Tarizon, Civil War, Tarizon Trilogy Vol 2

by William Manchee

 

   

   

  10

  A Bold Plan

   

  Lorin’s GC beeped, waking her from a shallow slumber. Looking out the window she saw nothing but clouds beneath them. She wondered how far they were from Gallion. When she was a child her father and mother had taken her there quite often to visit her aunt. Memories flashed through her mind of thousands of ships lined up along the docks, a relentless cold westerly wind, and strange scary people called seafolken. She shook away the sleep and answered the call.

  “S1 here.”

  “Lorin, this is Senator Marcuzzi. I’m glad I caught you.”

  “What’s wrong, Senator?” Lorin replied.

  “Chancellor Mammett is very upset that you have left the capital. He found out somehow that the cells have been activated and he wants an explanation. He wants you to return at once.”

  “I can’t do that, Senator. I’m about to get picked up by Captain Lanzia. There’s no way I’m going back to Shini.”

  “He’s issued an order for your arrest.”

  “My arrest? That’s ridiculous.”

  “He and other members of the Assembly believe you are trying to subvert the new government.”

  “What government? They’re all a bunch of worthless bureaucrats with no idea how to wage a war or run a government for that matter. I’m going where I can do some good.”

  “You’d better check your course. If your pilot’s in contact with Loyalist Command they will surely recall your plane.”

  Lorin’s heart skipped a beat as she looked out the portal again into the dense fog. Visibility was still zero. She jumped up and went into the cockpit. The pilot glanced over to her anxiously. Her eyes fixed on the compass reading of NW. They were headed back to Shini.

  “Where are you taking me?” she demanded.

  “Ah. I’ve been ordered back to base, Ma’am.”

  “Captain Lanzia is picking me up in Gallion. We have important business there.”

  “I’m sorry, Ma’am. I have my orders,” the pilot said evenly.

  Lorin slipped her hands behind her back and retrieved a C34 pistol. She aimed it at the pilot. “Your orders have changed. Take me to Gallion and pick up the pace, I don’t want to be late.”

  The pilot stiffened up. “Yes, Ma’am. Whatever you say. Don’t shoot.”

  “You have nothing to worry about if you change your course now and keep off your communicator.”

  “Understood. I won’t cause you any trouble.”

  “Good. I’m in a bad mood and if you give me an excuse I’ll blow your head off and fly the plane myself.”

  “You know how to fly this plane?”

  “Oh, yes. My husband is a pilot and I’ve been up with him many times. He’s taught me everything he knows.”

  The pilot raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Lorin wondered what he was thinking. “What will they do when they see you change course?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know—maybe nothing. They don’t really have any fighters they can spare to come after us.”

  “Good. I don’t want any more trouble. How long ago did they call you?”

  “About a half a kyloon ago.”

  “So, how long until we get to Gallion?”

  “Less than a kyloon at the present course and speed.”

  “Can you go faster?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then accelerate to maximum cruising speed.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  Lorin found a place to sit down where she could hold the gun on the pilot and watch the compass. She didn’t trust him to take her to Gallion voluntarily. She wondered if he had already somehow alerted Loyalist Command that the plane had been hijacked. If so, would the Chancellor have her shot down rather than let her rendevous with Captain Lanzia? The one thing she had going for her was that the TGA controlled the skies, so it was unlikely they’d risk sending one of their precious Loyalist fighters after her.

  Lorin breathed a sigh of relief when the pilot began to descend for a landing. She prayed they were at Gallion and that Leek would be there to pick her up. It was still dark and foggy out when the plane hit the ground and screeched to a halt. She grabbed her things and started to deplane. Then she looked back at the pilot and said, “Better for both of us if you tell Central Command that you’d already dropped me off when you got the message ordering you back to base.”

  The pilot nodded and, just as soon as she was on the ground, closed the cabin door, spun the plane around and took off down the runway. She watched it take off, wondering what the pilot would do. When it was out of sight, she swallowed hard and looked out nervously into the darkness, gun in hand, wondering if Leek was out there somewhere. She feared that the pilot had tricked her and hadn’t taken her to Gallion at all. In the distance she saw a building with lights in the window. Not knowing what else to do, she headed toward the building.

  Halfway there she heard something moving to her right. She swung around and pointed her gun toward the noise.

  “Don’t shoot,” Leek said. “It’s me.”

  Lorin lowered the gun and exhaled. “Thank God.”

  “What’s with your pilot? He just drops you off and leaves you here alone. What if I’d been delayed?”

  “He was under orders to take me back to Shini. I had to convince him otherwise.”

  Leek gave her a wry smile. “I see. So, now you’re an enemy of the Loyalists and the TGA?”

  “Maybe. I suggested he may not want to admit he let a women overpower him. If he has half a brain he’ll take my advice, but if he doesn’t, then—.”

  “Well, I’m sure Chancellor Mammett must feel the same way about me.”

  “Yes, but he can’t afford to arrest you. Threebeard and General Zitor wouldn’t stand for it.”

  “Right. And as long as you’re my administrative chief nobody will be messing with you either.”

  “Administrative chief of what?”

  “The 3rd Loyalist Army. I’m the new commander.”

  “Really?” Lorin said, smiling broadly. “How did that come about?”

  Leek told her about Captain Shilling and his promotion to Commander General. He explained their plans to steal aircraft from the TGA air base at Gallion and how Tam and Red had figured out how to destroy hovertanks. She was excited and anxious to get working on the plan.

  Leek took her to the building where Corporal Lakee and three other seafolken were waiting. They all climbed into a PTV and took off toward Gallion. Soon they could see the ocean in the distance and hear the waves breaking on the beach. About a kylod from Gallion they went off the road and drove along the beach. Finally, they stopped and everyone got out.

  “This is where we are to meet them,” Corporal Lakee advised.

  “Good. Did you brief them on what we are doing?”

  “Yes, sir. Briefly. I told them you would give them specific instructions.”

  “I see. Good.”

  The ocean in front of them began to churn and heads began popping up everywhere. Soon a dozen seafolken were walking out of the water toward them. Leek walked over to the first one out who seemed to be leading the group.

  “Greetings,” he said, bowing slightly. He didn’t know whether to extend his hand or what. “I’m Leek Lanzia.”

  The seafolken likewise bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you, Commander General Lanzia. I’m Grenz Lozich, General of the Dark Sea Defense League.”

  Leek glanced at Corporal Lakee and Lorin and said, “Do you know Corporal Lakee and Lorin Boskie?”

  “We’ve never met Corporal Lakee in person, but I spoke with him last night at length. As for Lorin Boskie I have not had the pleasure of meeting her. I did meet her father once. My condolences, Madam Boskie. Your father was an inspiration.”

  “Thank you,” Lorin said. “I’ve heard my father speak kindly of you as well.”

  The general bowed appreciatively then turned to Leek. “Congratulations on your promotion.” />
  “Thank you. It was quite unexpected.”

  “Yes, events are moving fast and time is running out if Videl Lai is to be stopped. I’m grateful that you and Madam Boskie have stepped up to meet the challenge.”

  “Well, Lorin doesn’t have much faith in Chancellor Mammett and I trust her judgement, so it didn’t appear we had much choice.”

  “Yes, there is no time for political posturing,” the general said.

  “Okay, since Corporal Lakey has briefed you on our plan, you know what we need you to do?”

  “Yes, you need a diversion while you steal TGA fighters.”

  “Exactly. I was thinking that we could kill two birds with one stone, as they say on Earth. Your attack will not only afford us an opportunity to steal the planes but will also strike a severe blow to the TGA navy. I suspect such an attack will catch them completely by surprise since they will be focusing on their own Rigimol offensive.”

  “Yes, you may be right, but TGA security isn’t anything to take lightly. They will be on high alert.”

  “True. I don’t want to downplay the danger involved in this operation, but I fear only a bold, if not brash move, will turn the tide of the war.”

  “You are the Liberator. We will not challenge your strategy as we believe it is the will of God and Sandee that we trust you.”

  “Thank you,” Leek replied, “Although I’ve never talked directly to God or Sandee, I do feel driven by some overwhelming force that I cannot begin to understand or explain. I have to assume that what I am feeling is their hand guiding me forward.”

  “Tell us your plan then quickly, so we can proceed with the diligent preparation needed to make it successful,” the general replied.

  Leek explained what he wanted them to do and outlined the timetable for each segment of the plan. The meeting went on for half a kyloon before it ended and the seafolken returned to their domain. Lorin then took the opportunity to enlist the seafolken’s help in Lortec. General Lozich agreed to contact the General of the Southern Sea Defense League and pass along Lorin’s request.

   The dark night provided them the cover they needed to explore the perimeter of the TGA base at Gallion. The base stretched along the Dark Sea coast some ten kylods and was five kylods deep. Gallion was the largest naval base in Lemaine Shane and boasted of at least two hundred ships in port on an average day. The air base encompassed the bottom one-third of the base and was the home of the TGA’s 22nd and 223rd Airborne Divisions.

  From their inspection they learned that the base was surrounded by a 10-foot electrified security fence and there were five access points to the base, each manned by a three-man security team. Each team member had a rifle and a personal sidearm. Although access to the base wouldn’t be easy, Leek didn’t consider it a serious problem. A more difficult issue was getting access to the planes without alerting base command that it was under siege.

  “Have you or any of your men ever served with the TGA navy, Corporal Lakee?” Leek asked.

  “Yes, I believe so. Luksa, weren’t you a hand on a cruiser?”

  One of the seafolken stepped forward, “Yes, sir. I served on the Teratom for three cycles.”

  “Were you stationed at Gallion?” Leek asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Are there any seafolken still enslaved by the TGA on the base?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Do you know any of them?”

  “I believe so, sir.”

  “Good. We’ll need their help and if any of them want to join up with us, this will give them the opportunity to do so.”

  “I’m certain most will be delighted to be given that opportunity.”

  “You’ll need to be careful, though. Only talk to those you trust. We must catch the TGA by complete surprise to pull off this mission.”

  “Sir,” Corporal Lakee said. “If we do get our pilots on the base, how do you plan to get rid of the TGA pilots without alerting base command?”

  Leek told them his ideas on that point and then suggested they return to base to make final preparations for the mission. They had but a short time before the TGA was expected to attack and they had to be ready when that happened.

   It was after midnight before the PT22 touched down on the makeshift runway at the 3rd Loyalist Army’s headquarters. Captain Shilling, Tam and Red were there to meet them. The population of the little valley where the Shuttle had burrowed in had doubled since Leek and his party had left. Red and John had already assembled several hundred pilots and more were arriving every hour. They were being housed in a growing array of camocubes that had been assembled at the north end of the base. Tam had brought in hundreds of mutant soldiers who were engaged in training exercises to the south.

  “Lorin! It’s been a long time,” Captain Shilling said with a broad smile.

  Lorin’s face lit up in response to the captain. They embraced. “Yes, what has it been, ten or twelve cycles since we last met?”

  “At least,” she said.

  “I didn’t know you two knew each other,” Leek commented.

  “Oh, yes. The Captain’s father, Arnell Shilling, and my father were friends. We used to hang out together as teenagers.”

  “Well, that’s good. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a lot to do in preparation for our mission.”

  “Go ahead,” Captain Shilling said. “I’ll show Lorin around the ship and take her to her quarters. I’ve scheduled an officers’ meeting at 0600 tomorrow to coordinate our plans. If you need me before then my assistant will know where I am.”

  “Thank you, Captain. I’ll see you later,” Leek said as he started to walk briskly toward where Tam and the mutants were training.

  “Come on, Lorin. I want to show you the command station I’ve set up for you.”

  Lorin nodded and followed the captain to the entrance to the shuttle which now was completely underground. From the air, only camocubes and soldiers in training could be seen. They walked down a metal flight of stairs to a long corridor. The pearl white walls along the corridor were soft to the touch. The floor gave a little with each step like a plush carpet. The soft, indirect lighting set a pleasant mood that was enhanced by the soft music in the background.

  “So, your Liberator is working out quite well,” Captain Shilling said.

  “Yes, better than I first thought he would,” Lorin replied.

  “I like him. He’s modest. All of this attention hasn’t gone to his head.”

  “Well, he has a good heart like the Prophecy said he would.”

  The captain laughed. “Don’t tell me you believe in the Prophecy now?”

  “I don’t know. He’s a natural leader and the mutants and seafolken would die for him.”

  “What about the nanomites? Do you think he’s really communicating with them or just pretending?”

  Lorin sighed. “I don’t think Leek would intentionally lie to us. If he says they are talking to him, then I believe him.”

  The captain nodded. “That’s my impression, too. . . . So, have you heard from Jake?”

  “No. I was praying that you had.”

  “I’m sorry, but he’s disappeared along with half of the pilots who went up that first day against the TGA.”

  Lorin closed her eyes and sighed. “If he were dead, I think I’d know it. I feel like he’s alive somewhere. I just wish I could go look for him.”

  “After the next mission we’ll get Leek and the Avengers to form a search party to look for missing pilots.”

  “The Avengers?”

  “Yeah. That’s what they’re calling Tam, Red and John now that they’ve figured out how to destroy hovertanks. I sure hope our mission to Gallion is successful, so we have the air power to destroy every last one of them.”

  Lorin sighed. “You know, I’d like to believe Leek’s plan will work, but frankly the odds are not good. It’s a very imaginative plan but very complex as well, so something could easily go wrong. It depends on the coordinated efforts of so many di
fferent life forms, I honestly don’t see how it could be pulled off even by our most brilliant generals, let alone a teenager with barely a cycle of military training.”

  “Why didn’t you tell Commander Lanzia how you felt?” Captain Shilling asked.

  “Because he doesn’t need negative thinking right now. If he believes it will work, maybe it will. Who am I to second-guess the Liberator.”

  “So, you do believe in the Prophecy?”

  “I guess I do,” Lorin admitted, “as illogical as that might seem.”

  A wry smile came over Captain Shilling’s face as they reached their destination. “Okay, right up here is where we’ve set up your command station.” She stopped and looked into a retinal scanner. The door slid open and she motioned Lorin to go in.

  “At—tention!” one of the soldiers said.

  “At ease,” the captain ordered.

  Lorin looked around the rectangular room in awe. It was about twenty by thirty feet filled with electronic equipment of every sort. A long conference table split the room with two large video screens on one wall and workstations along the other. A large white desk and chair sat prominently at the far end of the room. Lorin smiled at Captain Shilling.

  “Go try it out. I made sure it was comfortable since you may be spending every waking hour here for the next cycle or two.”

  Lorin went quickly to the desk and sat down gingerly. She took a deep breath and then settled back. The chair made a hissing noise as the material conformed itself to the shape of her body. She closed her eyes a moment. “Yes, I won’t have any trouble sleeping in this chair.”

  They both laughed. “All right,” Captain Shilling said pointing to various pieces of equipment. “You’ve got global communications, weather forecasting, local and regional radar, decoding equipment, computers, printers, and access to all media channels throughout Tarizon. There’s also equipment to intercept or jam TGA communications.”

  “Very impressive,” Lorin said, obviously pleased.

  “Corporal Lindshill will be assigned to you. Whatever you need he’ll get it for you.”

  “Thank you, Captain. This is wonderful.”

  “The corporal will introduce you to the rest of your staff.”

   “Right, I guess I should get to work. I need to follow up on the nanomite situation. I’ve been out of touch too long.”

  “Yes, go ahead. I’ll come back later and show you to your quarters.”

  “Right. Thanks,” Lorin said as she started punching numbers into her new communicator. The captain smiled and left the room. Lorin was ecstatic with her new command center. It was more than she could have ever hoped for. Now she had lots of work to do. The green light on her communicator flickered. She picked it up.

  “S1 here.”

  “Lorin? Where are you?” Senator Marcuzzi asked.

  “In my new command center.”

  “Command center?”

  “Yes, I’m Commander General Lanzia’s new chief of staff. He’s got quite a setup here.”

  “Commander General?”

  She told the senator about Leek’s promotion and what had happened to her in the hours since they’d last seen each other.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. The new government here is in a frenzy over the expected TGA offensive and your disappearance hasn’t helped.”

  “They need to quit worrying about me and concentrate on the TGA.”

  “Should I advise the Chancellor of your whereabouts?”

  “Yes, it’s no secret. Tell him I’ve taken a job with Commander General Lanzia, so he won’t have to worry about me anymore.”

  “Yeah, right. Somehow I don’t think he’ll be thrilled with that news.”

   “Probably not, so just tell him that you got a communication from Commander General Lanzia and that the 3rd Army will be continuing to disrupt the enemy’s supply lines and will also be launching their own offensive at the same time as the TGA launches theirs.”

  “Launch an offensive? I thought the 3rd Army was destroyed.”

  “Not all of it. We’re regrouping and plan to strike the TGA hard when they don’t expect it.”

  “What exactly will you be doing?”

  “I can’t say any more. Someone may be listening in. I just wanted to keep the Chancellor apprised of the situation so he wouldn’t be taken by surprise.”

  “Okay, I’ll pass that on to him.”

  “I’ve got to go. I need to start calling cell leaders. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks for the update.”

  Lorin hung up and began punching in numbers again. It was nearly dawn when she finished talking to the last of the cell leaders. All but three of the nanomite farms had been successfully moved and hidden from the TGA. Three were attacked before the cell leaders could organize transportation. Overall it was a successful operation but Lorin was sad that any had to die at Videl’s hand.

  While she had been on the GC with the cell leaders she told them it was time to begin expanding their operations by recruiting new members, making contact with mutant and seafolken leaders, and setting up an intelligence network. Once they were strong enough, she told them, they’d begin to build local militia to start sabotaging TGA and Central Authority operations.

  As she was contemplating whether to find her quarters and try to get some sleep, Leek walked in. He looked fresh and alert but Lorin knew he couldn’t have gotten much more than a kyloon’s sleep.

  “So, how are preparations coming?” she asked him.

  “Slow but steady,” he said. “There’s something I need to check out.”

  “What’s that?” Lorin asked.

  “I understand you have a computer that’s linked into the TGA web.”

  “Yes. Captain Shilling has given me everything I need for my operations. What do you need with a TGA web linkup?”

  “I’ve got to see if I can make changes in flight schedules and substitute in new pilots.”

  Lorin laughed. “And how do you plan to do that? Even if you get onto their network, it would take a computer genius to get through all the passwords and security codes necessary to change a flight schedule.”

  “True. That’s why I want to do a test run first—to see if I can do it. Fortunately the greatest computer genius on the planet has shared his knowledge with me.”

  Lorin gasped. “Threebeard shared his knowledge and memories with you?”

  “Yes. So, I should be able to do whatever he can do and he was always bragging about being able to hack into any computer in the galaxy.”

  “Right. But does sharing his knowledge about computers give you the ability to manipulate them—that’s an entirely different process.”

  “I don’t know if it will work. My brain will have to process all of Threebeard’s knowledge and experience. I haven’t tried doing it yet, but in theory it should be possible.”

  Lorin squinted. “Okay. That makes sense, but—”

  “No buts. Just let me try it. We’ll know soon enough if I can do it. If I can’t I could probably get Threebeard to do it himself, but he’ll be pretty busy and I’d hate to have to distract him from preparations for the TGA offensive.”

  Lorin stood up and led Leek over to a computer workstation. “Have at it,” she said and stepped back.

  Leek sat down, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes like he was summoning the spirits to help him. Suddenly he exhaled and began typing at a furious pace. The computer screen burst into an explosion of images. Screens opened and closed quicker than Lorin could even read them. Then the screen froze, there was a loud beep, and a message appeared flashing: “AUTHORIZED CODE REQUIRED.” Leek hesitated and then began typing furiously again. The screen went away and others began opening and closing until the home page of Gallion Naval Base and Air Station appeared. Leek clicked on “Today’s Schedule” and then on “edit.” He pulled out several sheets of paper and began making changes. When he was done he logged off the computer and looked up at Lorin with a gri
n.

  “Boy, Threebeard is one smart mutant, huh?”

  Lorin laughed. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”

  Leek shrugged. “Not really. I couldn’t write it down step by step. I just relaxed and let my subconscious mind take over.”

  “Well, how do you know if what you did worked?”

  Just then the printer started up. When it was finished Leek pulled out the two sheets of paper in the printer. The first was the original flight schedule and the second was the revised schedule.

  Leek looked at it with pride and handed it to Lorin. “Check that with my notes and see if all the changes were correct.”

  Lorin took the papers and compared them to Leek’s notes. After a moment she shook her head and smiled. “It appears to have worked, but there may be some increased security on the day of the operation. I hope you can still do it then.”

  “Me too. If not, we’re going to have to kill a lot of TGA pilots.”

  Lorin’s stomach twisted. She didn’t have half the faith that Leek possessed. She feared that something would go wrong and not only would the mission fail, but Leek and his men would be killed. If that happened, she thought, all would be lost!