Resolute Omnibus (The War for Terra)

by James Prosser

  “Tell them…” Lee said, trying to form an order that made sense, and then abandoning it. “Tell the demons to unleash hell.”

  25

  Ch’Tauk Dreadnought

  Despite the loss of a few ships and their commanders, Ki’Bontri thought that the plan was being carried out flawlessly. There were more Terran ships present than he had allotted for in his original calculations, but he still felt that the Ch’Tauk Imperial fleet held numerical superiority. All in all, he felt that the battle was turning in their favor.

  He had ordered the destruction of one of the bothersome ships that had already fallen victim to his smaller ships and he would order more of the remaining fleet destroyed soon enough. As soon as he carried out the destruction of the small capital ship that had dared to attack him directly, he would commence with mopping up the pitiful human fleet.

  “My Lord,” interrupted the voice of the Quartero. “A report from the surface. They are facing minimal resistance.”

  Ki’Bontri scanned the transparent report, looking for any mention of the Imperial Advisor. After his initial communique’, the man had seemed to go silent. He had been instructed by the Primero himself to remain in contact as often as possible, but had apparently chosen to ignore those orders. Truth be told, despite the fashion changes that the man had brought to the Empire, Ki’Bontri had little use for the human or for the species as a whole. As soon as he returned to Ch’Tauk, he would hold a meeting with the Camerlingo and have the man placed in prison where his scientific knowledge could be extracted by torture.

  Ki’Bontri dragged his finger down the report, feeling the slight shudders to his dreadnought as the battle raged outside in space. He saw that the landers had cleared part of the swamp where Heyerdahl had reported the location of the native peasants. A search of the area had revealed no structures or even bodies except for a few reptilian birds and a native species that vaguely resembled the Ch’Tauk, except smaller and aquatic. The thought of any world having a creature that might bear some genetic similarities to the glorious form of the Ch’Tauk disgusted the Primero.

  “My Lord,” exclaimed one of the Centurions at the forward console. “One of the Terran ships has gone crazy. It seems to be the one that launched fighters against us.”

  Ki’Bontri saw the small ship begin to execute wild maneuverers, tearing away at a smaller Ch’Tauk ship. He recognized the ship from a previous attack during the battle, but he had disregarded it as being an inferior style of warship. The fighters that protected it, however, were impressive. They appeared to have been upgraded from the standard human fighter craft and were inflicting damage to his fleet as they went.

  “Turn us around, Centurion,” ordered the Primero. “Aim the main cannon towards that ship. I want to show these humans what it means to insult the Ch’Tauk Empress.”

  “Yes, my Lord,” replied the Centurion, sliding his fingers along the display and manipulating the drive field that kept the dreadnought moving.

  The armored window showed the stars moving across the sky as the massive Ch’Tauk flagship turned in space. He saw the carrier class ships that the humans had hoped to rely upon as they became targets of the mighty Ch’Tauk fighter squadrons. He had not expected two of the ships, but knowing that they existed was a simple pleasure that the Primero intended to savor. Their destruction would permanently demoralize the Terran fleet and make his victory that much easier.

  “My Lord,” said the Centurion manning the communications. “We are receiving a signal from Ki’Bara’s destroyer. He says it’s urgent.”

  “Of course he does,” replied Ki’Bontri. “He probably wants to beg to be included in the battle. He is still trying to get back in the Empress’ good graces. Either that or he wants to die honorably. Put him on.”

  A projection leapt up from the floor. The First among Equals stared as his predecessor stepped into the imager and looked for him. The former Primero looked tired and seemed to be nervous about something. Ki’Bontri could say that he honestly felt sympathy for the pathetic former commander. He might allow the man to die here in battle.

  “What is it, Ki’Bara?” asked the Primero. “I am a little busy winning the war that you failed so miserably at.”

  “Ki’Bontri, break off of your attack and pull back,” explained Ki’Bara. “You cannot win this engagement.”

  Ki’Bontri was shocked. He had expected begging or at least an honest plea for death from the former First, but not the insane request he had just heard. Obviously, the man had fatally lost his mind as he watched the battle and saw that Ki’Bontri was, indeed, the better commander.

  “Ki’Bara,” replied the Primero. “I haven’t time for your ravings. Unless you have something constructive, I would suggest you leave the area before you are hurt.”

  “Listen to me you arrogant bastard,” said Ki’Bara, becoming agitated at the other man. “I’ve been monitoring their transmissions. These people have nothing left to lose. They will fight to the last man to defend this world.”

  “Good,” replied Ki’Bontri. “Let them. If they are so eager to die for the amphibians, then I will let them. On top of all of that, I will return the Engineers to Ch’Tauk in chains and our fleet will rule the galaxy under the Empress Ch’Tauk.”

  “Are you so blinded by your ambition that you cannot see the danger in this battle?” Ki’Bara said, leaning in to emphasize his point. “The ship that you are turning towards, one of their fighters was piloted by the apparent mate of its captain. That man has ordered your death personally!”

  “Let him come,” said Ki’Bontri with a condescending swipe of his hand. “My dreadnought will destroy his ship and I will pull his life out of him personally.”

  “You are a fool,” said Ki’Bara. “I just hope you don’t take our fleet with you when you go to meet the Elders.”

  “How dare you!” Ki’Bontri lunged at the projection, holding his arms out as if to strangle the former Primero. “I am about to complete the mission that you failed. I will become the consort of our Empress and you will be ground beneath my heel. Goodbye, Ki’Bara, the next time I see you I hope it will be to speed your journey to the Elders.”

  He ordered the channel closed and stood, looking at the space that the former First had occupied. He would personally see to that man’s death someday and he hoped that day would come soon. The coward proceeded to open a jump point as he left the battlefield, running away from danger rather than facing it head on like a warrior. He would feel the other man’s fluids between his long fingers before the next rotation.

  “My Lord Ki’Bontri,” Quartero Du’Monu said. “The humans have scattered in an unusual pattern. We are having a difficult time analyzing their strategy and applying your plans.”

  “They are not performing a strategy,” Ki’Bontri said through clenched mandibles. “They are preparing to flee. We have them and they are now desperate. Let’s finish this and return to the Empress.”

  “But my Lord,” replied the Quartero. “They are not fleeing, they are surrounding our position.”

  Ki’Bontri stepped back to the command center and looked at the distribution of the enemy forces. He saw how the Quartero had misinterpreted the images to think that the humans might have established a cordon around them. It was a pity that the Du’Monu had so little potential as a military commander; Ki’Bontri had begun to like him. He slid his finger across the console, pulling up his primary battle plan.

  It was true that his plan had not anticipated the formation that the humans had taken. He had not planned on their being so many ships to have to defend against and the apparent modification that they had made to their ships. He thought that the changes indicated desperation on the part of the Terran fleet. They would not be moving away from the main Ch’Tauk attack force unless they were trying to get clear and open a jump portal, or unless they were trying to confuse the Ch’Tauk commanders. Neither plan would work as far as Ki’Bontri was concerned.

  “Target this ship first
and annihilate it,” the Primero ordered, indicating the now spinning ship on the monitor. “After that, we will destroy the carriers. There is nothing to panic about, Quartero, just follow my plan and we will be victorious.”

  “Yes, my Lord,” replied Du’Monu, hesitating only slightly. “Bringing up the main cannon.”

  Ki’Bontri looked at the monitor, trying to adjust his plans to account for the extra ships and the unpredictable activities of the humans. The small ship that he was trying to target was dodging the attempts of his fleet to destroy it. He had never seen a capital ship moved like the one he was watching. He seemed, instead, to be watching a fighter craft as it bobbed and spun amongst other fighters. The nearest ship to the human warship erupted into plasma flames as the ship was torn apart by the Terran ship.

  “Sir,” said the weapons master Centurion. “We are unable to get a target lock on the human ship. The maneuvers are too difficult for our ship’s systems to predict.”

  Ki’Bontri watched as the enemy ship sped past the destroyed capital ship and aligned for another run at the dreadnought. The pilot must have been insane as the ship swerved and dived among the other Ch’Tauk vessels. His hearts began to race as he realized that the ship appeared to be prepared to ram his dreadnought.

  “Pilot,” Ki’Bontri ordered. “Move us to evade that ship and bring the cannon around to target one of the carriers.”

  “Yes, my Lord,” replied the Centurion. “The enemy vessel is moving to block our evade, sir.”

  “Du’Monu,” exclaimed Ki’Bontri, searching out for his ship’s commander. “Order a defensive screen from one of the other ships.”

  “There are none available, my Lord,” replied the Quartero. “The humans have engaged our forces across the battlefield.”

  Now Ki’Bontri saw the strategy of the inferior humans. While the smaller ship attacked his dreadnought, the other forces had surrounded the fleet and were keeping his ships at bay. This was not a part of any of his plans and Ki’Bontri had no ability to think this tactically. He watched as the Terran ship approached his dreadnought and began to fire. Unexpectedly, a flight of four fighters appeared directly behind the dreadnought and began to bombard their propulsion system with powerful plasma bolts. He could feel the impacts through the deck plates and for the first time, Ki’Bontri felt fear.

  “Open fire on that ship!” Ki’Bontri ordered, stepping close to the weapons console. “Destroy it utterly!”

  The First among Equals watched the Centurion slide the controls on his console. It looked to the Primero as if the man was completely incompetent as he seemed unable to land a hit on the little ship. He reached out and grabbed the armor plate covering the Centurion’s back and yanked the man from his seat. Ki’Bontri moved to the console and tried to target the attacker himself. His shots were wild and the other ship managed to evade almost every hit. Even the ones that landed seemed to be absorbed by the cursed shields that the humans relied on.

  The ship bucked hard and Ki’Bontri saw that they had developed a hull breach along their flank. The damage to his dreadnought was inconceivable to the Primero. It was the strongest ship in the fleet and it was being attacked by an antique from an inferior species. The more he slid the targeting reticule, the faster the ship seemed to move out of the way.

  “Primero,” said the Quartero, moving to the other man’s side. “We are receiving requests to withdraw from the battle from our fleet commanders.”

  “Cowards!” Ki’Bontri yelled. “I will target those ships and finish their miserable lives myself!”

  The Primero tried to slide his cannons around to follow the bouncing human ship. He fired anything that could still reach the ship and saw with satisfaction that the ship was staggered by a dozen hits from his attack. The ship listed as it traveled forward, sliding through space like a skater on ice.

  “Turn us around and finish that ship,” ordered the Primero. “These humans will never dare to defy the Ch’Tauk Empire again.”

  The dreadnought began to turn and the view from the armored window shifted. He saw Ch’Tauk vessels burning in space, but his need for vengeance overcame his common sense. As the small ship came into view, Ki’Bontri powered up his main cannon and prepared to fire. His soul howled in pleasure as the damaged ship strayed straight into his targeting solution. He slid the control to fire the weapon, but nothing happened. The readouts were all glowing green as he tried to fire again.

  “My Lord,” the Quartero said. “The Terran fighters have damaged the main cannon. It is unable to safely fire.”

  Searching his controls, Ki’Bontri could not see a solution to the problem. He tried to reformulate his plans to win the battle, but nothing came to mind. He saw that nearly half of his ships were now either destroyed or disabled in space. Instead of chasing the human vessels, his fighters were now running for their lives, trying to flee the determined enemy force.

  “Ki’Bontri,” announced the Quartero. “We are receiving a signal from the surface on the Advisor’s frequency.”

  “At last!” Ki’Bontri exclaimed. “Put it through to me, Du’Monu.”

  “Yes, my lord,” replied the Quartero. “Relaying the signal.”

  There was an audible snap from the holographic imager in the floor of the command center. Instead of the tall image of the human named Heyerdahl, there was a different human standing there. The man looked ragged and small with long, stringy hairs that hung around his shoulders. He was being held up by a native amphibian from Karisia and appeared to be in very bad health. The man looked up towards Ki’Bontri with a steely glare.

  “Hey, Jackass,” said the man in the incomprehensible human tongue. “I killed your spy and now we are coming for you.”

  The image snapped off as quickly as it had appeared. The last sight that the First among Equals had as he realized that Heyerdahl had been killed was the human raising the middle digit of his five fingered right hand towards Ki’Bontri. The Primero blinked all four eyes and let out a fear scent as he realized that he would have to answer for the death of the Advisor to the Empress herself.

  26

  The Gilbert’s Luck

  Limping across the marshy waters on the surface of Karisia, Connor Jakes probably thought he looked like hell. He had refused assistance from Tuxor as he left the Ch’Tauk landing craft and was now attempting to negotiate the thick, swampy mud surrounding one of the others. There was very little cover in the fire blasted swamp and Jakes was having trouble staying hidden.

  Ch’Tauk soldiers were patrolling around the site where they had landed their invasion force. Although the large transport had disgorged nearly two hundred soldiers, the shuttle was being protected by only a dozen soldiers. There was a pattern, Jakes thought, to how the Ch’Tauk operated and he intended to use that pattern to his advantage.

  “Excuse me,” he yelled, waving his injured arm over his head to attract the attention of the soldiers. “Can you help me? I think I took a wrong turn somewhere and now I can’t find where I parked my ship.”

  The soldiers raised their rifles to their shoulders and took aim. Jakes threw his arms over his head in a wildly ineffective defensive movement. His back screamed in protest to the maneuver, but he kept his head covered as he turned away from the Ch’Tauk.

  “Wait!” Jakes yelled. “Don’t shoot, I’m a civilian!”

  Startled by the unexpectedly cowardly move, the Ch’Tauk soldiers momentarily hesitated to fire on the man. Jakes pulled his arm down, uncovering his face, but still covering his head. The soldiers advanced a few steps, their clawed feet sinking into the mud and making a sucking sound as they tried to move. Jakes stood still as the creatures came closer.

  “Look,” Jakes said, acting like a true coward. “I really just got really lost. I was looking for this big damn tree around here somewhere, but you sons of bitches blew it up.”

  The soldiers looked to each other, obviously unable to understand anything the human male was saying. They had received orders to shoot an
y humans that they came across, but this one seemed different. They hissed and clicked to each other, asking what they should do about the man. One soldier, obviously trying to receive the favor of this Quartero and receive a promotion, suggested that they contact the Quartero and get more instructions.

  There was a loud pop to the right of the soldiers and they turned and raised their weapons in unison. Jakes leapt face-first into the mud in front of him, taking a deep breath as he plunged into the wet muck. The swamp was deeper where he had leapt and he was able to bring his entire body under the water. The cool liquid closed over his bare, damaged back and made him shiver from the sensation.

  As Jakes dived under the murky water, a group of tall shapes rose from the left of the Centurions. Despite the enormous size, the Karisiens moved through the swamp without sound. Their lower arms spread wide as they approached the soldiers, but their upper hands closed in on throats. As they came up to the soldiers, the amphibians wrapped their lower flippers around the chest of the soldiers, crushing their arms to their sides and disabling their ability to fire. Their hands reached under the neck armor of the Ch’Tauk and wrenched apart the sensitive tendons that held their heads to their bodies. Alien bodies fell into the muck with a sickening plop

  Jakes sprang from the mud with a deep gasp for air. His already burnt skin was now itching with the tiny micro-organisms that inhabited the swamp water. The pirate captain wanted nothing more than to scream as the water cascaded off of his naked back. It felt like fire-ants were stinging him under his skin. He held in the scream as one of the female Karisiens came to his side.

  “Don’t worry, Mister Jakes,” said the tall alien. “The Lasum are just feeding on the dead skin. When they are full, they will leave you alone.”

  “How in the hell long will that take?” Jakes asked, dripping mud and water. “I feel like all I got left is dead skin.”