James admitted to himself he was reluctant leaving everything to the control of an automated system, but he settled down in the pod.
James woke.
Hello, James, we will arrive at the Sinestrian capital world in twelve hours. Please be careful and do not move around too fast until your body has adjusted itself.
He blinked, the lights were low, and it took a moment for him to remember where he was. He sat up.
Have two and a half months really passed?
Yes, James, they have. Here is our current position. A star chart appeared around him, his destination glowing red.
“Wow, unbelievable!” he spoke out loud. He rose and walked to the galley, where he located some rations and water. He sat to eat.
Would you like some coffee, James?
He jumped; the question from the computer was unexpected.
“Coffee?” He spoke out loud again. “That would be wonderful – where is it?”
In the cupboard on your left; there is also sugar, cream, or milk – synthetic I’m afraid.
James made himself a cup; it was a good approximation of coffee, and he even felt a bit of a buzz.
He finished the coffee and stretched back in the chair. His mind reviewed all that had happened. He suddenly remembered he had to get through the force field that guarded the Empress’s island.
Computer?
Yes, Guardian.
There is a force field surrounding the island where we need to land – how can I get through it?
I suggest you walk. Forcefield technology holds back fast-moving and large metal objects. The faster anything approaches a field the greater the force against it. If you walk through, the force against you would be minimal. The best way to get as close as possible would be for me to exit the Star Drive underwater. If we appear anywhere else, we would be immediately detected.
James remembered something he had been told. I thought the Star Drive could only be activated and deactivated in space, away from the influence of a planet?
That was because of the size of most ships and their unsophisticated computer systems. If there is a slight error the ship could return to normal space in a planet, the result would be unfortunate.
I, however, am far more sophisticated than the ships’ computer systems you are used to, and water is no problem because it can be displaced. There will be a shock wave, but it should dissipate quite quickly.
If we emerge in the deep ocean, it would never be detected. We can then make our way to the inshore waters. Your suit will protect you when you leave the ship. I will wait until you call then pick you up wherever you are.
“Good, then please do that.”
As you wish, Guardian. We will be at our destination in nine hours – may I suggest you get some sleep? You will be tired as stasis does not replace sleep.
James rose from his chair. He yawned; he was tired. He walked to the cabin – it had two bunks; he chose the lower one, laid on it and fell asleep immediately.
He woke feeling refreshed. Lights, the ship brought up the lights slowly as he swung his legs round and stood. The deck felt comfortably warm to his feet. He shaved and showered, savouring the hot water running down his back. He dressed in the green Guardian uniform he had been given.
How long before we arrive?
Two hours, Guardian.
James made his way to the cockpit. Unlike the scout ship Tristain had, this ship narrowed sharply. He had a few steps to climb out of the living area. He had to stoop slightly to move forward. There was a pilot’s and co-pilot’s seat side by side. He had to slide into the chair, which fitted round him as he sat in it. It reminded him of a Typhoon cockpit. There was an armrest with a control stick, and as he placed his arm on the rest it adjusted automatically so the stick with all the controls fell easily to hand. He checked everything, the computer-implanted lessons seeming like his own memories. He shivered involuntarily. There had not been time for conventional flying lessons, which were the preferred method.
The weapons systems were all green. The craft was heavily armed, six pulse laser cannons, sixteen ship-to-ship missiles, and a large caliber mini gun. Satisfied everything was in order, he left the cockpit, and returned aft to the living quarters. He busied himself rechecking the armour and weapons.
He had a sudden thought. Can I carry extra ammunition over what the suit already has?
Yes, Guardian, that is possible; however, you will have to keep the suit activated to carry it.
James nodded to himself. He had a feeling that he may need it. He found as he got closer to the planet he became increasingly nervous and had butterflies. The last hour dragged.
Guardian, please go to the cockpit and strap yourself in. We are about to arrive, and switching off the Star Drive under water will be a little rough.
James settled himself down in the pilot’s seat. The streaks of the stars seemed to be slowing. Suddenly, he was thrown hard against the harness that cut into his shoulders; the ship bucked and shook then came to a rest. Outside the cockpit it was pitch black, the cockpit lights sending a faint glow sufficient for him to see the ship was under water.
Guardian there seems to be a problem.
James’s heart missed a beat. “Problem?”
There are ships of unknown configuration in this system and all communication is encrypted.
What about the planet?
There is a lot of destruction and signs of heavy fighting.
James swallowed a knot in his stomach twisted. Is there still a force field over the island we are making for?
Yes Guardian.
James sighed, “That’s something anyway,” We will continue with the plan.
As you wish Guardian.
Can we be detected when we arrive?
No Guardian my cloaking system is very advanced. There is no known detection system able to detect us and emerging from Star Drive in the ocean further masked our arrival.
I hope you’re right. James shifted in his seat Show me our location.
The computer displayed their position in his mind. It looked as though the planet were hovering in front of him. He zoomed the view. They were in the deep ocean to the north of the Empress’s island. James moved the ship towards the surface; he held the ship at one hundred feet. He checked the location. He set a course to where the house he shared with Ilithyia was located and was pleasantly surprised how easily the ship that was primarily designed for space manoeuvred under water.
The journey lasted about an hour. James brought the ship close to the shore, and it came to rest on the bottom at a depth of about thirty feet.
He rose and walked back to the living quarters. The apprehension made him feel as though his whole body was shaking. He took a deep breath to try to calm his nerves, buckled on the armour belt and activated the tactical computer. He partly deployed the armour suit and strapped on the additional ammunition box. He checked everything again, took another deep breath and walked to the airlock. He fully activated the suit, cycled the ship’s airlock, and stepped out onto the seabed.
He was on fine shingle; his boots kicked up loose sand that was immediately whipped away by the currents. He remembered the force field extended a little way out to sea so he moved cautiously. Suddenly, he noticed a shimmer in front of him. He continued to walk forward slowly. He felt as if he were walking into a rubber membrane as it bent inwards; he heard the suit’s servos hum increase in pitch as he pushed. Suddenly, the field seemed to burst round him. He staggered at the sudden release and was through!
Alarms went off in his head; the tactical computer went mad. He shook his head to try and clear the sudden jumble of information. His mind cleared, and he could make sense of what the computer was telling him.
“Oh God, I’m in the middle of a fucking war!”
He was about two miles from the start of the palace complex; his old house was off to the left about 50 yards from the shore. The tactical showed it as deserted and he could see with his own eyes that it w
as partly destroyed. His heart leapt into his mouth. Ilithyia was either not there or she was dead. He tried to put the latter out of his mind. The tactical computer showed several thousand attackers surrounded the palace complex. It would seem that because of the force field they were not heavily armed – anything bigger than a heavy rifle would not get through. The outnumbered defenders were armed with several tripod-mounted heavy lasers. The main attack was concentrated on the sector of the complex where the field generators were located. James reached the shoreline ridge and lay down to survey the situation with his own eyes.
The defenders were giving a good account of themselves, but they were in danger of being overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers. Behind the main attack, the reserves stood at least ten deep. James caught his breath – the attackers were Gunards! They were about to reach the outer defences. James thought quickly; he had to do something fast. He activated the full battle mode. The suit consolidated its armour, and the cooling systems came on line.
The Guardian armour was designed to take a significant amount of fire and damage, and none of the hand weapons the attackers had could penetrate it. The only issue was heat – the cooling system could only dissipate so much power; too much and he would start to cook.
He double-checked his tactical. He could make a run for the defences. The only real danger was the heavy lasers of the defending Sinesterians. He had to hope they would realise he was on their side. He had about half mile to run before he came up to the rear of the attackers. He was thankful he had brought the extra ammunition – he was certainly going to need it.
He unclipped the minigun from the clip on the rear of the suit. He started to run, and noticed that the suit servos had a satisfying hum. He felt strangely calm, nerves forgotten. The suit amplified his movements; he could run close to 25 mph. He skidded to a halt fifty yards or so from the rear of the attackers behind a clump of bushes. They had not seen him so far. He paused to catch his breath. The minigun resting in his arms was light because of the suit’s servos.
“Right, here goes!”
He pulled the trigger. He could hear the gun start to whine, and as the motor spun the barrel up to full speed the roar of the gun firing soon drowned out everything. Even through the armour he could feel the gun vibrate. The effect on the ranks of Gunards in front of him was devastating; they flew apart. He started to move slowly forward, swinging the gun as he went. The ranks of reserves had fallen, so he was now taking direct action on the attacking Gunards. The attack faltered as they spun round to confront him, trapped between the fire of the defenders and his minigun. He kept his fire low so as not to rake the defenders with lead. The minigun was causing panic; it was destroying everything in its path – trees, bushes, Gunards. This was really a terror weapon; nothing could withstand the continuous hail. James could see from the tactical display the ammunition count was falling rapidly –15%, 10%, 5%… the vibration and noise ceased, he let go of the trigger, the whine faded. He put the gun back into the shoulder harness and unclipped the two machine pistols. He walked quickly to the Sinestrian defensive, firing at anything that moved. The Gunards behind had recovered from the initial shock of his attack, and the suit cooling system kicked in. Even so, James started to feel the temperature rise. His tactical warned him that the heavy lasers of the defenders were being turned to his direction.
He keyed the suit’s loud hailer:
“SINESTRIAN DEFENDERS DON’T SHOOT. I’M ON YOUR SIDE.”
Just to make sure, he broke into a run and jumped over the wall. He cleared the wall, and the heads of the defenders in one bound. He could see their shocked faces looking up at him. The suit took the force of the landing.
He holstered his machine pistols and held up his suited hands. Several laser rifles were trained on him. He stood still, keeping his hands up.
“I am no threat to you; I am here to help.”
An officer walked up to him, her pistol levelled.
“Who or what are you?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am, just that I’m here to help you.”
“Are you woman or machine?”
James smiled; he ignored the question and asked one himself. “How many of you are there?”
“About 500.”
“The Empress?”
“What do you know of the Empress?”
“Is she alive, Woman?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
He ached to know if Ilithyia was alive, but he did not want to single her out.
There was a shout from the wall, “They are attacking again.”
The officer turned and ran back to the wall. Over her shoulder she shouted: “If you’re here to help, now is the time.”
James knelt on one knee and removed the spare ammunition from his backpack. He removed the spent pack from the gun’s ammunition case and clipped the new one in.
He unclipped the minigun. It auto-loaded so he didn’t need to thread the belt. He walked to the wall and lifted the gun. Again, the roar drowned the initial whine and the attackers were cut down, body parts and brown blood flying. The attack faltered; James was sparing with the ammunition, firing in short bursts. To follow up, he jumped the wall and ran to an area where the Gunards were still pushing forward. He used the machine pistols and the power of his armoured limbs, shooting and knocking the Gunards away.
The tactical warned the suit temperature was rising. He was sweating and uncomfortable when the attack broke. The Gunards were running.
He had given the defenders a breathing space. James checked the positions of the enemy on his tactical computer. They were withdrawing behind the ridge towards the shore but reinforcements were coming through the force field in a steady stream. He turned and made his way back to the defences, noting that he was still being covered by one of the heavy lasers. The others were firing on the retreating Gunards.
He vaulted over the wall and walked to the guard officer. “Take me to the Empress, please.”
The officer looked uncomfortable. “No one is allowed near with weapons except her personal guard.”
James growled through the suit speaker. “Things are different now, so take me or I will go myself.”
The officer stared at him trying to see his face, but the helmet visor, and breathing system obscured his features. He did not want to waste time so he pushed against her mind. She gave in quickly.
“OK, please follow me.”
The officer turned and walked to the building behind the field generator block. They passed through a low reinforced door, and James had to stoop as the armour increased his height by at least six inches. There were makeshift defences behind the door halfway down the corridor. James heard his heavy armoured footsteps echo as they walked to the defences. James’s guard stopped at the barrier. The guards here were the Elite Personal Guard and in a different league to the officer he was with.
“This thing needs to see the Empress.”
The guards frowned. “Why?”
James was losing his patience. He did not want to reveal himself as he did not know whether news of his treachery had finally reached them.
“I can save you and your Empress. The choice is yours only – choose quickly as there is not much time.”
He accessed his tactical computer. There were five in the corridor, and in the room beyond fifteen arranged facing the door in front of three others. Two seemed small, obviously children.
The guards hesitated. James did not have time to bother with them. He walked forward, pushing the barrier out of the way; laser fire bouncing harmlessly off his back. He reached the door and with two blows from his arm it smashed open. He was greeted by laser fire immediately. The suit temperature was rising, but it had not yet reached critical. He surveyed the scene before him – the women were behind another makeshift barrier, the Empress behind them with two male concubines; they had a small child and a bundle that James assumed was a baby. He held up his hand.
“STOP FIRING IMMEDIATELY IF YOU
WANT TO LIVE.”
His amplified voice echoed around the room.
He noted the Empress looked weary and defeated; her shoulders hunched. She looked far older than her years. “Cease fire.”
They lowered their weapons, looking to her for orders.
“How can you help us?”
“I am a Guardian.”
He heard a gasp go around the room. The Empress looked as if she were going to collapse in on herself.
“What can you offer us, Guardian? Are these synthetic monsters attacking us your doing?”
“No they are not, and they are true aliens. What you and your ancestors have been hoping for, Empress, but you in your fervour to cleanse the galaxy failed to recognise. You mistakenly thought they were synthetic life forms. It would seem they have taken advantage of your fleet being elsewhere.” James held his breath; he hoped that was the case.
“What can we do, Guardian?”
“Do you have sufficient ships on the port to take everyone?”
“Yes, but most are unarmed. I don’t know whether it escaped your notice, but there are three heavy Gunard ships directly above us and a massive fleet near by.”
James ignored the sarcasm. “I have a ship capable of diverting their attention to cover the escape. I can then escort you back to safety within the League.”
“The League!” The Empress almost spat the word.
It was James’s turn for sarcasm. “I don’t know whether you have noticed, but your empire seems to be overrun. There are some empty planets on the periphery of the League, courtesy of your policy of elimination. You are welcome to settle there, and we can then face the threat of these aliens together.”
The Empress sighed. “There is not time to negotiate your offer, Guardian, so I have no choice but to accept.”
“Good. I need the code for my ship so I can get it through the force field.”
One of the bodyguards spoke. James’s heart jumped at the sound of Ilithyia’s voice. “How do we know this is not a trick and you intend to let the Gunard ships through?”
Guardian Generations Page 23