MILDRATAWA

by Nigel Clayton

  Due to the new information another assault upon Equatia was soon decided. The survivors from the first flight into Quadrant Three would remain behind to man the defences of Alza Ningh whilst the remaining 140,000, aboard 11 portenium cruisers, would head off to wager the final clearance of all hostility within Quadrant Three.

  The main thrust of the clearance was to strike Equatia with a portenium cruiser along with 10,000 troops allotted to each of the other three planets in the quadrant.

  The exact number of Vertons on the planet surfaces was unknown, so a point of infiltration had to be carefully decided upon.

  Plans for the main assault upon Equatia were soon readied and the move carried out.

  30,000 troops were landed around the palace to a distance of no less than five kilometres. It was a solid perimeter designed to prevent any ground escape or evasion. The cordon was in place by the time the first of the reconnaissance fighters flew over the heads of Alza Ningh troops and into the regions around the palace. The infrared scanners deciphering of all matter within the jungle soon differentiated between foliage and living flesh, plotting the positions of the Legion Millennium. A signal was then sent down to order the surrender of these forces.

  An answer from the legion was received. No surrender was possible or desired. More Alza Ningh troops were immediately transported to the surface below and five main lines of advance shaken out into formation before moving into the cordoned off area. Each of the five lines of advance moved in column with platoons and sections in an extended line. Only minor changes to the formation were taken into hand and these were dependent on the lay of the ground, visibility, and vegetation. Every troop formation, from the smallest to the largest, took play in the mission, and all individuals had their particular arcs of responsibility to cover during the move. The navigation satellite from the portenium cruiser made the move even easier than first anticipated.

  The plan was basic. As the first line of Alza Ningh troops encountered contact with the enemy, a high rate of fire would be placed down; this would allow the second line within the column to push through and take the enemy position by force. As the Verton pits were taken they would turn their attention to carrying out a reorganisation of troops – this included the looking after of prisoners and wounded, regardless of breed. The following platoon or company – always dependant on the size of the enemy encountered – would then push through and continue with the advance until more enemy forces had been encountered. The formation, which had initiated the contact, was then passed by until they were in a position to the rear of the advancing column. The move would be conducted like this until all the ground occupied by the Vertons had been cleared and made safe. Alza Ningh troops always did work better on the ground than in space. The Vertons knew this; hence their struggle to prevent them from landing during the collapse of the sphere.

  Little crime was encountered during the assaults. In one such case a Verton officer from a mercenary legion decided to bluff his surrender. As the Alza Ningh warrior approached the Verton shoved a grenade pod down his pants. The explosion of laser light on detonation left no remains whatsoever; no remains were found. The Verton officer and his men were then segregated from the other prisoners, tied firmly to the ground, and disembowelled over an ant nest; their intestines tied firmly together. This was one of the only war crimes given a verdict of not guilty on completion of the military court. A case study of all proof and interviews with witnesses proved that there wasn’t enough substantial evidence to support the charge against the Alza Ningh troops that had supposedly committed a war crime. It appeared humorous to the Alza Ningh troops how the tribunal thought it was going to find any witness in the first place, especially from a being that held no religious values other than that of philosophy.

  By mid-afternoon the palace had been secured and Tiny’s macebearers came out from the jungle with smiles contorted over their faces. They never got their revenge upon the Vertons but were rewarded with the knowledge of Queen Druad Asti’s safety.

  During the course of the advance many men met death at the hands of the jungle’s traps, as did the Verton forces before them. The Alza Ningh grew accustomed to these deaths but not aware of the precautionary flowering signs.

  PLANET BASBI TRIAD.

  SECTOR THREE.

  Muutampai’s guerrilla formations were no longer a fighting force. The advancing lines of the Verton and Darkside forces were pushing ever deeper and deeper into the desert region of the Brightside. The circumference of the assault was therefore becoming ever increasingly smaller and smaller, allowing for a larger concentration of firepower. The shrinking of the closing cordon around the Brightside’s forces catered for the large drop in manpower, casualties mounting rapidly. Only one position stood its ground at present, and that was at Sector Three.

  Reinforcements from other Brightside forces tried to add to the victory in Sector Three but were cut off four kilometres short of the defences. It was now up to the stranded defenders to try and hold the enemy at bay whilst the Mildratawa prepared itself for its advance to the surface of the planet.

  The Mildratawa forces stood at 200,000 and had a power play of 20 star cruisers that at present were positioned around Basbi’s space borders.

  The Darkside had 60,000 troops and 12,000 Legion Millennium in unfortified positions, 40,000 Darkside and 10,000 legion in fortified Twilight Zone positions, and a small garrison of 4,000 Darkside and 10,000 legion in and around the late Prince Shrinpooh’s palace. The four battle cruisers that patrolled the outskirts of Basbi triad existed no longer, for they were brought to decimation at the blink of an eye on the Mildratawa’s insurgence.

  The Verton and Darkside forces within the desert regions of Basbi Triad were of no importance to the Mildratawa. If their supplies could be crippled then the conflict would be over all the sooner and many lives could be saved, for the enemy would starve, die of thirst, or simply collapse under the heat offered by each passing day.

  All fortified Twilight Zone defence posts were targeted as a priority and hit with the entire force of the Mildratawa, firstly by a bombardment from space, followed by the assault from transported ground forces.

  In little less than four hours the positions had been taken and secured. The allies found it very hard to muster enough moral strength to refrain from shooting fleeing Vertons in the back. No last-ditch effort of counter attack entered the Verton mind. They all knew the fight was over, for the time being. They ran into the icy surroundings of the Darkside and raided their own caches for cold weather clothing and food, and further into the blizzard they wondered.

  It was the Darkside troops of Basbi whom decided on surrender. They came in droves from the icy depths with hands held high and frost bitten faces exposed, conceding defeat.

  No one would ever let on as to how fortunate the Mildratawa were in the securing of the victory; it was almost lost – the rain of Alza Ningh, the Vertons consolidation of troops, the hidden channel of Nicaragua; all offered its small portion of luck to the cause.

  PLANET BASBI TRIAD.

  DARKSIDE.

  A long-line of Vertons continued to move ever deeper into the blizzard country, away from the twilight and their defeat. Each one held tight to the heavy coat of the man to his front in the fear of veering off the advance and becoming hopelessly lost amongst the rock formations and snow peaks.

  The lead-man held a burning torch that flickered in the face of the worsening weather. Before long it would blow out and celestial navigation would be reverted too – so long as the weather cleared long enough for them to grasp a mental bearing as to direction by consulting the stars.

  A strobe light, attached to the back of the rearmost Verton, flicked on and off in rapid succession, a homing beacon for a rescue ship – if any existed. There was no real hope for a journey’s end; the distance to the palace would take a good six months to cover by foot. Too far in these trying conditions, besides, it would be in Mildratawa hands by the time they reached it.
>
  They continued on and on, a Verton fell to his face and the line stopped. A legion officer looked momentarily down at the figure that was trying to gain enough strength to pick himself up. The officer turned his stare away. “Continue with the move!” He was left to die where he dropped.

  They pressed on and on when suddenly a cave entrance came into view some 20 metres to their right. The Verton officer directed the lead man towards the mouth and they entered. Warmth was suddenly felt and aching faces soaked up the immediate relief. Filing in past the officer, he counted the heads as they entered. By the time he’d reached a count of 26 he passed the task onto a legion of a lower rank.

  Seven days had passed in their seclusion from the outside worlds of the Milky Way. The cave was not the only one in the area, a further eight existed, the largest of which could comfortably house all 460 of the Legion Millennium that had made good their escape. Spring pools of tantalising, nourishing water, existed in a few of these caves, brought on from inner core vents of volcanic heat, and plant life was also abundant. Skins from the planets large roaming beasts hang from frames made of bone and a new way of life had been born. A new structure of order was organised and their hatred towards the Mildratawa grew.

  PLANET BASBI TRIAD.

  PLANET SURFACE.

  A little less than two days and the Vertons of the deep desert gave into surrender. All that remained of their forces were 11,000 legion and 58,000 Darkside warriors.

  Along with the numbers taken from the palace on the Darkside they ran into the vicinity of 91,000 troop’s total. 49,000 enemy lives had been lost to the battles and a small minority of these were given the status of Missing in Action.

  91,000 was an exasperating number of prisoners which simply couldn’t be freed into the willing hands of the Verton government, even if a treaty of some description had been warranted through the hands of the Verton Empress.

  The following days were spent in evacuating the prisoners to the satellite of Earth. The domed forests had already been dispatched from the surface, but large dwellings of infrastructure still remained intact, these were the Science Labs initially used for the maintenance of the plant life during study. They were now given a facelift and turned into a prison.

  Escape from the prison settlement on the moon would be impossible due to the obvious lack of oxygen, so little guard would be necessary. In time the planet Glaucuna would be held personally responsible for the funding and running of such a monstrous administrational nightmare. The contained community, if it could be classed as such, would remain in loath anxiety.

  Muutampai moved into the palace fortress of the Darkside. It had been years since he’d seen it. It had been transformed into one of the most luxurious buildings he’d ever seen, very worthy of his presence and changing ideas for the smooth running of a new government. He pleaded with the Mildratawa for a précis, a guide line by which he could use to maintain law and order amongst his people who had remained loyal – not only to himself, but to the planet as a whole. Taxes were minimised and all being were permitted to travel wherever they wished, on the planet’s surface or into the dark reaches and folds of space as dictated by Mildratawa visa and interplanetary law.

  It surprised Muutampai to find that once the new laws had been put into effect that no one really wished to leave, not for any prolonged period anyway. This was their home, born and bred. His popularity would grow to new heights of unbelievable fortitude.

  The Parene security spheres were the only real protection the planet had now, or needed. Muutampai did maintain a small garrison of 100, but their duties were kept to simple tasks such as welcoming dignitaries from other planets with a parade of honour and the maintenance of law and order within the infrastructure of the community.

  He now had an open door policy with all of the leaders of governed planets.

  PLANET EQUATIA.

  THE PALACE.

  The enemy forces on planet Equatia were rounded up, as were those on other planets to Quadrant Three. A large feast was presented to Bob Neil and Ozrammoz Abachazdom the day after the assault for their deeds. It was also the occasion for handing the badly maintained and depopulated society of the planet back to the Queen Druad Asti. Although she still heavily mourned the death of the king, she was capable of forcing a smile upon her radiant face. Even the evils of the dark dungeon couldn’t waste away or befall her beauty.

  Everything went well during the course of the meal and many subjects conversed upon, one in particular remained undisclosed until the ceremony of handing the planet back to her had been completed.

  The Verton prisoners of her quadrant would remain such. No parole of any description would be given to such violators of the body; such degradation would be met with degradation. “A prison will be built on the second planet to Quadrant Three; Nougstia. There the Verton forces will remain until they rot. Justice has to be met with justice. If the balai timit is their justice, then life imprisonment will be mine.”

  “That is your option of course,” Bob said. “But General Nort should be tried for war crimes against the Mildratawa. This I must insist upon.”

  “As you wish.”

  So it was set. General Nort was escorted from his cell by four guards and marched out onto the landing site as the sun sank beyond the horizon. The shuttle that was to deliver him to the courts of law on planet Glaucuna – the new home of the Mildratawa – awaited him. He saw his chance now, a weak link in his guards’ security. His arms, nor feet, were restricted in any way. He made his break and dashed off at top speed into the throat of the jungle; the guard watched with a smile. They watched with nothing more than interest. Tiny Ballow had told them to allow him escape if he so desired. They returned with the news and the shuttle took to port on a nearby platform.

  Nort didn’t dare turn to look behind him as he ran. If he was lucky he may come across some hiding Legion Millennium, waiting for their chance to take for the stars when security was low. He kept his head down and increased his speed; it was important to gain as much distance from the Queen’s palace as possible.

  He stepped on a flower as he ran, crushing its purple blossoms into the decaying leaves of the jungle’s floor. He gained another ten metres before coming to a stop. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flicker of light. He turned to face it and let out a sigh of relief as he saw that the flicker was that emitted from a tiny leaf, seemingly squinting in his direction. He peered into its depths, hypnotised but thankful, thankful that it wasn’t a laser rifle.

  Without warning a hinged two-lobed leaf sprang from the jungle’s roof and clamped shut over his entire body. Small teeth like barbs allowed him to see the outside world as he screamed, kicked, and punched, but to no avail. He felt the moisture now, slowly dribbling from the pores of the monstrous plant. Ever so slowly, and characteristic of a Venus Flytrap, he was he was devoured; drop, by drop, by drop.

  PLANET IRSHSTUP.

  PLANET SURFACE.

  Warlord Newtwon soon learnt of the battle lost on Basbi Triad. He remained the only fighting force of the Verton Empire, yet all he had was a small band of 12,500 legion Millennium.

  He rallied his forces together and explained the situation to all. They soon came to a conclusion and evacuated the planet Irshstup, returning immediately to their home planet Verton. Once there most decided to transform themselves into the normal everyday dress of their society and dispersed into the four winds, concealing themselves amongst the beings of their home, burning their military uniforms.

  They were hard to find, and although the Irshstuptian government searched extensively for them, Newtwon, nor his officers, could be caught. The Irshstuptians had re-established their robot police, a better breed than the ones that were decimated on Basbi. These robots weren’t put into effect until after the signing of the treaty, but once it was, they remained. They were to become the curtain of darkness, which maintained order throughout Verton, and of course, their own planet.

  Newtwon was now a constantly
hunted Verton and would remain such until the day of his death. His escape into the Dead Zone with cruisers and men was a strong act of defiance, and his numbers had been heavily depleted.

  CHAPTER TEN

  PLANET SIEST.

  SPACE.

  Five days after the sphere had been brought to the ground; only thirty percent of the earth’s populace had been evacuated. The move was slow and tedious, brought upon by many problems. Personal belongings that were favoured in the household had to remain behind, a purge of relics, which sustained a whole life’s worth of memories. Many failed to see why such treasure-troves should have to remain behind and this in turn failed to bring the reality of the situation to hand. More and more humans felt betrayed and disbelieved in what the government had told them.

  Was the world really coming to an end?

  Space on board the transporters was limited, as were the concentration areas on the surface of the planets in which they were travelling. In a few cases the surface of the planet wasn’t even ready for living. Tents would have to be erected and requirements to live out of these for anything up to a whole year endured. Once people had been told of the discomforts that lay before them their ignorance rose.

  They were herded much like cattle onto the transporters of space and cramped into small compartments, forced into areas where the smell of fuels become overwhelmingly sickening and noise from thundering engines made them feel little more than a prisoner undergoing interrogation.

  Being separated from old friends due to an inconsistency in their religious beliefs, colour, or status on the job ladder, gave little comfort to the older generation with concern to making new acquaintances. They were forever growing increasingly tired of prejudice in all its forms. If you were a scientist or engineer then you received the comforts and the privilege of being delivered to a well-prepared villa. Prejudice of this kind had never been seen since World War Three, where people of all cast and description were cast from their homes to live in the fields, allowing high-ranking soldiers to take over their homes for the pleasure of some female companionship. The authority given by the White Paper permitted such. It stated, ‘we are at nuclear war with other nations, and all those about to die for good cause deserve one last luxury’.