ARMS Eden Lost: (Book 4)

by Stephen Arseneault

  "Fine then. Go have your fun. I'll hold down the fort."

  Harris turned as the comm closed. "Who's up for an adventure?"

  — Chapter 20 —

  * * *

  The Bangor dropped through the atmosphere of Gondol III. Coordinates retrieved from the archive had the craft settling a hundred meters in the air above.

  Harris said. "Either it doesn't exist or it sunk."

  Sharvie replied, "It sunk. Or that's what they say."

  A scan was performed. "Hmm. It's there. And square. And there's more."

  Sharvie asked, "What do you mean more?"

  "I mean there's a shaft of rock going down from below it. And that square is actually three pieces sitting atop one another. The second and third piece have hollow sections."

  "Why wouldn't that have been seen before?"

  "Don't know. Our sensors are better maybe? We can see down half a kilometer while most are lucky to see a hundred meters below the surface. And explorers from two thousand years ago? Maybe the thirty eight meters was more than they could see through."

  "Well we have to find out what's in there."

  Harris chuckled. "OK. Relax. We just got here. I'd kind of like to scan this whole planet."

  "Won't that take hours?" Sharvie asked.

  "It will. But we'll have a much better picture of what we're dealing with."

  An alert flashed on the nav display.

  "We have visitors," Harris said.

  Trish zoomed in on the approaching ship. "That's a Ratoon."

  Harris set the Bangor down in the bog, powering off her systems.

  "What are you doing?"

  "If they didn't see us they won't see us now."

  Trish replied, "What if they're coming right here?"

  Harris pointed. "Trajectory is wrong. They're heading for the equator. Unless they fly right over us they'll never know we're here."

  Two additional wormholes opened. Fourteen Denzee ships came through in all. The followers moving along the same path as the original, dropping through the atmosphere on their way to the equator.

  Harris shook his head. "Don't like this. Might be setting up a forward base. This is the only semi-habitable planet in this system. That mountain range along the equator is the only dry land. The rest of the planet is covered in this bog, with the northern and southern areas being frozen."

  "If they land can we leave?"

  Harris nodded. "Just what I was thinking. That first ship is already over the horizon. If the others follow we'll make our move."

  Gandy said, "There is just the one Ratoon. We take out that gun and we can handle those other ships."

  "Look. This one is staying high. We head their way and they'll know we're coming for sure. If we had a shield we could pull off what you're asking. Right now, not worth the risk."

  Harris powered on the systems, slowly bringing the Bangor up out of the wet muck of the bog. A course was set moving away from the Denzee. No movement was made by the high flying scout ship. After a quick run to the opposite side of the planet the Bangor turned skyward and headed out into space. Once free of the interference of the planet's mass, a wormhole was opened to Midelon and a jump made.

  After settling in the grass outside the bunker, Harris and the others made their way into the supply hut.

  "That was interesting."

  Tawn asked, "What'd you find?"

  "A big piece of granite that looks like it's sitting on top of a shaft going down. Definitely not a natural phenomenon. And while we were there we got a visit from the Denzee."

  "Why would they be there?"

  Harris shrugged. "Don't know. They just happened to show while we were sitting there. Gondol is not inhabited. Looks to mostly be bog and mud except for a single mountain range. The Denzee were landing there. They never saw us. Had a single Ratoon and fourteen of those Dulons."

  Tawn turned. "Farker, put up a starmap that shows us, New Earth, Domicile, and Gondol."

  An image floated above the dog's back.

  Tawn scratched the side of her face. "That's moving away from New Earth and closer to Domer territory."

  Harris nodded. "There's a handful of unclaimed systems in that area. Gondol is the only one with a breathable atmosphere. And it's only 16 percent oxygen. Probably why it was never settled or claimed. The other systems out there have nothing but rocky planets or gas giants."

  "There are obviously better worlds to choose from. Why pick that place?"

  "Couldn't say. Can only guess they're establishing a colony there. Each of those Ratoons has a minor queen. Could just be one striking out to establish herself."

  Tawn asked, "So tell me more about this granite block."

  "Sharvie mentioned this mysterious square piece of rock that had supposedly been discovered by our early explorers. It was buried in a bog and the planet wasn't habitable so I guess it was just marked down as a curiosity. Was only ever talked about in the alien conspiracy circles.

  "If anyone has explored it since they may not have had the sensors needed to see the whole thing. Probably just looked like a big square stone. Only it's partly hollow and there appears to be a stone shaft running down from it at least a half kilometer."

  "And no one saw this before?"

  "All I can figure is they didn't have the money or the sensors or the time. And now the Denzee are practically camping out there."

  "You said a single Ratoon ship?"

  Harris nodded. "We could pick up a shield from the Retreat and go back out there."

  Gandy said, "We do that and we may just be drawing attention to it."

  "And what would you propose?"

  "We snuck out. We could sneak back in. Maybe take a shield and stow it on the other side of the planet in case they spot us?"

  Harris tilted his head to one side. "Not a bad plan."

  Trish said, "No way to get in there without digging. And we'd have to somehow wall it off and pump out the water first. If we had to run it would leave it exposed."

  Sharvie gave a worried look. "We can't risk having it fall into their hands. Whatever it is, we need to keep it to ourselves."

  Harris opened a comm to the Retreat. "Colonel. We've just been out to Gondol. A Ratoon and fourteen of those Dulons were landing there. We believe they may be setting up a colony."

  "One moment. I'm pulling up a map. Nothing out there. Close to some of our colonies, but not next door. What would they want with that planet?"

  "Anything we have is speculation. What I was wanting was your thoughts on a raid. They have a single Ratoon. If we can take out that main gun we could finish off the lot of them."

  "We have two shields available."

  "That's what we were thinking. I'm just nervous about going it alone."

  "I have nothing to offer. The Hailstorm is down. Won't be operational for at least ten days. Fourteen if we want it at 100 percent. If you're hesitant then don't do it. It will still be there in a couple weeks."

  Harris rubbed the back of his neck. "I just don't want more ships showing up between now and then. One of those Ratoons and we have a good shot at shutting it down. With two... not so much."

  The colonel pursed his lips. "Can't advise you on this one, Mr. Gruberg. Go it alone or hold tight. It's your choice."

  A comm came into the colonel. "Hold on. It's your Baxter friend. I'm joining her in."

  "Goober. Thank goodness. We need you. The Denzee have switched up again. They're assaulting the Beinshee colony. There are five million colonists on the ground there. The Earthers have two thirds of their fleet engaged. We're desperate for your help."

  Harris shook his head. "We only have the Bangor."

  "This is it Harris. The emperor is trying to make this the fight for it all. The remainder of his ships that aren't standing watch are preparing to commit. That's five hundred warships against the fifteen Ratoons. Give us that edge. Make it happen here today."

  Harris looked at Tawn. "We have two of those shields at our disposal. A
nd that's five million Humans out there."

  "I don't think we have a choice."

  Bax said, "Excellent. I'll contact the emperor and tell him you're coming."

  Harris shook his head. "Won't be quick. Might take us a full hour to get there."

  "No longer though. We're desperate here."

  The colonel said, "We could deliver the shields to you there at... what colony did you say?"

  "Beinshee."

  Harris nodded. "I'm sending coordinates for a jump point. Will meet you there."

  The colonel replied, "I'm bringing a squad with, just in case."

  Harris chuckled. "We won't be doing any ship hopping this time, Colonel. Keep 'em home and safe."

  Coordinates were sent. Tawn followed Harris onto the ship. The hatch was closed and the drive powered up. The Bangor turned into a fireball as it raced toward the heavens.

  Tawn cinched her lap belt tight. "Not sure how much help we can be with two shields."

  "Wish these little overgrown rats would stick to a schedule. Beinshee was not one of the colonies that recorded a scout sighting."

  "I doubt they need scouts. They took those Earther ships when they first captured Rumanta. They probably have starmaps of all our systems along with data showing the number of colonists and the natural resources available. This is probably all planned out to have maximum impact. The Earthers lose that fleet and they're finished."

  "Then we can't let that happen."

  A hand was placed on Tawn's shoulder. She jumped before pulling her Fox-40.

  "What the..."

  "Hello Tawn. I thought you might be able to use the assistance."

  A second hand was placed on Harris' shoulder. "Tell me that's not who I think it is."

  "Hello, sir. How can we help?"

  Tawn replaced her pistol. "Wait? I thought you bots were restricted to Midelon?"

  During our visit to upgrade these bodies we were untethered from the main processor. We don't have access to the archives for our decision making, but we are able to follow the patterns afforded to us by our interactions with you."

  Tawn rolled her eyes. "Great. So we have a couple dumbed-down versions of us along for the ride. Well strap yourselves to the bench back there. This could get bumpy."

  Tawn turned. "She scared the crap out of me. Didn't see them come aboard."

  A jump was made to the coordinates. The colonel's ship along with the shields had yet to come through.

  Idiot said, "Sir, may I ask if there is a weapons-locker on this vessel?"

  "Straight back. Cabinet to the right. Don't touch the one with the blue handle. That's mine."

  Tawn said, "And the green stock is mine. Any others you can have at if needed."

  A wormhole opened. Two shields came through, followed by a shuttle. "Gruberg. Keep safe out there."

  "Don't be hanging around and getting yourself caught, Colonel."

  "Won't happen. Only here long enough to assess the situation. Then we'll be moseying along."

  Tawn enabled the nav connection to the shields. Both units moved in front of the Bangor.

  "All synced."

  "Wish us luck, Colonel. We're gonna need it."

  The comm closed. A second comm was opened to the Earther command ship.

  The image of a captain showed on the display. "Mr. Gruberg. One moment."

  The image changed to that of the an admiral. "Excellent. Hold please."

  The image again changed. This time the fleet admiral nodded. "Ah, Mr. Gruberg, let me say thank you for all you've done. Please hold."

  Tawn scowled. "Seems you get all the credit."

  "I am the one piloting this ship."

  "Big whoop. I'm the one taking out those guns. And why do they keep passing us along?"

  "A fourth image appeared. "Mr. Gruberg. Miss Freely. I wanted to personally thank you for coming to our aid today. This assault was most unexpected."

  Harris nodded. "Hello Emperor. I'm not sure how much help we'll be, we're only a single ship."

  "Yes, but you've shown yourselves to be formidable. I have no doubt you will do so again today."

  Tawn said, "Surprised you came out with the fleet. Would think that's dangerous."

  "I owe it to my people. Would you have me sit back in the comfort of my palace while millions of my citizens are under the threat of being slaughtered? I'm here to rally my troops to victory."

  "Let's hope that's the case, sir. And I know you may feel it's none of my business, but I think you should have enlisted the help of the Domers on this from the start. You might not be having to fight this battle."

  "It's a delicate line to cross, Miss Freely. It shows weakness. A weakness that can be exploited by one's enemies. You see, there are always those who are plotting to unseat me. If I can't defend the empire I should not be emperor, or so the reasoning goes."

  "You've asked for our help."

  "Hiring private assistance such as yours is seen as a strength since the credits I am spending are my own. And don't get me wrong, if I thought my leadership unable to defend the realm I would abdicate to a more capable leader."

  "I see. Well I hope your decision isn't dooming your empire to obliteration along with us. If you fall, I don't see us as having a much better chance for victory."

  Harris said, "Thirty seconds until we're within range of that weapon."

  Tawn looked up at the display. "Good hunting, Emperor. We've got work to do."

  "Good hunting to you as well."

  The comm closed.

  The lights on the closest Ratoon dimmed. Seconds later the disc of the weapon glowed blue-white. Harris pushed the Bangor into a hard turn. Easily avoiding what was sure to be the first of many beams coming their way. As the red line of no return was approached, a second Ratoon turned their way.

  Tawn said, "This is not good."

  "One more shot and we can take this one out. We'll use it to block the firing line of that other."

  The lights on the Ratoon dimmed as an Earther transport zipped by with a destroyer following close after.

  Tawn said, "What are they doing?"

  The weapon fired, incinerating two thirds of the transport while leaving the destroyer unscathed.

  Harris grinned as he turned hard for the Denzee warship as Tawn readied the railguns. "They're using shields!"

  A flurry of tungsten pellets were released as the Bangor closed. The forward decks of the Denzee ship crumpled and bent, denting in but not fracturing.

  Harris said, "Take out those port missile silos. That destroyer is planning to come alongside with boarding parties."

  Tawn took aim, but her salvo was too late. A barrage of short range missiles left their ports before her pellets shut them down. The port side of the approaching destroyer was ravaged. Propulsion was lost, sending the Earther ship crashing into the heavier plating of the much larger Denzee Ratoon. The destroyer began to break apart.

  Harris guided the Bangor and her shield into the debris, shutting down power and beginning to drift. The second Ratoon approached, firing it's weapon at a pair of Earther destroyers that decided to engage. One of the Earther ships met it's end as the other raced in to assault the damaged Ratoon.

  With the superweapon glowing the second Ratoon fired, Harris powered up the Bangor and sped in for a shot. Tawn worked the railguns to perfection, silencing the great weapon on the second ship. Three Earther destroyers rushed in, one taking heavy damaged from a missile barrage as the other two pulled alongside and fastened themselves to the warship's hull.

  Harris turned the Bangor toward the next Ratoon. "The Earthers are wising up. We might just have a shot at victory here."

  "I just thought of something. The Gondol colony. There was a Ratoon there."

  "So."

  "So there are fifteen here. That means there are more out there."

  Harris shook his head. "One more won't make a difference."

  Several wormholes opened. Another dozen Ratoons entered the battle-space.
>
  Tawn scowled. "No. But a dozen more will."

  Four warships turned at once, seeming to single out the Bangor as they raced forward. A long shot by one of the beam weapons caught the first shield dead center, incinerating the forward half of it's structure while sending the remains crashing into the second, splitting the outer hull open.

  Harris sighed. "We have to go. Without that hull intact that beam would burn right through to us."

  A comm was opened to the Earther fleet admiral. "We've done all we can admiral. We have to go."

  — Chapter 21 —

  * * *

  The Bangor pulled into the repair dock at the ship factory, releasing the heavily damaged shield.

  Bannis Morgan opened a comm. "I heard of your bad luck. My crews will get to work on that immediately."

  Harris said, "Don't think it will matter this time, Mr. Morgan. Another dozen Ratoons joined the fight. And who knows how many more they have. Until we have a decent force of these ships we can't risk going back in."

  "We may have another two shields ready by the morning."

  Harris slowly shook his head. "Don't know if that fight will last until morning. The Earthers have a new tactic that might actually have some effect, but they were losing ships like mad."

  Tawn said, "We managed to disable two of those ships before we lost our shields. During that few minutes the Earthers sacrificed thirty-eight."

  A comm came in from Bax. "You left."

  "We lost our protection."

  "Not true. You could have used as many of those Earther ships as shields as you needed. You could have kept fighting."

  "No. The Denzee had four Ratoon coming for us. They passed at least three destroyers during that run, which tells me we were singled out. With four of those we can't get close enough between firings to take out any of those main guns without getting burned ourselves. For us, that fight was over."

  "The emperor has already ordered a pullback. Beinshee has been conceded. And with it her five million colonists."

  "Were any of the boarding parties able to succeed?"

  "Aside from the two you damaged, three. Seven others were repelled. Of those three the self-destructs saw to it we didn't have our prize. The two you damaged managed to throw off their attackers and slip away."