Ellis nodded. "The Tejans may be so profit hungry that they won't give in to a reasonable offer."
"You've read your history," commented Roberts, somberly.
"The bottom line is that slavery and expansionism are a disease that will kill this planet. If the Tejan leaders are too profit-oriented to listen to reason, I will remove them, appoint reasonable people and get the Erdonium moving that way." Ellis realized he was shaking.
Firebrandt grinned. "Now you're talking like a pirate."
"Perhaps I needed to meet a pirate to find the answer." Ellis stood. "I should get back to the ship."
"You can call the ship," said Firebrandt. "Please, stay with us, tonight."
Fire nodded, a tear in her eye.
"I'll stay," said Ellis. The captain and Fire walked over to Ellis. Three generations embraced, uncertain of the future. CAMLAN PASS
Arepno sat in a round, concave chair in the command center of his ship. A warm mist surrounded him. While he could live on Sufiro without life support, it wasn't terribly pleasant. His own world was much more humid and smelled much better.
The command center of a Rd'dyggian battle ship did not resemble the bridge of a human star cruiser. The room was trapezoidal. Arepno sat in one corner. The other three officers occupied the other corners. In front of each officer stood a pedestal with a control terminal. In the center of the deck was a dais, supported by a narrow column. The ship was piloted from there.
Arepno reached forward to his control terminal. As he put his hands on the terminal, images began to fill his mind. Rd'dyggians had been in space much longer than humans. Arepno had been known to remark how amazed he was that humans still interfaced with computers using brain implants. Even then, it amazed him further that the humans who could control computers and communications that way had allowed themselves to be subjugated by people who still required some kind of appendage-interface. On his world, the people who could not cope with simple computer functions were left home to tend the fields.
Arepno drifted into the computer. It stimulated his optical centers. In front of him, an image of Sufiro appeared. He scanned high orbit. To him it looked as though he was flying at great speed over the entire surface of the planet. As he suspected, the Tejans were not senseless enough to attempt an attack from orbit. The Rd'dyggian battle ship could easily pick off any ship foolish enough to try that.
Still, Arepno was bothered. "Humans know no end of treachery," he said aloud. His aural centers were stimulated with a complaint from the computer. Arepno focused. Later, he would curse himself for letting his mind wander, calling himself an old fool. Letting one's mind wander while interfaced with the computer could get the ship destroyed in a variety of ways.
Arepno turned his attention to the high coastal mountains of New Granada. The range ran along the northwest coast. It was cold and desolate. The mountains were high and almost impossible to cross by land. Arepno checked the list of people known to be living in that region. Only three names appeared. They were all hermits who wanted nothing to do with traditional human civilization. Arepno closed in on the mountains in his mind. Something was not right. He went back to files that contained images, now about ten hours old. He looked at the image. A mass of lights stood out in the midst of the northwest mountains. He looked at an image twenty-six hours older still. The lights were on the coast.
He analyzed the mass of lights. It was the size of a small Tejan city. An invading force with as many troops as the populace of Nuevo Santa Fe was slowly making its way across the northwest mountains. At first Arepno thought it was folly; then he analyzed their attack. They would come out onto a vast plain. With small personal transports, they could cross the plain and be in the capitol in one day. With an army that large, they could completely decimate Swan and Raton's defense force.
The Tejans had acted with extreme stealth and intelligence. They realized that no one would be routinely monitoring the mountains. Under ordinary circumstances, the mountains would be too treacherous to cross. However, the Tejans were desperate. They were also rich. They could buy the survival gear needed to cross the mountains. Arepno's people did not believe in slavery. Seeing the time and expense that was going into this campaign, Arepno was further convinced of its folly.
The Rd'dyggian captain memorized the charts and all pertinent information. Through the computer interface he designated officer number two as ship commander while he was away and ordered his shuttle prepared. Arepno disconnected himself from the computer and left the bridge. * * * *
John Mark Ellis was led to the office of Governor Hill of Tejo. Ellis was still in his standard duty uniform. He had not shaved for three days and he smoked a thick, brown cigar.
As Ellis stepped through the door of the governor's office, Hill stood, outraged. "Put that thing out," he ordered.
Ellis grinned. "Is that any way to speak to an official of the Confederation of Homeworlds?" Ellis moved to the plush chair in front of the governor's desk and sat. He was tempted to put his feet up on the desk, but knew that would be overdoing the act.
Hill regained his composure and sat behind the desk, a serious look on his face. "It's been ten days, Commander," he said. "Erdonium production has not continued. The mines are still being sabotaged."
"By wrongfully captured slaves," said Ellis, sitting forward.
Hill grinned and waved off the remark. "You've been talking to that blowhard Firebrandt, haven't you. Or perhaps the man who murdered my predecessor."
"I can talk to a lot of people in ten days, Mr. Hill," said Ellis. "I've confirmed that people were wrongfully abducted from New Granada. I have also confirmed that they were forced to work in the mines without pay." Ellis dropped some ash on the carpet. "As a representative of the Confederation, I'm here to tell you that this activity will stop. I have sent my recommendation to the council that your land claim on New Granada be refused."
Hill shook his head. "You think I don't already know that. Communications are easily monitored." He shifted in his chair and leaned forward. "You've made the point that you've sided with the pathetic cause of New Granada. It was obvious when we heard nothing from you in forty-eight hours. What I want to know is why are you wasting my time with this meeting? What do you want to know?"
"I want to know the real reason you resorted to abducting New Granadans to work in the mines. Why do you want to go to such extremes?" Ellis' brow knitted.
"You are young, Commander," said Hill. Ellis' lips pursed. "Power, greed, is that what you want to hear?" He stepped around and sat on the desk, hovering over the commander. "The simple fact of the matter is that this planet would be better off under a single, unified government. It's obvious that Tejo is productive and growing. New Granada is stagnant. They aren't evolving. The population over there is only a few hundred thousand people. Tejo is vibrant, alive with art and culture. We are preserving the forests..."
"You have to preserve the forests," said Ellis, "or soon, none will be left. You still haven't answered my question about abducting New Granadan citizens against their will."
"What will?" shouted Hill, angrily. "What's in New Granada? It's just a bunch of fields and mountains and cows. We gave the people food, water, and a purpose. They don't seem to want more."
Ellis took a long draw on his cigar and blew thick, pungent smoke back at the governor. "They have purpose. They're farmers and artisans. The people there write, paint, sing, do science. They dream the same as your people do. Their dreams are just different."
Hill got off the desk and moved around to his chair; disgust contorted his features. "They live at a mere subsistence level. Their 'dreams' do not benefit the Confederation. They are morally corrupt. They have no laws governing behavior; by bringing them here, we give them purpose. We give them values. They aid the war effort, which I thought was why you were here in the first place, Commander."
"You miss the point of the Confederation, then," said Ellis. "The reason we live under a loose knit structure is so that peop
le can choose the way they want to live. True, the vast majority of people seem to flock like cattle to vast metropolitan areas like Tejo City. True, most people want a sharply defined moral structure. Not everyone wants to live that way. Different people have different needs. Until you realize that, you do not deserve to be a man of power."
Hill opened his arms wide. "Then we agree to disagree." The governor folded his hands in front of him, looking much like a schoolteacher trying to be patient with a petulant student. "Now, it's obvious to me that this simple Erdonium problem is too much for you. I think it would be best if you went back to that ship of yours, flew back to Titan and had a real captain come out and handle this crisis."
Ellis stood up, tossed his cigar to the carpet and stormed to the door. He turned. "I'll see you in hell before that day comes." Ellis left slamming the door behind him.
Hill reached for his intercom button. "Miss Williams, please have the sanitation staff come and clean up my office." * * * *
Raton and Swan stood on a hill just outside Nuevo Santa Fe. Below them marched the troops in almost perfect unison. They had been practicing with the weapons Arepno provided. Computer targeting meant that each individual's aim was near perfect. Raton and Swan congratulated themselves on getting their army ready in such short order.
Arepno walked up the grassy hill behind them. "We have trouble, brothers," he said through the translator.
"We're ready for trouble," said Swan smugly.
"Trouble is my middle name," said Raton with a mock sneer.
An odd look passed across Arepno's face. His translator unit appeared to have difficulty translating the idiom. "It is a good thing you are ready, Manuel Trouble Raton," said Arepno. It sounded like he was trying to make a joke, but he was deadly serious.
"What's going on, old friend?" asked Swan.
"The Tejans have a force, nearly five times the size of your army moving through the northwest mountains." Arepno pointed to the high peaks on the horizon.
"That doesn't make any sense," said Swan, shaking his head. "The northwest mountains are too high. You can't get troops through there. No hover vehicle will function across terrain like that. There's not enough oxygen."
Raton frowned deeply. His moustache drooped nearly to his chin. "While it's hard to believe that the Tejans would march an army through there, it is their best option. It's the only border that a large force could come through undetected."
"The only reason I noticed them was because of their lights at night," said Arepno, imitating a nod. "Once they get through the mountains, if they have hover craft with them, they can make it here with little trouble."
There was a little cloud of dust on the horizon. It built up rapidly. The three watched to see who was coming. The hover set down on the ground next to Raton's adobe house. The occupant climbed out and looked around then ascended the hill. When he was about half way up the hillside, it became clear from the walk and flowing, white hair that it was Firebrandt.
He was out of breath. "I'm not used to climbing hills anymore." He looked at Arepno. "I got your message and came as soon as I could."
Arepno turned to Firebrandt. "I just arrived, myself, old friend."
"I also got word from my grandson. He's returning to his ship. He sounded pretty upset," said Firebrandt. "He just had a meeting with Governor Hill and figured that something like this might be in the making."
"Well the question is, what do we do?" Swan shrugged.
"We could ambush them as they come out of the mountains," said Raton.
"Nice idea," countered Swan. "But how do we know where they'll come out?"
Firebrandt and Raton nodded to each other. "There are a lot of routes out of those mountains, true," stated the captain, "but there's only one pass large enough to get an army that size through."
"Camlan," said Raton knowingly. "Seems like old times."
"Camlan?" asked Swan. "Isn't that where Arthur and Mordred had their final battle on sixth century Earth?"
"You remember the story of those Tejans I sent to hell all those years ago?" asked Raton. Swan nodded. "The secret to beating them is that they tried to come through this same pass in the mountains. There's a wide river bottom that leads out; wide enough to march an army through, but it's like a canyon with high walls. They called it Camlan Pass because of how badly they were defeated."
Firebrandt looked down at the army marching below. "That army might just defeat a large Tejan force coming through Camlan Pass."
"How long before the Tejans make it to the pass?" asked Swan.
Arepno thought about it for a bit. His purple moustache wiggled slightly. "They should be there in another day."
Swan kicked the dirt, cursing. "There's no way we could march the troops there in a day!" He shook his head. "Even if we could, they would be so tired they couldn't fight off an army of Tejans!"
Raton grinned. "You are thinking like your friend King Arthur, amigo." Raton ran off toward the house and returned with an amplifier. He pinned it to the collar of his white shirt and looked out at the crowd. He held up his hands in the way that was supposed to signal to the platoon leaders that one of the generals had an announcement.
The group down in the meadow stopped marching. They moved in unison up the hillside, then sat in the grass facing Raton. He walked down hill a little ways. "Those Tejans are up to their old tricks. They think they can fool old Manuel by coming through Camlan Pass." There was an uproar of laughter. "We need to get there tonight so we can outsmart them. I want everyone to take their weapons and get to their hovers. Drive to the meadow below the pass. I want the platoon leaders to reform your groups there. We'll camp out tonight and wait for them to poke their heads out tomorrow."
The crowd cheered. As with most armies engaged in training exercises, they were bored. The prospect of action was too much to resist. They broke ranks and ran to their hovers, shouting and singing.
"Hardly an efficient, organized fighting force," grumbled Swan under his breath.
"You can keep your efficient, organized fighting force. That's what the Tejans are sending," said Raton, carefully extracting the amplifier pin from his shirt. "Our people are defending their homes. Whether our people are efficient or not, it will be almost impossible for enough Tejans to get through that pass tomorrow."
Swan nodded. "Then we'd better get there ourselves."
"We had better, amigo," said Raton.
Firebrandt looked at the two men. "I'm not much good in a fight anymore, but I have a grandson in a destroyer over our heads. I'll have him keep an eye out on the Tejans. There may be something he can do to lend a hand."
Arepno nodded. "I will return to my ship and transmit coordinates to Ellis' ship. He will need them to find the troops in amongst the mountains."
"How did you find them?" asked Firebrandt.
"Our sensors are better than human sensors," stated Arepno. Firebrandt heard no intonation. Still, he wondered if Arepno was joking.
"Let's go!" Swan clapped his hands together. The group split apart. That night, Swan and Raton's fighting force camped at the base of Camlan Pass. They all checked their weapons. All of them knew they might die the next day, but they were there to defend their home. They spent the night singing happy songs, reassuring themselves.
* * * *
John Mark Ellis spent a fitful night aboard the Firebrandt. His alarm woke him before local dawn. He padded into the head across from his bunk. While he was in there, he looked at himself in the mirror. He considered removing the facial hair, but decided not to bother for another day. He splashed a little water on his face and padded back to his bunk. The commander pulled the curtain and got dressed then stepped out to the bridge.
"Commander on deck!" said Rubin. Ellis was always amazed at how alert and cheerful Rubin seemed in the morning. He never understood, but on mornings like this, he was grateful that someone of that energy acted as first officer.
Ellis retrieved a cup of coffee from the dispenser to the side
of the command seat and plunked down. He cursed mildly as some of it spilled, splashing his knee. "Status, Mr. Rubin," mumbled Ellis groggily.
"We're still monitoring the movements of the Tejan ground forces. They marched through the night and seem to have come to a stop some ten miles from Camlan Pass, sir," reported Rubin.
Ellis sniffed as much as drank the coffee, trying to wake up. "Let me know if they move." He brought up a series of charts and maps on his display, considering how best to support the New Granadan forces.
"Communication from the planet, sir," reported the communicator.
"Go ahead, Mr. Weiss," said Ellis, absorbed in the maps and nursing the coffee.
"The New Granadan forces have engaged the Tejans at Camlan Pass, sir," reported Weiss.
Ellis sat up, suddenly wide-awake. "Mr. Rubin, have your sensors shown any movement?"
"None, sir," said Rubin, apologetically.
Ellis swallowed the remainder of his coffee and tossed the cup in the recycler. He searched his jacket furiously for a cigar. He found one and held it silently, thinking. "Mr. Rubin, what wavelength region have you been scanning?"
Rubin's eyes darted rapidly from his display to Ellis. "I've been looking at low band EM radiation from their supplies. Scanning for their power packs and storage units. It's easier and more reliable than looking for the IR emissions from the people themselves, sir."
Ellis nodded. "That's okay, B-Com. Scan the IR. I know it will be difficult given local dawn, but let's try to find out where those troops are." Ellis bit off the end of the cigar, thrust it in his mouth and lit it.
"Aye aye, sir," said Rubin. He typed several commands into his console. A visual image of the pass appeared. He displayed the supplies in green. A few moments later, a fuzzier red display showed. There appeared to be a mass of people out ahead of the supply train, backed up in the pass.
Ellis puffed on his cigar for a while. "There doesn't appear to be anyone with the supplies."
The Pirates of Sufiro (Book 1) (Old Star New Earth) Page 24