After the missiles left their rails they gained altitude, nosed over, and began their death plunge towards the bandits. Each stayed locked onto their targets. They went supersonic moments before they struck home. Four large fireballs announced their success. The ten Mechs were all silenced.
The bandit forces on foot were in disarray. Most had military training at one time and knew it was time to surrender. They were tossing their weapons down and raising their hands in the air. The bandit leader knew it was time to give up as well. He ordered his men to lay down their weapons. What should have been an easy route, especially with ten Mechs, turned into a disaster.
Genus troops across the hillside reported groups of bandits with their hands in the air. The slope of the hill had fires burning from the wreckage of the Mech Warriors. Smoke drifted and marked the area and was visible to the incoming fighters now rearmed and refueled.
The fighters orbited the hilltop. Their role now was to ensure the bandits knew who was the boss. The bandits, hands in the air, were directed to the hilltop. They were seated in a circle after a search for weapons. Hands were bound at the wrists. Genus troops guarded them with weapons loaded and ready.
Chris counted the bandits remaining. Twenty-eight survived. He’d estimated one hundred and fifty took part in the original attack. Then there were the men on the troop ship. This loss was obscene. Were the green Carbonado diamonds worth the lives it cost?
“Nicky, what’s our casualty report?” Chris asked.
“Twelve injured, all serious but none critical,” Nick answered. “Leroy is caring for them now. We can move them up to Lola as soon as Tony lands the shuttle. I already spoke to him about it.”
“Have you heard from Julie in the cavern?” He asked Nick.
“I was about to contact her. I know she didn’t want to interrupt while the battle roared on.” Nick replied.
As they spoke the shuttle flared overhead and settled in for a landing on the hilltop. The engines unwound, and the ramp came down all the way. Pat Martin secured the photon cannon to the side wall of the cabin to make room for the injured troopers.
Chris turned around, taking it all in. He was trying to process the events as they had happened. By rights, the bandits should have won the battle. They had the Mechs and the numbers. Instead, they lost in a bloody, one-sided, defeat.
There was a commotion on the far side of the hilltop. Chris heard some laughs and saw his troopers pointing down the slope. He started towards the laughs when he saw one of the Trolls come over the hilltop pulling a rope. Behind him, tied in single file were ten bandits with their hands tied to the rope and gags in their mouths. Following the chain were Tommy and Jason, covered head to toe in black dirt. They looked like they’d been in a cave in. It was obvious they weren’t injured, and they were in good spirits as was the Troll leading the group.
The group pulled up to Chris and stopped. Tommy shouted, “Attention!” He, Jason and Turog stood ramrod straight and saluted Chris. Turog snapped a smart salute as crisp as any master sergeant. They held it until Chris returned the salute. This military formality wasn’t required at Genus, but among the troops, it was behavior they fell into automatically.
“At ease gentlemen. What do we have here?” Chris asked.
Tommy stepped forward to answer. “Sir, Jason, Turog, and myself are bringing in the prisoners we captured.”
“Turog?” Chris asked.
“Yes, sir. I believe Turog is now our newest member of Genus. After launching a barrage of boulders disrupting the bandit’s formations, and then single-handedly destroying several mechs. I do feel he's earned the job.” Tommy replied.
“He did all that?”
“Yes sir, he did.”
“Welcome to the ranks of Genus Turog.” He held out his hand to shake and Turog took it gently so as not to crush the human's hand.
Turog took one step away, threw back his head and let loose with a roar not much softer than the roar of the fighter’s engines. It was a roar heard in the cavern below them. Turning back, he faced Chris and said, “Turog now Genus!”
Chapter 24
I sat on the bridge listening to radio chatter from the planet below. The tension now eased. Chris and Nicky were more relaxed on the radio. I heard a few chuckles and laughs. We’d won the battle. I told Al and Iwona both to go take a break. I would man the bridge for them for a while.
It was nice to once again gaze out the ports and see the vast expanse of space. The stars and solar systems millions of light years away, passing across the windows as we orbit the planet. I sat there with a cup of good coffee and a club sandwich the galley sent me. I’d dimmed the bridge lights so most of the room's light came from the console monitors.
The view can be hypnotic and today I was under its spell when I heard the chirp of an incoming message. It took a moment to realize what the noise was, and it startled me. I sat forward and pulled up the message. It was my old friend John Sherman.
“Hi boss, hope everything is well. Genus hired me to bring supplies and some people out to you on Chico 7. I left the day Genus received your message and due to the planets alignment, I’ll make it in ten days, not the usual 14. I want to see this creature the Genus people are talking about. Looking forward to seeing you. Hey, I also have a passenger for you, Thom Rustack. He said he wanted to take you up on your offer.” I saw from the transmission date when this message had been sent. That meant John would arrive in four days. That’s great. They must have been expecting a relief shipment and had everything packed to go. I will have to thank the office people at Genus when we get back. They are always thinking ahead.
I was about to sit back and go into my trance once again when I got another message. This was a live video message. I accepted it and put it up on the large screen. The face that greeted me was General Mauer.
“Hello, Jack. How are you holding out? I see the bridge is dark. Are you running blackout conditions for battle?” He asked.
I had forgotten to bring up the lights before answering so I did now. “General, great to hear from you. The battle is over for now. We came out on top once again.”
“That’s wonderful. I knew you people were the best. I’ll be there in ten hours. We are outside the solar system. I have two ships with me and some supplies and troops for you.”
“Perfect timing General. We have a lot of intelligence for your G2 people. We collected data and prisoners.” I said.
“Jack, I want to interrogate them with you. I’ve heard about your talents and would love to see them in action.”
“Thank you, sir. General, you should know, the bandits had a troop transport drop ship and ten Mech Troops. How did they get that equipment? We need to know.” I asked.
“Jack, we’ll talk with Chris when I arrive. I want to get to the bottom of this too.” The General answered.
He signed off. I tapped out a message to Chris informing him of the General’s pending arrival and to expect our relief ship in a few days. The military was coming. Late to the show, but at least they can take the prisoners off our hands.
I sent a message to Julie deep under the hillside. I gave her the news about the pending arrivals. She and Chris had agreed to keep everyone inside until our men had done a complete sweep of the area for bandits and weapons. They didn’t want any accidents.
Life in the cavern had gone well for the scientists. They were excited about what they learned. When they weren’t interviewing the Trolls or inside the cockpit, they were hard at work organizing notes and beginning the papers they were sure would make them famous.
The Kupp brothers had brought the pigs inside the hill only at the insistence of Chris. The Trolls had excavated an area for their sty. Andy and Terry both knew the area would smell like a pig sty long after the pigs left.
Dora spent her time split between Goorow and Rick. Goorow was learning to speak human English at an unbelievable speed. Often when speaking, you would forget it was a Troll new to the language you were conversing
with. Other than a gruff bass tone to his voice, he was adapting and changing. All the Trolls were changing. Butch was becoming an excellent linguist as well. Kenny and Butch spent the day with the young Trolls and Julie noticed these young Trolls signing and speaking English to their parents.
Jim Thule had begun laying out the venting he would need to eliminate the methane gas from the cavern. There were several places the gas seeped out of the earth into the cavern. He’d used mud made from water and the cavern’s walls to create airtight seals around the venting. The air vents led to a tunnel the Trolls had dug for him. It ended one foot below the surface. Once he had the go-ahead, they would unseal the tunnels and he would turn on the exhaust fans. The air should clear in minutes. He'd already run power cables from the cockpit to the mouth of the cave. All he needed was the okay, and he could power up the systems in a few minutes.
Dora had asked him how he knew how much power to use. He explained that it was simple electronics. Throughout the universe, everything worked in binary. Something was either on or off. Light or dark. Hot or cold. These were universal constants. Electrical power was positive or negative. Once he saw the ships power sources and storage, it didn’t take much computing to figure out voltages and amperages. No matter where man had traveled, there were only so many elements available to work with. Elements reacted with each other in the same manner on Earth as they did on Chico 7.
The hard part was to determine what equipment was what. The Trolls ship had some unusually designed equipment. Jim realized it was often more advanced than anything we had. Of course, some things never change. Man invented the wheel thousands of years ago and while the construction materials have changed, it’s still a wheel and can you recognize it as a wheel. Why is that? Well, it works. It works better for that purpose than anything else that’s come along. It’s a good idea. As much as some things change, others stay the same. Once something develops that works well, it usually stays in use until there’s something better and easier to use that comes along. The military still used projectile weapons. They'd moved from explosive gunpowder to other means of propellant, but they stay with projectiles because they work. That projectile started out as a thrown rock. It still works.
Engineering is the same way. In motors, although the fuel may change, internal combustion engines still operate under the same principles. They have improved many times and may look different, but they still operate with the same rules. Take steam engines, change the fuel from coal to Nuclear fission, heat the liquid, still the same principle.
These engineering rules apply whether you are a Troll or human. I had to identify the parts. That was much easier than expected. Whoever engineered this ship planned it well and it’s laid out with function rather than aesthetics in mind.
Dora knew these databanks found on the ship might be the key to much of Earth’s past as well as much of the universe. She'd thought about it over her time on Chico 7 and had one big question. These creatures, her beloved Trolls, had crashed here almost fifteen hundred years ago. This ship probably hadn’t come from Earth. Where had they come from, and where were they now? Did other Trolls still exist? Were there other galaxies filled with similar creatures? How advanced were these creatures? Every answer she got created a new question. That’s what excited her most.
More and more, Dora found herself smiling. She had the discovery of a lifetime, and she was in love. Life was perfect for her. Who cared that bandits in mechanized fighting machines fought above her to take control of the planet. She was in heaven. Rick caught her grinning like a school girl several times and liked to tease her. Goorow had even teased her once by mimicking her face with a silly smile. The truth was she didn’t care. Life was perfect in her eyes.
Julie stepped into the middle of the large cavern where they spent most of their time. She cleared her throat and called for everyone’s attention. Speaking slow and using Sign, she informed everyone about the action on the surface. “An organized group of bandits attacked the hilltop. Their goal was to claim the planet as their own. They were after the green stones. The troops that came with us fought the bandits and won. We need to stay inside for a while. There are some weapons that need to be picked up. We don’t want anyone to get hurt. There might also be a few scattered bandits that haven’t been captured. They could be dangerous. Chris will let us know when it’s safe to go back outside.”
There were no questions or comments. The humans in the cavern were busy with their work. Daylight didn’t matter to them. For the most part, the scientists had been so focused on their work that they didn’t notice the explosions that reverberated through the tunnels. The Trolls were so used to living in the caves that they didn't care.
Chris and I decided to wait until the General had arrived. He would let Mauer’s troops take the prisoners off our hands before our people in the tunnels came out. It would free the Genus troopers to keep the Trolls and scientists safe from the loose ordinance and roaming bandits.
Jim Thule was ready to evacuate the gas from the spacecraft’s chamber. All he needed was the last few feet dug and the end of the exhaust hose dragged outside. Ten minutes running the blower should clear the methane. He was excited, and like the two scientists, he could barely contain himself.
Julie sat with Kenny. They were holding classes, teaching more signing and English to the young Trolls. At the accelerated pace these creatures learn, she didn’t see these classes going much longer. The young ones were comfortable with both sign and verbalization. Their voices had improved, they were now able to make most verbalizations needed for English. Their grammar would improve as they experienced more.
Butch was becoming quite the character. He seemed to grasp his special circumstances. He also seemed to have overcome his traumatic experiences with the bandits. Both the Troll clan and humans welcomed him and enjoyed his company.
Butch stayed with Kenny most of the time. Kenny made him feel safe. I saw this might create a problem. Kenny would leave with us when we returned to Oakdale. How was Butch going to react to that? How would Kenny react to that? It was clear there was a big brother-little brother dynamic. I worried about this.
Chapter 25
Soon after Lola’s sensor picked up the three military ships entering the system, we received a message from the General. “Hello, Lola. I’m entering the system with my flagship and two frigates. I’m headed towards Chico 7 and will take up orbit. I want to shuttle over to your ship. Can you accommodate a GP12-b craft on your landing pad?”
“Yes sir, and you'll be able to taxi inside our hanger, it has an atmosphere. You won't need pressure suits to leave your craft.” I responded.
“Wonderful, I heard you have made some extensive renovations to Lola. It sounds like money well spent. If you like, I’ll bring a security and medical party with to transfer the rescued Bandit you have in your sickbay.” General Mauer added.
“That will be fine, but we may want to talk to him first. We’re going to need the space for our injured troopers. They're arriving aboard Lola as we speak. There are captured bandits, many of them injured on the planet. How about you pick them up first?” I said.
“Okay, our other shuttle will head down with some reinforcements for your men and return with the prisoners.” He answered.
After the General signed off, I contacted Chris and filled him in.
“I’ll head up to you with the next shuttle so I can meet with Mauer too,” Chris said.
What a relief, Chris was going to be there. Great. “Nicky and Julie are down there and can take care of things. They won’t need us.” I said.
After my radio conversations, I decided to go visit our Bandit patient and Larry in the sick bay. Larry was sitting up in bed reading his pad. A half-eaten tray of food was beside his bed. It was the same food served in the galley so seeing Larry had eaten so little, let me know he was still in a great deal of pain. Like most military, he had a healthy appetite and would eat well when he could, never knowing when he would next eat.<
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“Hi Larry, how are you feeling?” I asked.
I startled him. He was either lost in his reading, or he was still on a heavy dosage or pain meds. “Hi, Skipper. I’m good. How’s everything going down below?”
“We could have used you and your fighter, but we managed. Even more important, we didn’t lose anyone. You’ll be there for the next one if you want.” I said
“What do you mean if I want?”
“Larry, you’ve been critically injured twice flying your fighters. Yes, what you did saved lives and was very important, after all you’ve suffered, no one would think less of you for stepping down.” I said. “You’ve earned the right to staff job or retirement.”
“Skipper, I’m a fighter pilot. It’s what I do. If I can operate my fighter, I’m your man. When I can’t do it anymore I'll step down and find a desk somewhere. Of course, that is, if you’ll still have me.” He stated.
“I knew you'd say that, but I wanted to give you the choice. Understand this, you work for me at Genus. After what you’ve done, you write your own ticket. I’ll back you up. After all, we’re family here.” I turned to leave. “By the way, General Mauer will be stopping in to say hello in about an hour.”
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