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Even as the explosions were going off in hospital the medical personnel of the evacuation hospital were responding to the incident. Although some of their number had been brutally cut down when the fragmentation grenades had gone off at the entrance to the receiving ward, the entire hospital went to mass casualty stations. Although not a true emergency hospital, the staff was all from the Interstellar Rescue Service, all of them had been trained aboard IRS Hospital Patrol Ships and its rescue cutters. They knew emergency medicine and mass casualty procedures. Although hampered by their own casualties they waded into the carnage.
The first task was assessment. Medics, and specially trained nurses and doctors, their mass casualty bags slung over their shoulders stopped briefly at each of their fallen comrades checking to see if they were dead or injured and what type of injury they had. They black tagged many of the people they began to triage. As they continued their triage others followed behind them confirming their triage and started to work on the most serious. Frustrated by the inability to communicate even among themselves they managed to get their jobs done though many low ranking staff members were used as runners. They heard a massive explosion, followed by another explosion, those who could, looked to where the explosions were in time to see the remains of the anti-airspace battery falling to earth.
When his communications panel came back to life, the pilot of Over Watch 1, the Sassy that had taken out the anti-spacecraft battery was on his com immediately, “Trenaport Area Control this Over Watch 1, I have emergency traffic for your station!”
“This is Trenaport Control,” the military controller for the Trenaport region came up on the communicator. “Go with emergency traffic.”
“The landing craft containing Lady Wilson’s special duty team has been destroyed by the AS battery by the hospital!” the pilot brought his fighter over the hospital he saw the carnage on the ground, “I am over flying the hospital. Oh my god! There are bodies everywhere! The Hospital has been attacked! They need help! Lots of help!”
When communications had been reestablished, Trenaport control, the center that controlled the military space craft over the Trenaport area of the continent new it had lost a bird, its identification friend or foe transponder signal had simply disappeared. The AI checked to see if it had landed and marked out of service shutting down the IFF. When it checked the area’s air/space traffic control network and the AI had found that the landing craft containing a rapid response team from the royal protective service had still been on station when the communications black out hit, was now missing. There had been no electronic locator transporter signal had been heard. Then it heard the report from Over Watch 1 and knew it was gone. Without consulting his human partner he called, “Attention all stations! Trenaport Capital District, is declaring an air defense emergency. There has been an attack on the evacuation hospital. One landing craft destroyed. Many casualties!”
Suddenly a new voice cut across the others, “Attention all stations, A national defense emergency has been declared. All space and air craft are to hold at their points of departure or return to their points of departure. All stations be advised that a deadly force authorization has been issued! Any space or air craft that does not hold or return to their points of departure may be fired on with little or no warning.”
There was dead air as the alert sank in! The silence wasn’t for long as stations all over and about Trena began to check in. DefConnie had issued the alert without consulting the duty commander. It didn’t have to. As part of its programming it could activate a defense alert mobilizing the troops before explaining why. Soon the alert had reach throughout the kingdom including Queen Agatha’s quarters where she was meeting with her Marshal. Wilson was going over various things when Page materialized before them.
“Your Majesty,” the image of a young girl with a page boy haircut spoke to the Queen, “The Mountain has just declared a planetary defense emergency.”
“What’s happened,” the Queen asked.
“We’ve had an incident at the Evacuation Hospital,” the AI reported, “There was also a landing craft crash near Trenaport Boarding School. The Mountain declared a Mountain Event.”
Alarmed, concerned about his wife who had an appointment with the evacuation hospital’s staff this morning, Marshal Wilson asked, “What’s happened at the hospital?”
“It’s still being assessed Marshal,” The AI responded. “At the present time it looks like there is some sort of mass casualty incident. Sir at this time Lady Wilson’s status is unknown. I tried to ping her implant and there was no response. But neither are some of the other people who I know to have implants are not responding either. We’re still trying to establish communications with the field hospital. There was a communications blackout that covered all of the area around the field hospital and to northern Trenaport. We’re just getting connectivity with the area.”
Mike’s first instinct was to get into his landing craft and fly to the hospital to personally get his wife to safety. He couldn’t do that! He’d just be in the way and that might cause the very thing he was afraid of; harming Lisa and their children. No, he had to stay here at the palace where his staff could get to him. Besides he had no knowledge that Lisa had been harmed.
“Thank you Page,” The Queen’s voice broke into Wilson’s furious thoughts. “Tell the staff I am enroute to the EOC.”
“Yes ma’am,” Page dissolved.
“Coming Mike,” the Queen asked.
“Yes,” still very concerned over his wife’s safety, he followed his queen down to the Emergency Operations Center.
Surprising it was not complete bedlam. He found Mylea, sitting at the desk usually reserved for him in the executive cell just off the main floor of the EOC. Hovering over the desk was the image of Janet Able, next to her was the image of a collapsed home with fire fighters ensuring that there was no one in the building.
“The landing craft crashed after some sort of explosion,” Chief Able was briefing Mylea. “All of the passengers aboard the landing craft were killed. Either directly from the explosion,” the image beside the chief changed to show a landing craft lifting off and as its landing gear began to close, it exploded, causing the landing craft to suddenly crash. “Or in the rolling that occurred when it crashed. We’re still searching the elsy; but it is mangled on the inside. The house it a total lost. Everyone got out alive. They would have all died had it not been for one of the cadets; Cadet Sergeant Major Mitchum went into the building and brought all three of the occupants out. She was injured and taken to the school’s infirmary with minor injuries.”
A colonel’s face suddenly floated next to chief’s. When he saw who was on the other end of the line he stood a little straighter, “Your majesty, I have a mass casualty event at the hospital. I have many dead and injured here. The target was Lady Wilson. She is missing,” there was a loud snap of something breaking the Queen looked towards the sound and saw her marshal with a broken stylus in his hands, “and all of but one of her party was knocked senseless, one of the marine medics were killed by a sniper.”
“Fuck,” Wilson cursed nearly collapsing into a chair.
The Queen couldn’t agree with him more.
“I’ve dispatched the alert team from the ‘Town’,” the town was a small town fifty or so miles outside of Trenaport that the special weapons and tactics teams of the Mounties, and the Companions, were joined by a Black Guard platoon who had set up a training base, “they are enroute and should be there anytime.”
Every Last Mother's Child Page 196
