Last Stand on Talos Seven

by Rodney Hartman

  Boys, Anna thought. Who needs them?

  Chapter 13 – Lucky

  ______________________

  The long warehouse was quiet. The dozen UHAAVs stored inside had been cleaned and readied for the next day by the trainees before they’d left for the night. Trinity spied Wizard Scouts Trevor and Yardis near the massive, ten-meter-high, six-legged Leviathan cat they’d captured from the pirates. Someone had painted the Talosian emblem of a bird’s talon on the side of the cat. The two wizard scouts were busy welding a plate of brerellium steel over the heavy UHAAV’s rearmost right leg. Trinity lowered her stealth shield to announce her presence. As soon as she did, Wizard Scout Trevor shut off her plasma welder and set it on a nearby workbench.

  When Trinity drew close, Trevor nodded toward the half-repaired leg. “My tail gunner got too excited and shot us with our own weapon.” She gave Trinity a wink before breaking out into a laugh. “I’m beginning to wonder if we might be better off letting these trainees fight on the pirates’ side instead of ours.”

  Wizard Scout Yardis, a tall, broad-shouldered, blond-headed man resembling one of Earth’s old Vikings, joined in the laughter. Specializing in the wizard scout skill of shifting, he was able to dematerialize into the void between dimensions. As far as Trinity was concerned, that made him a valuable asset to any team, disabled or not.

  “Now, now,” said Yardis. “I’ve had to work with worse than these Talosians. At least some of them are familiar with heavy equipment. Operating the big machines at the mines is making the switch to cats a little easier.”

  Trinity smiled at the seventy-some-year-old scout. She pointed at the damaged leg. “Are you sure about that?”

  The blond-haired wizard scout grinned. “I only said a little easier.” His grin disappeared. “Truth be told, they’re not doing all that bad. We’ve still got three more months until the pirates are scheduled to return. I think we’ll have the town’s militia ready by then.”

  Trinity turned back to look at the cats in the warehouse. The six-legged Leviathan was their only heavy UHAAV. Still, they’d done better during the raid three months earlier than she’d hoped. Besides the Leviathan, they’d captured two medium Long Cats. Armed with a 200mm phase cannon, the eight-meter-high cats’ large-bore weapons were a welcome addition to the firepower of the town’s makeshift armor force. To the left of the Long Cats were five recon vehicles. There was a three-meter-tall Warcat scout and four of its three-legged cousins, the four-meter-tall Tomcat scout. The five recon cats were supplemented by three light hover-tanks sporting twin 20mm auto-rifles and 88mm phase cannons. Trinity glanced at the last of the UHAAV’s parked in the warehouse. It was a four-legged Crosoian Wingbat. Although only a medium cat, the last piece of armor was overly wide and nearly as tall as the Leviathan. The Crosoian cat’s large size and strange design made it stand out from the others.

  A stream of specifications appeared in the shared space of Trinity’s mind.

  “It’s larger than an Empire medium UHAAVs because it is a Crosoian design,” said Jennifer. “The bats like to spread their wings occasionally. You are lucky the Crosoians modified the Wingbat for the pirates. Most of the bats’ equipment splits controls between manual, voice, and sonic waves. The Wingbat would have been useless to you if it had not been modified for humans.”

  Ignoring her battle computer, Trinity turned her attention back to her fellow wizard scouts. She directed her gaze at Wizard Scout Yardis. “I hope we get those three months you’re talking about. You know as well as I that something almost always happens to screw up the best laid plans.”

  “Amen to that,” laughed Yardis. The big man seemed to be one of those souls who were eternally good-natured. “I remember one time on—”

  Wizard Scout Trevor raised her right hand in a stopping motion. “Sometimes you remember too much, my friend.” She winked at Trinity. “I’ve spent the last forty years living on Trecor with this old windbag. I’ve had to listen to his stories until my ears have about fallen off.” She grinned. “I think that’s why I was so eager to jump at the commandant’s offer to do something besides sit on my rear and wait for my disability check to come in every month.”

  “That’s not true,” said Jennifer in Trinity’s shared space. “Wizard Scout Trevor is in high demand at several military academies as a guest speaker. I checked her schedule in the central computer’s database. She had to cancel a stint as an associate professor at the university on Trecor to be here. Wizard Scout Yardis stays just a busy. He—”

  “Well, I’m certainly glad both of you are here,” Trinity said drowning out the thoughts of her battle computer. “It’s nice having other wizard scouts to back me up.”

  Wizard Scout Trevor smiled. She tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “You’re too kind. My Power reserve was so damaged during the last war with the Crosoians that about all my self-heal can do is hold my aging process at bay. I’m not sure how useful any of us will be during a real battle.”

  Trinity wasn’t fooled. The old wizard scout’s familiarity with advanced battle tactics during the previous war with the Crosoians had already paid off in her opinion.

  “Well, I’m glad nevertheless,” Trinity said. “I spent two hours this morning checking the defensive positions you set up along the town’s perimeter. If the pirates bring anything less than a fully equipped infantry battalion backed up by a company of armor, they’re going to be in for one hell of a surprise.”

  Wizard Scouts Trevor and Yardis exchanged glances.

  “Are you expecting that large of a force?” asked Trevor.

  Trinity shrugged. “Not really. Anna told me one of the pirates threatened to bring a battalion of infantry, but I’d be mighty surprised if they could gather that size of a force. You know as well as me that pirates tend to bluster a lot. From the description we’ve been given of their transport ship, I’d lay odds a company of infantry and two or three light cats are the most they’ll be able to bring on their next visit.”

  Wizard Scout Trevor glanced at the UHAAVs in the hangar before looking back at Trinity. “If you’re right, then we’ll have them outgunned on the ground. Assuming they bring the same transport ship as last time, the Donovan should be able to keep their space cover off balance long enough for us to give their ground forces a bloody nose they won’t soon forget.”

  Trinity eyed Trevor. She was pretty sure she heard more than a little doubt in the woman’s voice. Trinity was also very aware the woman had decades more experience than her as a wizard scout.

  “You don’t sound convinced,” Trinity said. “The area for a thousand kilometers around the town has enough titanium dust to keep the pirates’ sensors from spotting our equipment. Their scout ships are limited to visual only. There’s no way they can know what we’ve got waiting for them.”

  Wizard Scout Trevor remained silent for a full six seconds before speaking. “I hope you’re right Trinity. I think our one saving grace is that despite what the pirates’ leader told the townspeople, they must know the titanium vein is about played out. I think the pirates are hoping to get one final load before they move on to the next planet they can exploit. Like I said, we’re lucky in that respect. If the pirates thought for one second that Talos still had a plentiful supply of titanium ore, they’d probably gather every starship they could lay their hands on and attack the planet in force.”

  “She’s right,” said Jennifer in Trinity’s shared space. “The pirates would never give up Talos if mineable titanium was still here. As it is, the titanium dust in the soil around the town is enough to prevent sensor scans by their ships, but the ore’s not concentrated enough to mine at a profit. That works to your advantage. As I’ve said many times in the past, you are one lucky wizard scout.”

  Trinity mentally smiled. “Then I guess we’d better pray my luck holds.”

  Chapter 14 – Unexpected Find

  _______________________________

  Anna said a silent prayer that her luck
would hold. At two in the morning, the mine appeared deserted as she’d known it would be. Shutting off the engine for the hover-cycle she’d borrowed from the town’s motor pool, she got off and made her way down the uneven steps that were cut into the side of the cliff face. By the time she finished the fifty meter decent down the zigzagging stairs, she was sweating. It was the dry season and even this early in the morning the air was much too warm for comfort. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Anna made straight for her drill. The massive piece of equipment was right where she’d left it.

  Why wouldn’t it be? Everyone left in a hurry yesterday to get back to training. No one bothers to put the equipment away anymore.

  Anna glanced around the open-pit mine. Several large pieces of heavy machinery were parked haphazardly around the mine floor. Connor’s dozer was where he’d left it a dozen meters away. Anna was half tempted to climb into the dozer’s cab and use its oversized blade to dig an entrance into the air pocket where she hoped to find the drill bit.

  No, I’ve got to use the drill. Sure, I can drive the dozer, but I don’t have the skill to peel away the rock face with the blade. I’m liable to destroy the drill bit trying to get it out. She sighed. Maybe I should’ve asked Connor to help me. He’s got a gentle touch with a dozer. Old Man Ryan says Connor could probably peel the shell off an egg with a dozer blade without breaking the yolk.

  An image of the redheaded boy flashed in Anna’s mind. The image smiled. Instead of the irritation she used to have when she thought of Connor, a feeling of warm butterflies in her stomach swept over her. She was half-tempted to climb back onto her hover-cycle and go fetch the boy. She shook her head.

  No. I’ve got to do this myself. It’s a mistake to rely on other people too much. I can use my drill to carve a hole in the air pocket. It might take longer to do it, but I can get it done.

  Turning to the drill’s control panel, Anna reached for the start button. Before she could press the button, bright lights came on behind her followed by the roar of the dozer’s engine. Spinning around, she raised a hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the dozer’s headlights. The light in the dozer’s cab came on revealing a redheaded boy sitting at the controls. He flashed a smile and waved.

  “Connor,” Anna said.

  Her voice was drowned out by the roar of the dozer’s engine, but the boy must’ve read her lips. He nodded in acknowledgement. Opening the door of the cab, he climbed down. Once on the ground, he walked over to join her.

  “I had a feeling you’d be too proud to ask for help,” said the boy. He jerked a thumb in the direction of a tarp half-covering a hover-cycle wedged between several crates twenty meters behind the dozer. “I took the liberty of borrowing my uncle’s hover-cycle. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up. I’ve been here for almost an hour.”

  Anna glanced around the mine floor before pointing at the dozer. “Turn the lights off,” she snapped. “You’re going to give us away.”

  The boy laughed. “Give us away to who?” He waved an arm around the mine floor. “There’s no one here but us. So why don’t we stop fussing and get that drill bit of yours. I’d like to get back to bed.” He grinned. “I’m going to need a little rest before I start training in the morning. Wizard Scout Trevor was none too happy with my attempt at being a rear gunner on the Leviathan yesterday. I’m hoping to convince her today that I’m a lot better driver than I am a gunner.”

  Anna laughed in spite of herself. “Yeah, I heard Trevor and Yardis spent half the night cleaning up the mess you made of the cat’s back leg.”

  “Uh...” started Connor.

  “Forget it,” Anna said determined not to get sidetracked. She started to turn toward the cliff face before turning back to look at the redheaded boy. “You said you’ve been here an hour. Why didn’t you just get the drill bit yourself? Why bother waiting until I came?”

  The boy grinned again. “You obviously think I’m a better dozer driver than I am. The residual titanium dust in the soil makes the dozer’s sensors useless. I’m going to need you to spot me on the ground. Each time I peel a layer of rock away, you’ll have to make sure the dozer’s blade isn’t going to rip out the drill bit on the next pass. Think you can handle that?”

  Anna frowned at the boy. “What do you think I am? A novice?”

  Still grinning, Connor held up his hands in surrender. “No. I was just making polite conversation.”

  “Well, why don’t you converse with yourself while you’re up in the cab? I’m ready to get this over with. I’ve got to be at the gunnery range at six.”

  Connor’s face turned red in the light from the dozer. He hurriedly turned away and made his way back up into the cab. Once at the controls, he waved Anna out of the way. When she was clear, the dozer eased forward until the large metal blade touched the cliff face directly below the hole her drill had made in the rock the previous day. The dozer’s hydraulics eased the blade forward scrapping away a layer of stone no thicker than the width of Anna’s little finger.

  He’s good, Anna thought. He might not be able to shoot worth a flip, but he can definitely drive heavy equipment.

  “Well?” came Connor’s voice over the dozer’s external speaker.

  Jerked back to reality, Anna took a step forward and checked the cut the dozer’s blade had made in the cliff face. All she could see was solid rock. Stepping back, she made a hand gesture for another cut. The dozer’s hydraulics pulled the blade back before moving forward with a second pass. Once she’d inspected the new slice, Anna made a hand signal for a third, then a fourth, and then a fifth. The cut-first, inspect-second routine lasted for a full fifteen minutes as the dozer’s blade made cut after cut into the stone, peeling off one thin layer of rock after another. The result was always the same. Nothing. It wasn’t until the thirty-first cut that things changed.

  “Hold!” Anna yelled as she inspected Connor’s latest handiwork.

  The roar of the dozer’s engine went to idle. Shortly after, Connor climbed out of the cab to join Anna near the cliff face.

  “What is it?” he asked. “Can you see the bit?”

  Anna shook her head and pointed at an opening the size of her fist in the rock near the point where the cliff face met the mine floor. “No, but that’s got to be part of the air pocket. Do you think you can make another pass without cracking the stone? If you can make the hole a little larger, I think I could get my hand inside.”

  Bending down, the boy inspected the hole. “No. I think I’ve done about all I can with the dozer. It looks like the air pocket goes below the mine floor. Some of the larger air pockets can extend down a couple of meters. If I’m not careful, the dozer’s blade could bury the drill bit under a couple of tons of rock.”

  Glancing at the hole, Anna probed inside with the fingers of her right hand. Several pieces of the brittle stone around the opening’s outer edge crumbled before dropping into the hole. She looked at the dozer blade and then over at her drill.

  Coming to a decision, Anna said, “Fine. I’ll finish it off with the drill. You can spot me this time.”

  “Okay by me,” replied Connor.

  Climbing back into the cab of his dozer, Connor shut off the engine, but left the headlights on.

  Once the boy was back on the ground, Anna walked over to a footlocker-sized chest that was attached to the side of the drill’s cart. Opening the lid, she rummaged around until she pulled out an old drill bit with the screws worn half off.

  Connor eyed the beat-up drill bit suspiciously. “Uh, will that thing even cut? Maybe we should stick with the dozer after all.”

  “You stick with your dozer, and let me handle the drilling. I could drill another hundred meters with this bit if push came to shove.”

  Moving to the front of the drill, Anna placed what remained of the creallium bit onto the end of the extender arm. After it was locked in placed, she stepped back to check out the bit’s alignment. Now that it was on the drill head, Anna had to admit the bi
t looked lopsided near the tip. She was about to try and think of an alternate way to retrieve the lost bit from the air pocket when she glanced over at Connor. The redhead’s smug grin made Anna’s decision for her.

  With nary another word, Anna slapped down on the drill’s start button with the ball of her fist. The drill’s powerful engine roared to life as the drill bit began spinning at a high rate of speed. Reaching down for the control handles, Anna gripped them in both hands and eased the extender arm toward the hole at the juncture of the cliff face and the mine floor. As soon as the drill bit touched the side of the hole, the extender arm shifted to the left as the lopsided bit tried to shy away from the stone.

  Compensating for the lack of cutting power, Anna increased the hydraulic pressure on the left side of the drill head. The creallium bit shifted back to the right and began shaving away splinters of rock at the side of the hole. Dust flew into the air partially obscuring Anna’s view of the opening. Connor moved to within a meter of the hole and pointed a thumb toward Anna’s left. Taking the boy at his word, Anna eased the extender arm left. The sound of the creallium bit tearing into the stone took on the sound of a buzz saw.

  Without warning, Connor jumped back from the hole and began waving his arms. Before Anna could push down on the emergency shutoff, the extender arm lurched forward a full meter, pulling the cart with it. The buzz-saw sound stopped as the drill’s engine coasted to a stop. Fearing the worst, Anna retracted the extender arm out of the hole. The end of the arm was empty.

  “Are you kidding me?” Anna said. “The bit’s gone. What the—”

  The dust settled enough to reveal the hole in the cliff face. A black gap at the intersection of the mine floor and the cliff face extended two meters above the mine floor. The opening was a full two meters front to back. The bottom of the opening disappeared below the mine floor. Even the powerful headlights of the dozer didn’t penetrate all the way into the hole.