Arthur and the Andarran Rescue

by Craig Speakes

  ‘Cat! Arthur wants more than anything to rescue his father. He’s not thinking clearly. This is precisely the time when he needs his friends.’

  ‘Bah!’ grumbled the cat. ‘Just know that if we get killed because he’s not thinking clearly, then I’m going to be really unhappy, understand? And I’m holding you responsible!’

  ‘Let’s talk about it after we get killed, okay, Cat?’

  ‘Fine!’

  Seeing Sky struggling with everything, Arthur rushed forward to help her.

  ‘Let’s just take what we need now and leave the rest here,’ he suggested. ‘If everything goes all right, we can always come back for it.’

  ‘Okay,’ agreed Sky. ‘Give me the rope. My father taught me to ride when we were posted in Kazakhstan. I can probably rig it up so we’ll have something to hang on to. You can sort out what we need.’ Sky took the rope and approached the merlock with her arm outstretched, clearly showing she had nothing in her hands but the rope.

  ‘It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just going to put it around you like this,’ she said, and slowly and carefully she placed it around the bird’s neck.

  Arthur stopped to watch what Sky was doing and check how the merlock might react. Sure that everything was okay, he then set about selecting what was required from both packs. The only things that were going in his pack were the cat, some food and water, and their climbing things.

  Everything else he stuffed into Sky’s pack, and put it near the entrance to the snow cave. Handing her a plasma rifle, he put on his pack and shouldered his rifle. Taking one last look at the camp, his attention was caught by a flicker and then a flash far off in the direction of the mountain. The flash was followed by another and then several more.

  ‘It’s started!’ cried Arthur, running back to the merlock, whose eyes were also fixed on the distant commotion.

  Sky had managed to set up an impressive rope rig around the merlock. Once she’d showed him what to do, Arthur climbed on and slid his legs under the ropes on either side.

  ‘Better than stirrups, I reckon,’ she said, climbing up and sitting behind him.

  Arthur leaned forwards and put his arm partway around the merlock’s neck before patting it several times. The huge bird snorted and let out an almighty cry. Then it unfolded its massive wings and brought them thundering downwards, launching the group in a thick cloud of snow.

  19

  The Jaws of Victory

  Arthur could never have imagined just how cold it could be roped to the back of the merlock, high above the Elizian glacier. Even with his snow mask and goggles, his face rapidly began to feel as though it had frozen solid. At one point, he tried to call out to Sky, but he was barely able to open his mouth, and even then he couldn’t get the words out.

  The merlock rose swiftly into the sky and, despite its formidable size, was able to fly at unimaginable speed, forcing them to hold on as tight as they could manage or face being ripped off the giant bird’s back by the wind resistance. As he clung on, Arthur craned to see the mountain, but in the darkness all that was visible were the distant flashes. It would soon be light. From far above the ground he could already see the Andarran sun creeping steadily over the horizon, its rays sweeping forwards like an unstoppable wave, bathing everything in its path with light.

  The wait was terrible. Although the merlock flew like an arrow towards the battle, time felt like it was moving in the opposite direction. He tried to come up with a plan. What are we going to do when we get there? No one knows we’re coming; both sides might end up shooting at us. We can try to land away from the battle, then make our way on foot. But to land safely might mean that we’d be too far away and it would take too long to get there.

  Arthur closed his eyes and tried to find a way to contact Vello and Insuro through his thoughts. But he couldn’t concentrate, and it was the cat who kept answering him, and wouldn’t shut up about how cold he was and how a beach holiday was definitely in order and although he had never been on one he was sure he wouldn’t get annoyed by getting sand in his fur!

  By the time they’d got close, the sun had already reached the mountain and the glacier beyond it. Arthur tried to direct the merlock by tugging on its neck, like he had seen people doing on horses. At first it seemed to be working well; they circled the battlefield and Arthur tried to work out what was happening. But then he suddenly lost control! The merlock screeched loudly and went into a dive, nearly losing both of them from off its back. As they held on for their lives, Arthur had no idea what it was doing.

  Maybe the battle below spooked him somehow? He thought. But no, why would he be diving directly towards it?

  Then he saw it: a Solarian Strike ship in the process of firing dozens of plasma rockets at targets on the ground.

  Oh no! He thought. This is what Insuro had feared. The Solarians have been able to launch one of their ships. He and Sky would be picked off like flies. But what was the merlock thinking it was doing!?

  Arthur tried hard to tug on its neck, the shrill wind whistling past them as they plummeted downwards. It had no effect. With the morning sun behind them, and with the element of surprise for the moment, the huge creature almost succeeded in grabbing the ship with its enormous steely talons. The Solarians managed to take evasive action just in time. The merlock pulled out of its dive and turned sharply in pursuit. Even though the bird was very large, it was still able to turn tightly and not give the Solarian ship a chance to get behind it. Arthur powered up his plasma rifle, sliding the barrel through the ropework that Sky had constructed, using the merlock’s neck to steady it. Now he could fire in the direction they were moving. The Solarian ship banked and rolled to avoid the merlock, and Arthur’s plasma bolts almost forced them straight into the side of the mountain. They pulled up in the final moment, forcing the merlock to do the same.

  Unable to fire without lowering their shields, and having failed to outmanoeuvre them, the Solarian ship dropped them and fired a spread of rockets which arced round and headed straight for them.

  ‘Oh!’ thought Arthur. Why isn’t he trying to get out of their way? They were flying right at the rockets, which were flying right at them! Then the merlock opened its beak and let out a long, sustained and painful cry, which made Arthur drop his plasma rifle and put his hands over his ears to shield them. To Arthur’s amazement, seconds later, the rockets just fell out of the sky, exploding on the glacier below. The giant dragon-like bird then banked and pursued the Solarian ship, which now seemed to be making a run for it.

  As they closed in, the merlock’s neck began to change colour – first red, then blue – and its body started to pulsate. Seeing its large beak open, Arthur put his hands over his ears again, expecting to hear another painful cry. But this time there was nothing to hear. The merlock flew behind the Solarian ship with its beak open and its body pulsating. Arthur wondered what it was doing until he saw the ship beginning to smoke and spin around like a helicopter out of control. Without slowing down, the merlock closed the gap and grabbed hold of it, driving its claws into the armour plating. Raising its neck high, it bit down hard on the front, ripping a huge chunk out of it. Adjusting its grip, it bit down a second time and released the flaming ship, watching it fall away and explode in a fireball far below.

  Then, crying out, it turned back towards the battlefield, gliding in to land on the side of the mountain. As they landed, Arthur could hear the sound of cheering from fighters nearby, who ran forward to greet them.

  Arthur and Sky had been holding on to the merlock with their legs so tightly, for so long, that they needed to be helped off. This, though, proved to be no easy task, as the merlock would not allow any of the fighters to approach them. It wasn’t until Insuro and Vello got there with the Major that it calmed down enough to allow them to come forward. Vello was the first to step slowly towards them, holding his hands open and out to the side. As he did so
, he kept eye contact with the creature. Arthur was sure that he must have found a way to speak with it, since the merlock paid little attention to Insuro and the Major as Vello signalled for them to go forward.

  ‘I tell you, lad,’ cried the Major, his face blackened and bloodied from the fighting, ‘never have I been more pleased to see anyone than I am to see you both and this magnificent creature!’

  The Major helped them down, supporting Sky as she struggled to stand.

  ‘I feel the Major has spoken for us all!’ said Insuro, bowing. ‘I have never heard tell of such a thing as that which I have witnessed today. The Star of Aris truly shines upon you, Keeper. But…’ He paused, looking kindly at them both and helping Arthur stand. ‘Let us save our words for when actions are no longer called for. Your victory over the Solarian ship means the base can now be taken. Let us go and fight now as brothers, and come what may!’ Insuro handed Arthur the plasma rifle he had been carrying and instructed one of the fighters nearby to fetch him another.

  ‘Sky perhaps you will stay here and look after the merlock?’ suggested the Major, his tone of voice unusually uncertain. Sky flashed him a fiery look.

  ‘Only if you’re going to shoot me in the leg, Major!’ she said angrily, surprising everyone, not least herself. ‘But we should tell the merlock what is going to happen,’ she added.

  ‘He understands more than we think,’ winked Vello. ‘These creatures do not live for a thousand years without being clever enough to adapt and understand.’

  ‘Wow, really, a thousand years?’ gasped Sky.

  ‘As is our understanding.’

  Arthur put his arms around the merlock’s neck and hugged it tightly.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said, ‘thank you for everything.’ The merlock twisted its giant neck round to look Arthur in the eyes and snorted.

  ‘I must go now.’ Arthur pointed in the direction of the entrance to the Solarian base further along the mountainside. ‘I hope I’ll see you again.’

  With that, Arthur hugged it again and ran to catch up with the others. Sky too hugged the merlock and thanked him before running after him.

  From where they were on the side of the mountain, it was possible to see the ferocious battle raging closer to the entrance to the base. The Major had assigned Arthur and Sky to his squad of twenty fighters. Their mission was to establish a line on the mountain above the Solarian defences, and, once they had been dealt with, sweep down and take the area above the entrance. The enemy had been totally unprepared for the attack, and, had they not been able to launch one of their Strike fighters, they would have been quickly overrun. The ship, however, had managed to take out more than half of Insuro’s attacking force.

  Fortunately, Arthur had arrived at the most crucial moment. Much longer and the attackers would have had to retreat into the mountains while still taking heavy fire. Now, however, the tide had turned and they were pressing the Solarians from all sides.

  A short way ahead, a fortified Solarian sentry post stood between them and their goal on the high ground. It had been built to withstand a major assault if manned by the right number of sentries, but this time the enemy had only managed to put a couple of guards in it. The Major took five fighters with him and hit them hard and fast with rockets. They didn’t stand a chance.

  The rest of the squad then stormed the fortification, meeting with no resistance, and spread out across the top of the slope. Below them, the enemy was well dug in with a fortified line of turret emplacements and heavy plasma weapons. Being faced with attacks from several directions at the same time, however, the Solarians were struggling to mount an effective defence.

  With their rifles in sniper mode, Arthur and Sky had been ordered to keep the enemy positions pinned down whilst other members of the squad fought their way down the slope and stormed them one by one. Supporting mobile plasma-cannon fire from adjacent ridges on either side of the base rained fire and fury down on the Solarian guards just before each assault began. In the smoking rubble and ruins, the Major’s squad fought their way across and formed a new defensive line right above the entrance. Now that they had taken all of the higher ground, the remaining Solarian outer positions quickly collapsed.

  ‘How are you doing there, lad?’ asked the Major, sliding into cover behind him. The Major was checking the line. ‘That looks nasty,’ he said, indicating the side of Arthur’s cheek. Surprised that he hadn’t felt anything, Arthur took off his glove and patted the side of his face. His fingers were covered in blood. ‘Do you feel okay?’

  ‘Yes, okay. I didn’t know I’d been hit.’

  ‘Looks like a ricochet. Get it seen to when you get a minute, okay?’

  ‘Yes,’ replied Arthur.

  The Major then crawled over to where Sky was positioned. A moment or two later Arthur’s transmitter buzzed.

  ‘Okay, listen up,’ began the Major across the transmitter speaking to everyone. ‘No doubt you’ve seen these engineering lads setting up the drop ropes. The ground squads are going to hit the entrance below with everything they’ve got. You lucky monkeys are then going to swing in once the firing stops and set up a forward line, and lay down covering fire for the squads pushing up behind. Any questions?’

  Arthur could not help but laugh when several of the Andarran fighters had to ask what a monkey was, after their translation devices found no word in their language for it. Even funnier was listening to the Major trying to explain what one was. In the end, he decided on a monkey being a type of small, hairy creature with a long tail that was very good at climbing and invariably stole just about anything you happened to leave lying around, much to the amusement of the fighters.

  20

  In We Go!

  Arthur had the impression that the whole front of the base was going to collapse under them when the ground squads opened fire with rockets and the mobile plasma cannons. The rock shook and cracked under the relentless barrage.

  Calling his group forward to prepare for the rope drop, the Major hurried over to where Arthur and Sky were getting ready.

  ‘It might be an idea for you two to sit this one out. No one knows what’s waiting for us inside Aladdin’s cave down there,’ shouted the Major above the noise.

  ‘No,’ replied Arthur, resolutely clipping himself to the drop rope.

  ‘Me neither,’ said Sky.

  The Major looked at them both sternly before a hint of a smile curled around his lips.

  ‘I guessed as much. You know, I’m not one to mollycoddle you both, for better or for worse, but this time I am really asking you to wait here, just for a short while, until the other squads have moved into the base.’ The Major placed his hands on Arthur’s shoulders. ‘I’m as proud of you as if you were my own son, but we have come too far, been through too much, for me to have to explain to your father how you bought it minutes before he was rescued. We have lost good people on this mission and I have no idea what to expect next. Let there be at least one happy story that comes from all of this. Okay?’

  Arthur felt shocked to see the emotional expression on the Major’s deeply creased face. With thick smoke rising out of the tunnel entrance and the flashes and booms of rockets exploding below them, Arthur understood what the Major was saying to him. If they could find his father and some of the crew still alive, then it would all have been for something.

  ‘All right,’ said Arthur, unclipping himself.

  Stepping towards the edge, the Major prepared to jump with the rest of the squad.

  ‘On my count,’ he called out, and winked at the two of them. ‘Three… two… one… drop!’ And he jumped off the edge, firing his plasma rifle as he dropped down.

  ‘Are you okay?’ He asked Sky. She wasn’t watching the other squads breaking cover and running towards the entrance. She was gazing out over the glacier.

  ‘Yes, I’m okay. I was just thinking about what the Major said �
�� about us needing something good to happen. My father once told me that where there is hope, there is strength. He said that even small victories can be as meaningful as big ones, in dark times.’ Sky smiled softly. ‘I can’t believe I just remembered that. I think he’d be glad if he knew… I wonder if he’ll ever forgive me for sneaking off like that.’

  ‘I think yes!’ said Arthur, taking her hand and squeezing it. ‘I can’t imagine what this mission would have been like without you. You are the coolest girl I know!’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek. ‘Do you know many girls?’

  ‘Well… no, but…’

  ‘Again!?’ cried the cat. ‘We are five seconds away from jumping into oblivion, and you two are getting smoochy again! Can’t you just concentrate for once?’

  ‘We were not!’ they said in unison, and before the cat could say anything more Sky flicked his ear.

  ‘Ooouch!’

  ‘Oops. Sorry!’ She said. ‘Hand must have slipped…’

  The cat hissed at her and dodged a second attempt.

  ‘We should go,’ said Arthur. ‘The fighting’s moved away from the entrance.’ Shouldering his rifle, he clipped himself to the rope. Standing on the edge, they leaned backwards and descended slowly until they reached the edge of the oval-shaped opening. Together they jumped back and abseiled down.

  The inside of the structure was much bigger than Arthur had imagined. Everywhere fires burned fiercely, dense smoke filling the roof space above with a dark, swirling mass. In the centre, a second Solarian Strike ship lay lopsided and smouldering. The area had been the base’s landing bay. On the far side, windows were set into the rock face, marking what Arthur guessed to be the control room. Smoke was now pouring out of them. The fighting had quickly moved deeper into the base.