.” As he said this Thimas walked over behind Captain Maxette and grabbing hold of his hair lifted his head so his bloodied mouth could clearly be seen on the vid screen.” Behind me I heard Rivez voice exclaim, “My stars, he’s cut out his tongue. Then I heard a thunk, and looked to see that Dakko had passed out. “One hour and one hundred more people go out the airlock unless I have the Solbidyum and the TRITYTE here More will go every hour until I do. I hope that this little demonstration makes it clear to all that I am not to be disobeyed!” The screen went blank again.

  Only a moment later Lunnie’s voice came across my wrist communicator, “I saw Tibby, working as fast as I can, no promises but I may have it in about forty-five minutes.”

  Her message had barely ended when Admiral Regeny’s appeared on the vid screen. “Tibby I know we all are under a lot of pressure here, but we need to do something to stop this mad man as quickly as possible, do you have anything at all that we might do?”

  “We’re doing all we can, I need all the troopers and my security people that are available to get down here immediately for a three minute dose of mental input martial arts learning, we do not have time for a test and we can only hope and pray that it will work. I will need Marranalis, Reidecor, and if I can have him Lt. Commander Wanoll, as well as four other troopers to go with me on this mission. Lunnie thinks she can have the fake Solbidyum container ready in less than an hour. Also we need to move the NEW ORLEANS out of visual range of the DUSTEN so we can release the TRITYTE without revealing the ship. Then we need to move the TRITYTE remotely from the NEW ORLEANS while being cloaked but within range of the DUSTEN to take over remote control. We have no time to test anything, so I suggest that if anyone has any gods they pray to they do it now.”

  “Tib you can’t do this, it’s too risky, you could all get killed,” Kala was saying.

  “Kala, if we do not do it, in one hour more people will die. We cannot really let Thimas have the Solbidyum and the TRITYTE, so what other choice do we have? Sooner or later Thimas is going to decide to start blowing things up on the planet and thousands or even millions will die. That’s an insane mad man over there, and there is no reasoning with him.”

  Troopers began arriving at the facility we had set up for Cantolla and her team and the learning downloads started. Each down load took three minutes and I needed all seven of the people going into the container with me implanted. Reidecor got re-breather masks off the NIGHTBRIDGE that we would need as the oxygen in the air in the container would not be sufficient for those of us inside. Forty minutes later we were assembled in the hanger area as Lunnie delivered the mock Solbidyum container to the TRITYTE using a low automated device that functioned both as palette and a forklift only without the forks.

  Behind us as troopers were entering the few patrol ships we had aboard the NEW ORLEANS as fast at Cantolla and her team could process them. Their orders were that once my team had secured the hangar on the DUSTEN they would be rapidly deployed from the NEW ORLEANS to the DUSTEN hangar and stealth fully as possible, take out the Brotherhood guards and troopers, and then regroup to take the bridge. As Security officer of the DUSTEN, Lt. Commander Wanoll knew the security codes for everything on the ship, assuming that Thimas hadn’t changed them and it was unlikely that he had with is state of mind. Wanoll would be able to override the lockout on the bridge and get our people inside. It was not expected to be pretty, but it was necessary.

  Admiral Regeny was in the conference room with the High Command and they were starting a broadcast to the DUSTEN saying that Federation would meet their demand and that the TRITYTE was on its way and that the DUSTEN should have it on its sensors at any moment. There was no response from the DUSTEN, but they must have gotten the message because shortly after the message two patrol ships came out and took up positions near the hangar bay doors. We hoped this was intended to be a security measure on Thimas’s part and that once the TRITYTE was aboard the DUSTEN they would enter the hangar again, but regardless we were committed to our plan now, fail or succeed.

  The mock Solbidyum container that Lunnie had made was a perfect replica, right down to a deep scratch that was on one side of the original. I doubt that without having the two containers side by side anyone would be able to tell the difference. Lunnie showed us how to open the container from the inside, it was not going to comfortable for all of is inside. We would barely have room to reach the latching mechanism that would let us out, but we could and that was all that mattered.

  Just before I entered the container Kala came running to me and threw her arms about me and gave me a kiss. We were running of time and much as I wanted to hold her in my arms I knew that I needed to go. I entered the container with my team hoping we would not have to be in the container longer than two hours, but we didn’t know. It was going to be a guessing game when to come out, from inside we could detect some muffled sounds outside, but that was about all, we could not see outside at all. We were just outside the DUSTEN’s sensor range when we entered the container and sealed it. We were jostled about a bit as Lunnie positioned the container in the TRITYTE.

  Moments later we felt a slight movement as the TRITYTE was remotely moved from the hangar of the NEW ORLEANS and into space and then all was quiet. We had no way of talking with the re-breathers on and so all we could do was wait. I still had my grandfather’s watch which while nonfunctional on the galactic time system still gave me an indication of how much time was elapsing. Fortunately it had a luminous dial and I was able to see it. I had worn it out of habit on my left wrist while on my right wrist I wore the short range communication band that most people in the Federation wore on ships on larger accommodations or building.

  It seemed like we were in the container an eternity. One thing we had not thought about was body heat and it was becoming very warm in the container, with the heat and the natural loss of water from the body from perspiration the inside of the container was becoming a sauna and we all were soaked in perspiration. This only seemed to add to agony and length of the trip. At one point we felt a slight lurch and I hoped it was the DUSTEN taking over control of the TRITYTE then what seemed an unbearably long period of time later we felt a another lurch and a bump, shortly thereafter there was a sound of movement in the ship and the sounds of muffled voices. There seemed to be some excitement and scuffling about but we could not tell what was going on from inside the container. Finally all was quiet again and
we waited. A few times we heard what sounded like people walking about outside the container and then at last it was silent for a long period and I hoped it was safe for us to make our exit.

  I triggered the release and our container opened silently. Immediately Reidecor and Marranalis were out, guns in hand and ready for action. Fortunately no one was in the cargo hold. The cool dry air of the ship and chilling effect of our wet clothing was a relief after being in the box as we began a sweep of the inside of the TRITYTE. Everyone was quiet, relying on hand signals for communication. Reidecor took a peak outside the hatch door which was opened , two guards stood at the base, surprisingly there were no others about, but then with a limited number of rebels and several thousand people to keep contained they probably could not spare anymore guards then that. Both guards had their backs to the ship and were close enough for both Reidecor and Marranalis to leap from the hatch and dispatch them both in an instant. Moving forward quickly as a team we headed to the hangar control room. This too was empty. Now was the part that was going to be tricky, we were hoping that Commander Thimas would feel the need to gloat his triumph and would be broadcasting on the Vid screen, but he wasn’t. We had no way of knowing how many people were on the bridge or if the sensor screens were being monitored, we had to assume they would be as any rational ships first Officer would do. I asked Lt. Commander Wanoll for his opinion since he was the most familiar with the DUSTEN.

  “If the NEW ORLEANS is close enough to the DUSTEN when they switch the RMFF off they may not be detected,” Wanoll said quietly “Normally the sensors are set for long range detection. On the other hand the NEW ORLEANS is so large that is almost impossible for it not to make some sort of signature on the sensors. It could set off the collusion sensors because of how close it is if that happens, well I have no idea what will happen on the bridge.”

  I thought a minute, “Do you have any idea where they may be holding the non-rebel troops,” I asked Wanoll.

  “I have an idea,” he said, “a few years ago we had to transport about three thousand criminals from Megelleon to Nigan we used one of the large cargo holds that has only one access to it and it easy to guard. I would bet that is where Thimas would want any prisoners he has held.

  “Marranalis, do you know the hold he is talking about?” I asked.

  “Yes sir I do,” he said.

  “Take another man and see if you can get there and take out the guards and free them. Well give you fifteen minutes and then I’m going to open the hatch, hopefully they will have monitors on the hold with the prisoners and when you break them out attention will be drawn to try and contain things back there and we can open the hangar without it being noticed.” I said.

  “Wait Marranalis, before you go”, Wanoll said, “Thimas may have put lockouts on the weapons lockers and you will need to be able to arm the troopers when you break them out. There is an arms locker not far outside the hold where the prisoners should be. Let me give all of you my security access code, it should allow you to override anything Thimas may have put in to prevent access by anyone to the arms. Only Captain Maxette can block me and Thimas from being able to override the lockouts.

  It was about ten minutes later when alarms started going off and Thimas’s voice was heard screaming across the vid system “The prisoner’s in the hold are escaping STOP THEM! Get down there and STOP them! Kill them if you have to but get them back in that hold!” While he was screaming we opened the hold door, we saw the NEW ORLEANS suddenly materialize and it’s hangar door open while a group of patrol ships quickly moved away from it and into the hold of the DUSTEN, the entire event taking less than a minute. No sooner did the last ship clear the hangar door of the DUSTEN then the NEW ORLEANS vanished. Two seconds later there was a light display as energy beams played over the invisible RMFF field of the NEW ORLEANS with fire from the DUSTEN. Claxons sounded on the DUSTEN the call to battle stations went out over the com system Thimas voice started screaming again “INVADERS IN THE FORWARD HANGER BAY! INVADERS IN THE FORWARD HANGER BAY! KILL ALL PRISONERS AND ATTACK HANGER BAY!” As he was saying this hangar door in the DUSETN closed and before it was totally pressurized troops were pouring out of the cargo holds of the pilot ships and headed to the access doors to the DUSTEN interior. Flashes of laser fire could be seen in the corridor as the troopers entered and men could be heard fighting. I tried to contact Marranalis on the wrist com but got no response.

  “There’s a wiring trunk access at the end of the hangar that will get us up to the next level, it’s probably not being guarded we can get to the bridge from there.” Wanoll said. We managed to pick up another four troopers coming off the last patrol ship and they fell in with us as we followed behind Wanoll. The access he told us about turned out to be a long trunk with a ladder in it and we had to ascend nearly ten meters to an access door on the level above. We exited into a corridor on the next level and appeared to be in an accommodations section, no one was in sight and all was quiet. We all paused and Wanoll said, “My cabin is just down this corridor, if we can get into it we should be safe for a few minutes and I can pull up images from the remote security station in my cabin. I can also isolate certain sections trapping some of the rebels there.” We followed Wanoll the short distance to his cabin and watched him apply his palm to the scanner plate, the panel lit green and we all entered, the door closing silently behind us as Wanoll palmed the switch plate inside.

  His accommodation was much smaller than I had expected after having seen the luxurious accommodations elsewhere on the ship, though much smaller it was still lavish but with tastefully decorated and had several rooms. Wanoll immediately went to a small room, only big enough for a few persons to squeeze in. Inside were rows of view screens and a large control console with a lot of buttons and lights on it. Without any explanation Wanoll began bring up view after view on the screens. Many sections of the ship appeared to be abandoned, especially the areas normally designated and crew spaces and zones for military people. In the civilian sections however some, though not many, people milled about. These people were civilian on the ship living in the non-crew areas, doors leading out of those areas had a red light over the doors indicated that these doors were sealed preventing them access to the engineering and military parts of the DUSTEN. Views from the opposite side of the doors revealed two rebel guards, making sure no one got in or out.

  “I think for now, the civilians aboard are safer where they are. If they were able to get out they would only be in the way,” Wanoll said and I had to agree. He panned to the hold were several hundred troops were being held prisoner by the rebels, they all appeared dead, we could not tell from the image if Marranalis and his men were inside with them when Thimas ordered them killed. It appeared that they had either died from suffocation; no doubt Thimas had the air evacuated from the hold killing them all in about a minute or two. While I hoped that Marranalis and his men survived it did not bode well that I was unable to get any response from him on my wrist communicator. Other scenes of the battle between the troopers we had brought from the NEW ORLEANS didn’t look too good either as the troopers appearing to use martial arts techniques against the rebels in hand to hand combat were sluggish and were more of a liability than an asset. Many of them were getting killed or severely wounded while trying to use them. Obviously the headband training was a failure, we were losing the battle and it seemed that only a miracle could save us. Wanoll did manage to isolate a few rebel troops in one area and lock them in from his security console, but the bulk of them were in areas where there was little he could do. Suddenly as he was moving from view to view a room appeared with a man obviously torturing a woman. Wanoll paused and then zoomed in on the woman, it was Lunnie.

  “What... I exclaimed, how did they get Lunnie, what’s she doing here, where is she we have to rescue her?” I exclaimed with panic. Wanoll activated some controls and we were able to hear the conversation in the room. “TELL ME, WHY WERE YOU ON THE TRITYTE !” The voice of Corporal Lexmal demande
d. I had not recognized him with his back to the view screen. “What is the Federation planning to do? TELL ME YOU DOESEE!”

  Lunnie was tied with her arms stretched out and attached to the wall, she was naked from the waste up and it was apparent that she had been slashed and cut numerous times in an attempt to get her to divulge information.

  “Isn’t it obvious to you lover boy that I came all this way just to be with you,” Lunnie said in her usual mocking way. Lexmal struck her across the face so hard I was sure she would be unconscious and I was surprised when she turned her head to him and spit blood in his face. “That the best you can do lover boy?” Lexmal’s body blocked the view as he obviously made still more cuts to Lunnie’s body, but she didn’t scream though you could hear her grunt in pain.

  “Now tell me Doesee,” Lexmal said forcefully, why where you hiding on the TRITYTE when it was brought over here!”

  “I told you, you asshole. I was taking a nap in my bunk on the TRITYTE and don’t know anything about the Federation’s plans. When I woke up the ship was already being hauled into the DUSTEN hangar and I hid hoping not to be found.” Lexmal hit her again, just as the compartment door opened and Reidecor’s voice rang out.

  “GET AWAY FROM HER YOU FILTHY BASTARD,” Lexmal spun but then two guards in the room, not previously seen, appeared and both firing in unison blasted Reidecor and he fell dead just inside the door. Lunnie could be heard screaming, “NO REIDECOR NO!!!!“ We were shocked and turned to see that Reidecor was missing from our group; apparently he had slipped out on seeing Lunnie being tortured and had gone to rescue her.

  “How do I get to that compartment,” I asked Wanoll. Immediately he pulled up a chart on the screen that showed our location and the route to the compartment. Fortunately it was a relatively simple route and I told Wanoll and the others to continue on without me that I was going to save Lunnie. Then without waiting for a reply I was out the door and headed down the corridor at top speed. I found one raider lying dead in the corridor; obviously he had an encounter with Reidecor and come out the loser. A few steps further and around a bend I found yet another. I approached the door to the compartment where Lunnie was being held quickly palmed the door and was prepared to enter the door low and quickly fire left and right killing the two guards that I now knew to be in the room. When the door opened I saw myself staring at two legs of a guard apparently about to leave the compartment from the other side. I felt a sharp blow on back of my head and all went black.