by T J Bryan
Toni looked at the munitions stock. They were almost dry. She knew Wu Station had about half of its' munitions left, but Hrist was close to dry as well.
Toni studied the plot of the Dumbbell once again. She keyed her mic. "All stations. Cease fire for now. But prepare to fire everything you have at the Elegy portal as that ship enters. Time your shots for her arrival at the portal. We will either toast her engines or send a good bye party down the tunnel after her.
Four hours later as the Dumbbell made a final approach to Elegy, Holgata Station fired the last of her munitions. Hrist reported she was dry and returning to Wu Station for any stock they might set free.
The Third Battle of Wu was over and Toni was simply stunned they had survived. The challenge now was that if that remaining Dumbbell managed to return to its' compatriots and inform them of how they had lost the battle, then Wu Station and Holgata would not be so lucky the next time. Of one thing Toni was certain; there would be a next time. They would not fall for the behind the door trick again.
...
Jamon System - OCN Crusher - Year 3247. August 29 ET: 23:51.
Abel sat at his desk in the Naval Wing of the Collegium and watched the monitors placed throughout the ER and hospital ward that contained the still living body of Gabs Maron. Bennet was lying on a cot at the office in the corner having put in a full day disguised as a hospital orderly. Both Abel and Bennet were dressed in hospital scrubs. One of the junior police officers had taken Bennet's place for the night shift, but Abel was about to wake Bennet for his second turn waiting for Arne Thorgaut to appear.
As the former Judicar Arne would know most of the constabulary who regularly appeared before him in court. But the coup d'état with all its' violence had killed most of the senior police staff and so badly injured others that they were forced to retire or seek long term care. The Habitat Police Force was almost entirely new and very young. Abel and Chief of ES Taylor Godfrid had chosen a handful of young fresh faces to assume positions within the hospital staff. Arne would see no one he recognized if he entered the ER, but all police staff, as well as most of the hospital staff were fully aware of what Arne Thorgaut looked like. His image was posted almost everywhere in the Habitat. As the graveyard shift began Abel could see the disguised police officers on the monitors. Two were orderlies, one was a custodian sweeping and mopping the floors, two were worried family members sitting in the waiting room adjacent to the ER entrance, and another was lying in a bed in the immediate ward adjacent to Gabs Maron. All were armed even though Abel had promised Dr. Auber there would be no guns. Able knew full well that the Sovereignty Alliance had not agreed to a no gun policy in the hospital and Abel had no intention of giving them any advantage in their murderous intent.
Abel stood and was about to wake Bennet when he noticed one of the patients in the ER waiting room arguing with the triage nurse about his condition. Abel reached forward and keyed open the microphone associated with the camera.
"I tell you I'm sick. Really sick. Can't you tell?"
The nurse who was removing her monitoring gear from the patient shook her head. "I can find nothing wrong with you Mr. Stanzer. But if you insist please sit over there in one of the blue chairs and when a doctor becomes available I will have them talk to you."
Stanzer replied. "Yes, I'll wait. But where is the bathroom?"
The nurse motioned down the hall.
Something about the man was all wrong thought Abel. If he was really sick it was possible that the triage nurse missed something, but still Abel knew they were highly trained and overlooking a condition requiring a visit to the ER was unlikely. There were three neighbourhood clinics open 24 hours a day and they could easily have assisted Stanzer. Why the ER? Everyone knew the ER was for real emergencies.
Abel was about to reach for his vid-com when the unit chimed. It was officer Sloan, dressed as a custodian. "I'm on it. That Stanzer guy. I'm off to clean the restroom now."
Abel switched cameras and looked down the hallway toward the restrooms. Stanzer was slowly walking down the hall, but rather than hurry to the restroom, he was pausing at each doorway to look inside.
Abel stood and bumped Bennet. "I think one of Arne's stooges is here. Lets go."
Abel picked up his pistola that he had left on the desk, and departed his office at a fast pace headed to the ER only a minute away. Bennet followed. Then Abel paused. Stanzer was not Arne Thorgaut. Therefore Stanzer was either there to kill Gabs himself or simply reconnoitre the place for Arne himself. Rushing in would probably allow the capture of Stanzer but would undoubtedly scare off Arne. That is assuming Arne was anywhere near the hospital. Abel decided to wait.
The plaza which had been the scene of the official visitors residence explosion was at this time of night very quiet, but there were a few citizens wandering about in the small park like setting. Most would be students returning to barracks from the library or an occasional young couple headed home after a night on the town. Abel motioned Bennet to sit on a park bench deep within the dark of moon time under a near-pine tree. Abel walked twenty paces and sat at another bench, this one in the even darker shadow of the Annex building. Abel placed his vid-com on the bench beside him and dialled down the visibility glow of the unit until he could still see but the unit cast no ambient light. Abel was prepared to wait.
Abel fumbled in his coat and found his earpiece and attached it to the vid-com. He could now both see and hear events in the hospital.
After ten minutes or so Stanzer appeared frustrated and somewhat lost. He had not visited the restroom and officer Sloan began to mop the floor only a few meters from Stanzer.
Stanzer was looking about rather frantically and then he drew a deep breath. Trying to calm himself thought Abel. Stanzer approached the custodian.
"Excuse me, but I am looking for my Aunt Gabs Maron, I seem to have gotten lost. Can you direct me to her room?"
Sloan was doing a very good act of theatre. He simply did not reply but pulled a small card from his breast pocked which Able knew said, "Deaf." Sloan continued mopping the floor just in front of Stanzer's feet.
Later it became clear that Officer Sloan's playing deaf had probably saved his life.
Moments later Officer Kimbal, dressed as an orderly, came down the hall. "I'm sorry sir. But visiting hours are over. I must ask you to leave. Our patients need their rest."
As Abel had feared Stanzer appeared to panic and pulled out a gun. An old chemical gun that discharged a lump of lead. The gun was extremely dangerous in the small confines of the hospital.
Stanzer thrust the barrel of the gun into the stomach of Officer Kimbal.
"Take me to that bitch Maron or your dead meat."
Then Stanzer, so rattled and nervous by his failure to find Gabs Marion, fired the gun.
Stanzer seemed as surprised at the discharge as Officer Kimbal. Kimbal fell to the floor, blood streaming from an abdominal wound.
Stanzer had panicked and he quickly turned around just in time to see a plasma bolt from Officer Sloan that blew away his pistol and half of his arm.
Abel knew there was no sense in waiting and rushed to the ER. As he entered the usually quiet ER the place was loud and in a state of organized chaos. Officer Kimbal was already in the doc-box and Stanzer was strapped down to a gurney in one of the examination rooms as two doctors and three orderlies attend to his wound.
Abel peered in and noticed Officer Sloan standing in the room his pistola in his hand. The ER staff was paying him no mind as they set about their work. The other officers remained at their stations in case Arne should try to follow up.
Abel stepped into the room just as the sedation hit Stanzer and he fell into a deep induced coma. Abel looked at what was left of the arm. It was gone below the elbow and the upper arm was a bloody pulp. That would hurt Abel thought but Stanzer will live. Abel wanted Stanzer to live and although Abel was not a man of faith, he made a little prayer that Stanzer might live, and fully recover to tell them where Arne
Throgaut was hiding, and to stand at his trial and eventual execution.
Abel walked over to Sloan. "Good work tonight Officer Sloan. You did well."
Sloan grimaced. "Not well enough to protect Jerry. Jerry Kimbal."
Abel knew there was little he could say to the young Sloan. Abel once, as a very junior officer, had faced a similar crisis of self doubt following a drunken brawl in a pub that had resulted in a death.
Sloan continued. "I dialled down the plasma discharge. Focused it a four feet. If I had missed someone further away might have gotten their hair singed, but they would be ok. Firearms in a hospital. It is awful, but I'm glad we got the guy. Was it that Thorgaut fellow?"
"No." replied Abel. "But it was a good collar. Stanzer, or whoever he was, was clearly one of Arne's thugs and murderers. You did well Officer Sloan."
Sloan tried to smile as Arne turned to Dr. Auber who had just entered. Freydis was clearly angry at Abel, but she said nothing. "We have Officer Kimbal in the doc-box. He looks good. Thank god for those Grayson doc-in-a-box units. Without them Kimbal would probably die. Now who is this?
"One of Arne's goons. He was here to kill Gabs or at least finish her off. Called himself Stanzer."
Dr. Auber walked over to one of the monitors that was streaming data about Stanzer. She stopped the display stream for a moment and dialled it back toward the beginning. "DNA says this is Albert Mason. Age 39, profession Miner, discharged from the Mining Association for a series of violent attacks on his supervisors. Divorced, lives alone. There is more stuff her, but you get the message."
"Is a residence address listed?"
Auber took a moment to reply, "Yes. 5 Clover Lane, cross path Homer's walk."
Abel reached for his vid-com. Perhaps Arne was at Clover Lane. Abel called the ES Station and asked for backup. He was proceeding to 5 Clover Lane.
Abel rushed out of the examination room, Bennet close on his heels. As Abel raced through the waiting area he motioned to the two undercover officers to follow. Homer's Walk was only about ten minutes away but on the far edge of the Habitat near the Temple steps. Clover lane was a small cobbled and winding passage known for the window boxes on almost every residence that contained some green leafy plant they called clover. The lane was popular with joggers and couples out for a stroll.
As Abel arrived at the intersection he saw Chief Taylor Godfrid standing in the intersection with a pistola in his hand. As Abel slowed and approached Taylor he informed Abel that there was no movement on Clover lane and that he had both ends of the lane covered. 5 Clover lane was only two residences down from the intersection. Abel paused a moment to check the tell-tale on his pistola. It was green. Taylor motioned to the two undercover officers to remain at the intersection and to provide cover.
Cautiously Abel, Bennet, and Taylor edged down the lane hugging the wall on the dark side of the path. 5 Clover lane looked rather ordinary, but for the clover plants in the planter under its' two small windows. The clover was dead, and dead a long time. Above the hatch the green safety light cast a slightly dull glow around the door. Abel reached for his Warrant Card. Taylor took up position to the left and Abel stood on the right next to the hatch override slot. Bennet took a position in the shadows that would give him a clear shot when the door opened. Abel was about to tell Bennet to move, but realized he probably would not comply. Bennet was after all the body guard of the First Admiral of the Obsidian Commonwealth Navy.
Abel held up five fingers and began a count down. On one he inserted the Warrant Card into the hatch override. The door slid open and before Abel could move Bennet rushed in. Taylor pushed Abel aside and followed Bennet. Abel then entered the room.
"Clear" shouted Bennet from the bedroom located in the back of the three room bungalow.
"Clear in the Bathroom and Kitchen," cried out Taylor.
Abel looked about. Thorgaut was not there. But a kettle was whistling on the stove and an empty cup with a small tin of Dragon Well tea stood waiting on the kitchen table. A small carton of cream stood on the table. The cream was cold. Clearly Albert Mason, or his other name Stanzer, had not put the water on to boil. Someone had just left.
Arne Thorgaut, former Judicar of the Commonwealth, leader of the coup d'état, murderer of more than forty citizens, had somehow slipped away.
Chapter Eighty Two
Wu Station - Destructor Ragnarök - Year 3247. August 31 ET: 23:51.
Brynhildr had arrived only two days following the Third Battle of Wu and the dumbbells had not reappeared. Toni knew that a flight to Elegy and then on to almost any other location from Elegy was a very long flight indeed. So if the Dumbbell had survived she could not inform her compatriots of her status for at least a month, or perhaps two or even longer.
Five days later Silvi with the Destructor Ragnarök and her two SAR's arrived much to the relief of Toni and general jubilation on Wu Station. Ragnarök contained 128 casters and an additional 128 'K's. Half of Ragnarök's munitions were distributed to Hrist, Wu Station, and the almost completed Hub of Holgata Station.
Silvi and Toni sat drinking coffee in the Ragnarök's mess.
"I expect Abel's Second Fleet to arrive within two days." said Toni sipping her too hot coffee.
Silvi nodded her head. "Nasty work those Dumbbells."
Toni sighed. The hot wash in the days following the Third Battle of Wu had been painful, but Toni was proud of the result. They had destroyed one of the invaders and sent the other packing. However luck had played a hand in the defeat and both Toni and Silvi knew that luck in battle was fickle.
"Silvi, you know they will be back."
"Yea," replied Silvi. "You can count on that. They will be back."
Toni thought for a moment. "How was the trip to Hypsistos. I read your brief dispatches and it seems you accomplished what you set out to do. But dispatches leave a lot out. So tell me about Hypsistos."
"Quadi Dio, the civil engineer from Hypsistos really made the trip a success. There were so many potential cultural disconnects between us and Hypsistos that could have gone wrong. Very wrong. But she really allowed us to understand their culture and practices."
"The EG talks about their constant wars. Did that play a role in your negotiations."
Silvi stood and went for another cup of coffee. "First we need to separate their peasant uprisings from their property wars. Every hundred or so years the peasants rise up in violence against their subjugation but they are quickly put down. But there is a lot of bloodshed. When the peasants rise their intent is simple murder of their overseers."
"However their idea of organized warfare is very different from ours. Their constant wars are what we might call 'property wars'. They have a kind of professional army headed by what they call the Guiding General. But it seems that the Guiding General has no real control of the army itself and his role is ceremonial. The army is split into perhaps 20 division of about 1,000 troops each. Each division is headed by an independent Centurion. The army itself is encamped in the Capital of Raetia where their Emperor lives a well. However it appears that the Emperor is a figure head with no real power other than as a symbol. The Emperor is an odd figure in that he is supposed to maintain their culture and ceremonies. All he does is perform sacred dances, cast pottery, write poems, plant some trees; that's about it. And one other thing, he is never seen in public. No one is allowed to even look upon the Emperor."
After a moment Silvi continued. "Warfare in Hypsistos is different. They wage war over property, in particular over land and control of the vast estates. Wars are not fought over ideology, religion, or past insult. Wars are simply fought to take property from another and to keep it. They have a kind of Senate but members are restricted to the owners of the great estates. A typical estate might be anywhere between 100,000 square kilometres to perhaps 300,000. The estates are called Latifundium and their owners who are Senators don't really live on the land. Senators live in the capital. They consider the estates themselves as too 'rustic' or primitiv
e and prefer the luxury of the capital. Quadi said that there are some Senators from long standing families that have never even seen their lands. She knows of three Senator's families that have been off the Latifundium for over 300 years." Silvi stopped for a moment before continuing.
"As I said earlier their wars are simply to take property. One Senator decides he wants the Latifundium of his neighbour. He goes to the Army and the Centurions and he simply bids for the work. After a Centurion has been bought his troops march to the estate in question, often a thousand kilometres or more away from the capital. The Centurion and his army then attempts to seize the land. Now, the owner of the land, also a Senator will bid for an army unit to oppose the invasion. Thus two armies might well march out of the capital intent on war to take or defend land. It is not unusual for the two opposing armies to march side by side as they go to the disputed land. The won't engage in combat except on the estate in dispute. Very odd."
Toni sat back. "So they wage war simply to take land?"
"Yes. And here is the odd thing. They want to take the land intact. An ancient vineyard, or herd of prized beasts, or a field of wheat, has no value if destroyed in combat. If either army inadvertently destroys something of value on the estate the warfare ends. It seems the Centurions must pay for any damage done. The estates are managed by overseers, but the bulk of the population are rustic farm workers who have few rights. The smaller estates may have distant relatives of the Senator managing the estate, but direct family is rarely if ever found on the estate itself. Farm workers are also considered property and in that sense they are protected from the worst excesses of warfare. The Latifundium or estates are not named after their owners, but after whoever created the estate 800 years ago. For example the wine we obtained had to be from the estate of Quintus Dias. Quintas is long, long dead and his family simply no longer seems to exist, but his name of the estate lives. While the estate seems to have changed ownership many times the ancient vineyards and its' enormous wine cellars have been untouched by constant warfare and land theft."