Rapparee_The Regeneration

by Robert Weisskopf

  “Yes, sir.” Tony shook my hand and returned to his shuttle. I turned and ran back to the bridge.

  Chapter 19

  Al and Iwona set to work plotting courses and planning attack vectors. Tony would be out of contact with Lola until we both came over the horizon. Of course, any attempts to contact each other would give us away to the bandit ships. The same applied to the drones traveling around the equator.

  I contacted Chris on the ground and told him our plan. He liked it, but it still left him to deal with the bandits already on the surface of Chico 7. The bandits outnumbered Genus but they weren’t outclassed. Genus had hired only the best troops. Genus equipped their troopers with the best equipment and gave them even more training. Toss in the second-generation power suits with exoskeletons and Genus could take on ten times as many bandits. With the defensive positions, along with the booby traps in the area, it would take a sizable force to overrun their positions.

  Chris knew on paper the bandits would lose, and while that meant something, it didn’t take into consideration that Genus would suffer losses. All the troopers were part of the Genus family. Losses were more than mere numbers. They were friends, people you have dinner with and laugh with. People who you celebrate accomplishments and mourn with. One single loss was too much. Chris would do everything possible to prevent even one.

  That was a lot for any leader to put on their own shoulders in this business. The price of leadership was a heavy burden. The Genus troops knew Chris felt this way. They knew Chris wouldn’t sacrifice them as cannon fodder. They knew that any plan Chris made took their safety into consideration. They knew he might have them charge a strong point, but only when it was necessary, and there wasn't any better way.

  The troops trusted Chris and that trust wore heavy on him. He’d lost many night’s sleep while checking and double-checking embattlements and fighting positions. The troops would do anything for him, and he knew it. He would do anything for them.

  Below the hillside, in a large cavern, recently carved out of the bedrock by the Trolls, the scientists and most of the Trolls took shelter. Goorow sent several of the adult Trolls to listening posts around the hillside and valley below. These posts were nothing more than a space between boulders or a small opening in the ground. The Troll sat and listened. Any military force coming towards them would send vibrations through the earth which the Trolls would sense. Once they knew something was coming their way they would let Goorow know with a series of very low-frequency grump noises. Goorow would understand and immediately inform Dr. Dora and Julie. Julie was in contact with the command post above and would relay the contact information.

  Once Lola had taken care of the bandit ships in space, they would return to geostationary orbit high above the hillside and act as their eyes in the sky. While Lola was in the battle on the other side of the planet, they’d be blind. Should the worst happen, and Lola wasn’t able to return, they’d be on their own. Chris hoped General Mauer could send a ship or two to help.

  Chris turned to Nicky C. “Nicky put the men at 50% readiness for now. I don’t think there will be an attack for a couple hours. It'll help keep the tension levels down.”

  Nicky nodded. “You’re right, it’ll help. You need to listen to your own advice. Go take a nap. You’ll need it later. I have things under control. There’s nothing that needs you sitting here worrying about. We want you sharp when the bandits arrive.”

  Chris knew Nicky was right and it made no sense to argue. He went inside the small cavern the Trolls had dug for them beside the command post and laid out his bedroll. Twenty minutes sleep would help. While most people would be too wound up to ever sleep, Chris had years of experience. He knew the importance of rest under these conditions. He closed his eyes and his breathing soon slowed as he drifted off.

  Inside the cavern, the Trolls went about their daily lives as they always did, only now with light in the cavern. Julie sat in a corner with Rick Baricki and Dora Montejano. Goorow had left them to check on his outposts. Dora and Rick sat next to each other. Dora was leaning against Rick, drawing her strength from him. Julie felt they made as good a couple as she and Jack. She prayed Jack and the crew aboard Lola were safe.

  Julie knew Jack’s plans to attack the bandit ships. This was the first time since she'd met him they'd been in danger, and he wasn’t close enough to reach out and touch. Like Dora, she drew some of her strength from her man. Now with him above in Lola, she felt a little cold and afraid. She tapped out a short message to Jack on her wrist pad. It read “I love you.”

  I read the message and smiled. It was the first time since we met that we would be in a fight and I wouldn’t be there to keep an eye on her. I tapped out my reply, “I love you too.”

  Iwona cleared her throat. “All the coordinates are in the flight computers. Tony Nicosta and the two fighters are ready to go. Arrow One is patched all set for battle. The three ships will go over the north pole. We will come from the planet’s south pole, and the drones will attack from the east and west. They are to arrive and fire their missiles sixty seconds before we show up on the bandit’s sensors. The drones will fire eight missiles. The bandits will be focused on those incoming missiles when we attack from the north and south. It should work.” She said.

  Al picked up where she left off. “The drones launch in five minutes. The shuttle and fighters leave six minutes later, we go south after that. The time differences take into consideration distances for each craft and their top speeds. We should come from under the south pole with our weapons hot.”

  “Good work everyone. Let’s make it happen.” I said.

  Fingers were busy sending messages and paused only long enough for me to give the order, “Execute!”

  A klaxon sounded to announce flight operations on the hangar and flight decks. Even with the sound insulation, you could hear the drones roar as they rocketed off from the flight deck.

  Five minutes later I heard the shuttle and fighters leave the ship. Tony radioed they were clear and on course, as Al brought Lola about and sent her on our southbound leg of the journey. It would take us almost two hours to round the planet and draw into firing range.

  I radioed Chris and instead spoke to Nicky C. Chris was taking a break. He’d need it. “Nick, the shuttle, and fighters are on their way, so are the drones. We started our trek. We'll be there in about two hours. How are you guys doing?”

  “We’re ready for anything. Chris set up concentric rings of defense using booby traps, mines, and rockets. We’ve reinforced fighting positions with overlapping fields of fire. We have many fallback positions and if those fail, we have tunnels and Trolls ready to take us down below. We're as ready as anyone could be. Hurry up and get rid of those ships then get back here. I'll feel better with some close air support from you.” Nicky C. said.

  “I plan on running in, chasing off the bandits and then going after the dismounted bandits on the planet. If things work, you'll never see an attack. Remember, run low and zigzag.”

  Nicky chuckled at my little sign-off. “You too. Hope to see you soon.”

  I sat in the bridge command chair, silent for a moment. Taking a deep breath, I pressed the ships intercom button and announced, “Attention all hands. We're headed towards a battle with a large well-armed Bandit ship. They did have fighters which we destroyed. I don’t know if they have more. We should come in contact and fire our first shots within two hours. I want you to use this time to make sure you square away everything. Lockdown anything that could become loose and endanger someone. Everyone should be in their power suits and either have your helmet on or at hand. When we are fifteen minutes out everyone will have their helmets on and sealed. I know you’re the best there is, so this should be easy. Let’s show the galaxy that you don’t mess with Genus.” I signed off

  I had little to do other than monitoring everyone on the bridge. Al was piloting and Iwona sat glued to the sensor readouts. The ship was in good hands. The next two hours would seem like an
eternity.

  When we crossed the planet’s south pole everyone seemed to take their alertness up a level. We would soon be within sensor range and that meant battle. Space battle is different than combat in a forest. There would be nothing to hide behind. While we would have our active camo functioning, it wasn't as effective when we were traveling at high speed, like we are. We leave a large infrared plume in our wake. The bandit’s sensors would pick us up soon after we sighted them.

  I gave the order to ready all missiles and photon cannons. I took over piloting from Al to allow him full focus on the weapons suite. His hands were a blur as he readied the weapons. I could see on my console as each photon cannon battery came online and as each missile armed. We were ready.

  Chapter 20

  Tommy and Jason shared a fighting position on the far side of the hilltop. They sat there, listening quietly, to the organic sounds of the forest. Everything seemed normal until they noticed the ground shift, then cave in four feet to their left. They didn’t move but were ready to shift their weapons. They saw a hand rise out of the hole and heard a familiar voice grunt “Turog friend.” The hand signed friend.

  Tommy and Jason recognized the Troll that had become their close companion in their time on Chico 7. Turog was a young adult male who followed them everywhere. Unlike what you might expect a sidekick to be, this Troll towered over them. He had greater strength than they had with exoskeletons and he was much faster. He had talons or better yet claws like a bear, on the end of each finger that would eviscerate an animal like a hot knife through butter, or carve a tunnel through bedrock. This was not a creature to take for granted in a fight, but rather one you should avoid at all cost.

  Turog looked at the two troopers wearing power suits and exoskeletons. They wore full combat vests and equipment known as a full battle rattle for the noise they made. “Turog fight with you.” He said. He hunkered down below the edge of their prepared fighting position.

  Jason responded first, “No Turog, you go back down to your clan. It’s not safe here,” he said and signed. Tommy said the same.

  Turog would have none of it. “Turog your friend. We fight together.” He then sat down, and it was clear to Tom and Jason he wasn’t going to leave.

  The two troopers realized it was an argument they wouldn’t win so Tommy asked him “What are you going to fight with?”

  Turog smiled a great big Troll smile and moved to the mouth of the cave he’d created. Reaching in he pulled out a small boulder about the size of a soccer ball weighing at least fifty pounds. Turog tossed it from hand to hand as if it was a soccer ball. He set it in the fighting position then pulled another and another out of the tunnel. He only stopped when he had stacked thirty stones about the same size.

  Tom and Jason remembered back to the nights before the Trolls became their friends. They’d been on the receiving end of several volleys of like-sized stones thrown by trolls. The stones were as effective as mortar shells. They struck the ground and shattered into razor-sharp shards which sliced through anything in their way. If the stones hit a tree, the tree shattered, and if they hit a person, the person died. The Trolls all had arms strong enough to heave these stones close to three hundred feet. Turog would be an effective ally.

  Chris returned to the command post and chased Nick off to take a break. He did a radio check with all the positions to keep himself occupied as much as to check the radios. Even though the bandits had landed on the far side of the planet he knew the troop ships used drop ships capable of skimming along at low altitudes and breakneck speed. They would deliver their troops on this side in a matter of a few hours. The dropships weren’t usually well armed. They’d drop their troops near a battle and return to the mothership for more troops. He knew they’d be in contact with the forward elements of the bandits soon.

  Inside the cavern, the two scientists, oblivious to the battle preparations sat together discussing their notes. Dr. James Francis was discussing the similarities to trolls of Earth’s folklore, and the similarity to the descriptions of Yeti and Sasquatch. “Robert, I have to admire Dr. Montejano’s courage in linking these Trolls to the folklore from Earth. She's on to something. Many of the wingless gargoyles on European churches from the Gothic era bear a striking resemblance to these Trolls. It's too much to be mere coincidence. We must assume either the Trolls came from Earth or visited Earth at some time.”

  Dr. Robert Mariano responded, “James, I agree. It was brilliant to see the Trolls and Sasquatch were the same creatures. No one has ever postulated that before. Toss in the Runes in the ship's cockpit and I’m convinced. These creatures are the Sasquatch, Yeti, and Trolls. From what you tell me their four-strand DNA allows them to adapt to their surroundings rapidly. Rather than generations, they can adapt in weeks or months. That's a valuable survival tool. The winged gargoyles could be another adaptation as well.”

  Jim Thule sat with them and added his observations. “Gentlemen, I can power up the systems on the ship. We do need to vent the methane gas, but I can do it. That would allow us to see what's on their data banks. Imagine a computer record from thousands of years ago.”

  Dr. Mariano corrected him. “Jim, the ship hasn't sat there that long. About fifteen hundred years not thousands but yes, it may contain data from their history.”

  Dr. Francis asked, “Do you think you can power up without endangering everyone?”

  “Yes, I do. I need to cut the power to the engine nacelles to make them safe. That's simple, it’s one simple switch. I’ve already located it.”

  “I’m surprised there isn’t corrosion and oxidation all over the electronics.” Dr. Francis stated.

  “We have two things in our favor there. Most of the electrical circuits are gold or gold plated and much of their system relies on these green diamonds they call Carbonado. Factor in the low oxygen concentration due to the methane, and you see there was no oxygen for the oxidation. I cleaned a few connectors and tested them. It should operate as a new system. Well, a system unlike any ever seen by man.” Thule said.

  Dr. Dora Montejano came over and sat down with them. “I see you’re still all hard at work.” She said.

  Dr. Mariano replied, “No reason not to be. We can’t let a little thing like attacking bandits deter one of the greatest discoveries in mankind’s history. This is all thanks to you by the way.”

  Dora dismissed that with a shake of her head. Dr. Francis asked her a direct question. “Dora, these Trolls don’t have the mental ability to create and operate a spaceship as far as I can tell. Do you have any idea how they came to this level?”

  Dora had given that a lot of thought over the last few weeks and had an idea. “I am only guessing now, but I think it has a lot to do with the four-strand DNA. It allows them to adapt to survive their environment. Grow white hair to blend in the Himalayas, brown fur in the Pacific Northwest, less fur in Europe. Their voice box changed to allow the deep low-frequency tones that travel through the ground allowing them to communicate in the tunnels. Each adaptation comes at a cost. My Trolls no longer have the voice box ability to speak like we do. I have noticed an improvement with Goorow. He can say much more than at first. He’s adapting. They're all adapting to the bright lights on the surface. Could it be that without the need to use the computer or fly the ship, they lost that ability in favor of another? It may have been replaced with their ability to tunnel as fast as they do.

  “Brilliant, and it explains so much.” Dr. Francis said. “I do hope you have been keeping notes for when you publish.”

  “I have terabytes of data and notes. I'll need months, undisturbed, to sort through it all.” She said.

  She turned to Jim Thule. “Goorow and his clan are willing to let you vent the gas from the chamber. What do you need to do it?”

  “I have everything in the cavern. I need to set it up and run the vent hose to the surface. I can do it anytime.”

  Dora nodded and stood up. She left the three men to their discussion and walked over to
Rick. Rick was sitting reading his pad. Dora sat down next to him and snuggled up close. She leaned in and he put his arm around her. They’d become more than friends, they were in love.

  Julie sat with Kenny surrounded by the younger Trolls. Butch sat there with them. He talked to the younger Trolls and taught them sign and the words he knew. The younger ones learned fast. They looked to Butch as their leader and followed him everywhere. Of course, Butch looked to Kenny as his big brother.

  Julie understood the preparations that were taking place on the surface and aboard Lola. Her power suit’s pad received all the messages from ship and surface. She kept much of it to herself. There was no reason to scare everyone. She tried to look upbeat but inside she worried. Not being a part of this, not being by Jack’s side tore at her. She was never one to hide. She was the senior member of Genus here in the caverns. She was in charge, but to sit and wait gnawed at her insides.

  Nicky had deployed several small autonomous surveillance drones. These small devices flew out from the command post, skimming the treetops. They came to a rest in the upper branches once they were three kilometers out from the hilltop. There, they blended in with the foliage and sat waiting for the bandits. They would send a message back to the command post when triggered and then track the bandits. The Genus troopers would get a rough idea of what they are up against with the help of these bird sized flying machines.