by Rod Carstens
Then he remembered one of the classes on the new armor they had been issued. It had a feature that the other armor did not. During Rift, a lot of lessons learned were lost because when a legionnaire was killed, it simply shut down and all the recorded information was lost. These suits, on the other hand, had an entirely separate system for recording all of the video, audio, and GPS information for an hour. It would continuously record then re-record every sixty minutes. When the legionnaire was killed, which meant the suit had been compromised to the point that it was destroyed, the new black box built into the armor would automatically upload the last hour of the legionnaire’s life so they could piece together the whole battle with all the input, even from the guys who had died. This was done automatically, and the condition of the suit had no effect on the black box.
He needed to get closer. He began to low crawl toward the group. The hybrids around the Xotoli were taking their time. It was as if they weren’t afraid of anything, or as if their base wasn’t under attack. They seemed to have no fear of humans or the Confederation's military. The Xotoli were setting the pace, moving as if they were enjoying the time outside, out for a stroll, enjoying the sights. These fucks think they own the world. Koy had taken more than one bully down a few notches in fights over the years, and the arrogance of the Xotoli’s movements made Koy want a piece of them. As big as he was, Koy had never found a true match. Maybe this guy was worth the fight. Koy continued to inch closer and closer. The blowing snow and ice were proving to be a good cover as long as he stayed low. Crawling in armor wasn’t easy or comfortable, but the movement seemed to have activated the repair nanos in the suit. The more he moved, the easier it got as the suit’s nanos worked to repair the damage the drop had caused. Now that he was closer, he could see the whole bodyguard for the Xotoli. There were eight in a rough circle around three Xotoli, not counting the guys on the rock outcropping.
He asked himself if could somehow take out some of the bodyguards and challenge the Xotoli. Yeah, and there was a Santa Claus. The hybrids loved to close in and fight hand-to-hand. The Xotoli had bred them that way; it had to be deliberate genetic trait the Xotoli had manipulated into dominance. Why would the aliens purposely lose so many troops by making them want hand-to-hand unless they felt it was an admirable trait? If he could just get one of them to go hand-to-hand with him. One of the bodyguards turned his way. The other three on his side also turned toward him with their weapons up. Without thinking, Koy fired four times as quickly as he could. Then he emptied his magazine into the three on the outcropping. Three of the guards around the Xotoli went down. The fourth was staggered. With effort, Koy got to his feet and threw his 48 aside and pulled out his fighting ax. The more he moved, the better he felt until he almost felt normal. That would have to do, he thought.
"Come on, you kak! Fight me, you big shit!" Koy screamed over his loudspeaker.
Then he pointed at the biggest Xotoli. Several of the bodyguards fired at Koy, but they had been hasty in their aim and the rounds bounced off his armor. Koy didn’t try to take cover. He pounded his chest and screamed a war cry.
"Arrrrhu. Come fight a real warrior, you big fuck!"
He stood, legs apart, arms at his side. The biggest of the Xotoli put its hand on the weapon of one of the bodyguards to keep him from firing. The others lowered their weapons, and the Xotoli handed its huge weapon to another and slipped out of the large ammunition container on its back. Then it pulled a long laser sword from a back scabbard. The other Xotoli and bodyguards turned to watch. Koy glanced at the video monitor and saw it capturing all of this. He smiled to himself. He had it. Now all he had to do was figure out how to stay alive long enough for a good video. That was when the Xotoli made its first move. It jumped over Koy and landed ten feet behind him. It must have jumped at least twenty feet up in the air. This fuck was big and fast, not a good combination in an adversary. Its head was moving as if it were laughing or saying something to its friends. The faceplate of the armor was all angles and sharp edges around a skull like jaw. It jumped again, back to where it had started. It’s playing with me; good it’s underestimating me. It’ll probably go for a wounding blow next. Koy decided to move at the slightest movement, not to wait to see the direction of the blow. Koy saw the Xotoli's armored suit begin to move before the sword arm. He ducked and swung his ax with all his strength at the Xotoli's small waist. The Xotoli's sword missed, but Koy landed a solid blow. The Xotoli bent over as if the blow had hurt. The ax hadn’t penetrated the armor, but the alien had felt it. Koy jumped back and took a fighting stance.
"Arrrrhu. You fuck! That's how a fucking human fights. The armor moves first, you see the armor move before the arm," Koy said, to make sure it was recorded.
The Xotoli shook itself as if it couldn’t believe what had happened. He watched the armor, knowing it wasn’t as fast as the Xotoli, and it would give him a split second heads up before the Xotoli moved. He had learned through all of his fights that when you weren't the biggest and strongest, you had to be the smartest. If he got another shot in, he needed to follow it up and see if he could hurt this big boy. Suddenly, Koy felt as if his whole life had been a long road to this moment. It was a moment that would be remembered by many humans and Xotoli, a chance to be something besides a drunken street brawler. He was fighting for a whole lot more this time. It would be the fight of his life.
The Xotoli took the sword in both hands. It was going to try for a killing blow. That was one big ass sword so it would have to take a big swing. Just like in street fighting, when the other guy had a bat or a piece of iron, you got inside the arc of the swing. Normally he would take his opponent down, but he doubted that was possible with this guy. He spun his ax in his hand so that the pick head would land the blow instead of the blade. Using the spike on top of the ax was probably his best chance of inflicting an injury since it was a pointed weapon. Koy crouched again, and he saw the armor move the smallest bit as the hydraulics reacted to the muscles underneath. He drove forward off his back leg as the Xotoli swung too high. Koy ducked under the sword. He continued his movement to cross behind the Xotoli, and as he did, he brought the pick head around with all the force he had in him into the back of the Xotoli. It penetrated the armor! The Xotoli arched his back like Koy had really hurt him.
Koy spun to face the Xotoli and saw thick white goop on the pick head of his ax. He had gotten a lick in, but he was no fool; he knew it wouldn’t be long now. He had been lucky because it had underestimated him. It wouldn’t make that mistake this time. The Xotoli turned, tossed the sword to the ground, and pulled a laser knife out. It crouched in a fighting stance. Koy didn't see the armor move this time as the Xotoli swung and cut off his left hand. The pain shot through Koy, enraging him. It was going to play with him. That could have been a killing blow. It backed away and watched, waiting for him to go to ground. His armor slammed shut on the stump of his left hand and flooded his system with painkillers and go juice. Koy simply spun the axe in his remaining hand and crouched. He wasn't going to wait for the Xotoli. It was too fast and would cut him to pieces a little at a time if he let it choose when and where to move. When in danger, when in doubt, close in for the kill. Koy threw his ax at the Xotoli, who easily ducked it, but Koy followed the ax, jumping as high and as fast as his armor would let him. He hit the Xotoli in the chest. Koy was a big man to begin with, and with the armor he was a load. Even a Xotoli couldn't stand up to that much weight being thrown at it. It went down.
Koy began to pound that ugly armored head with his right fist, and he wrapped his legs around the alien’s chest. For a moment, he seemed to be winning; then he felt the laser knife enter his back. Koy knew he didn't have long. He desperately grabbed at the exposed hydraulics and connectors on the armored head of the Xotoli with his remaining hand. Maybe he could blind him. He drove his armored head into the Xotoli's. The Xotoli began to struggle under him. It didn't like this. Koy felt the laser knife enter his back again and again. His suit couldn’t keep
up with the wounds; the laser was cutting the suit’s systems as well as Koy. Reaching into the last reserves of strength and toughness, he brought his armored fist down as hard as he had ever hit anything or anybody. The light of one of the Xotoli's visual lenses went out. If he could just blind the other eye. Then the Xotoli stabbed him, and instead of pulling the knife out, it began to twist it in Koy's back. Koy arched in agony. He could no longer hit the Xotoli. He was losing strength, but he had hurt the Xotoli in the process. This fucking alien would remember him. Finally, a huge Xotoli hand pulled him off his opponent and threw him down. He landed on his back. He was in the center of the Xotoli and hybrids, and they all looked down at him. With the little strength he had left, he raised the middle finger of his right hand in a final salute that he hoped was a universal one.
"Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, motherfucker!" Koy roared over his suit’s loudspeakers.
One of the Xotoli straddled Koy and raised a crystal sword for the finishing blow. Before the sword came down, Koy saw that the Xotoli he had fought had to be helped away from the fight. Koy was smiling; he would be remembered. The sword entered his body in the middle of his chest. Koy felt a last split second of agony before the darkness enveloped him, but he wasn’t afraid. In the back of his suit, a small red light came on as the battery operated black box uploaded Koy’s last hour of life to the combat network’s satellite.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Sol
Planet Earth
City State of New York
Confederation Senate Building
Armed Forces Oversight Committee
Rift Investigation Committee
"Our newest senator from the Von Fleet Corporation now has the floor. Senator Carroll, please begin."
Senator Carroll looked up from his display and smiled in spite of the knot in his stomach. Ms. White had practiced his questioning with him for hours, but he was still nervous. The admiral had a reputation for being brilliant and tough under questioning. She had been through a very difficult series of sessions before her appointment as Admiral of the Navy was confirmed by the Senate. What Ms. White wanted him to accomplish with his questions would be difficult under any circumstances, much less facing the admiral.
"Admiral, thank you for testifying today," Carroll began. "I’m sure your answers will be very enlightening given the fact that you were in overall command of the Pleiades Fleet when the attacks on Rift and Ceti occurred. As you must know, the only reason I survived was a surprise security drill. I, along with my family, just happened to be off planet that day. The rest of my colleagues were killed by the Xotoli. So I have a very personal interest in the findings of this committee. Admiral, did you have plans in place for the defense of Rift and Ceti against such a sudden attack?"
Raurk met his eyes with her own. There was no emotion, just a steady unblinking gaze that seemed to be able to look into him.
"Yes, we had detailed plans in place for such a contingency."
"If you had such plans, why were they not implemented? Is it not the responsibility of a commander not only to issue an order, but to assure that the order is implemented?"
The admiral’s famous composure did not change. She continued to meet Carroll's gaze directly. Still, there were no sign of cracks in her demeanor despite the question.
"Senator, the plans in place were all based on some prior knowledge or intelligence of an enemy’s intentions. Without intelligence or advance warning, keeping the fleet and the legion on high alert would have been extremely expensive and, in many ways, detrimental to overall readiness. The imminent attack plans call for increased patrols, all kept ships full combat ready, and twenty-four hour watches on all vessels and planet side. To stay at such a high alert status with no end in sight would eventually lead to equipment and personnel issues that would degrade our overall readiness. You cannot put all of your forces on such alert indefinitely without consequences."
"But if they had been at such high alert, would it not have made a difference in the battle on Rift and Ceti?"
A look of annoyance flashed across her face, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Senator, you’re asking me a 'what if' question. 'What if' questions are conjecture and not helpful," Raurk replied, her voice cold and confident.
"Admiral, I did not ask your opinion on my question. I asked for an answer."
Again, a look of annoyance crossed Usiche’s face, but this time she took a deep breath before answering. Ms. White may be right. Maybe he could crack the admiral.
"To answer your question directly, Senator, it may have helped, but I’m not sure of that. The Xotoli Fleet that attacked Rift was as big as our entire Pleiades Fleet, which was over twice the number of the ships that were in harbor at Rift. In addition, they had an overwhelming superiority in fighters because of their carrier vessel. We had no such capability. Fighters project the power of the attacking force, and without significantly more legion fighters, I couldn’t say that the fleet being on its highest alert status would have made a difference. The only thing that may have made a difference is to have had prior warning."
She had fallen into the trap, just as Ms. White had said she would. Now to go in for the kill. Carroll felt very pleased with himself.
"Exactly! Were you not warned of the impending attack by your intelligence staff?"
"No, Senator." Raurk seemed exasperated by the question, not thrown off her game.
"I have here a transcript of an intelligence briefing by a Captain Kitmura predicting just such an attack and warning you of the Xotoli intentions. Did you or did you not receive this briefing?"
"Yes, Senator I did receive the briefing," Usiche said carefully.
"Then why didn't you act on the intelligence by your own staff?"
This time he could tell she was angry. She was losing her famous composure.
"Senator, if you will look at the time stamp, you will see that I was in that intelligence briefing with Captain Kitmura when I received word of the attack. The attack happened during the briefing, not after I had received it. There is no way I could have acted on intelligence I had not received."
"But--" Carroll began. Then he was interrupted.
"Mr. Chairman, if I may?" Senator Anu Kago from Wolf said.
"The chair recognizes the senator from Wolf."
"But, Mr. Chairman, this is my time for questioning. I must protest the interruption by the senator from Wolf."
The chairman glanced and Carroll and said, "Senator, this is my committee and my hearing. I will conduct it as I see fit. The chair recognizes the senator from Wolf."
The old Wolf nodded his head in respect to the chairman and then continued.
"Mr. Chairman, I’m not interested in conjecture or speculation. I’m interested in the actions that the admiral took once she received the warning. May I question the witness now?"
"Yes, the chair will allow you to question the witness. We will return to the good senator from Von Fleet later to finish his questioning."
Senator Kago turned to face Admiral Raurk. His face was serious, unreadable. Carroll wondered if he was going to follow up his questioning and do the work for him. That would be even better! If the Wolf senator was able to accomplish the task, it wouldn’t bring so much less attention to Carroll. The Wolfs were known for their impartially in political affairs. They supported who they thought had the best case. It would be a coup to have the Wolfs on Von Fleet's side in this.
"Admiral, is it not true that as soon as you were informed of the attack that you ordered all ships to immediately make all preparations for getting underway?"
"Yes, Senator."
"Did you not order Admiral Tamara Lule to take command of any and all ships that were able to leave the anchorage and immediately attack the Xotoli fleet?"
"Yes, Senator."
"Did you not also order then Colonel Sand to take his Armored Infantry Brigade and repel the impeding invasion, even though you had no intelligence to confirm
that invasion yet?"
"Yes, Senator. I conferred with General Buchman and Colonel Sand about the possibility of an invasion, and they were convinced that the Xotoli would try to invade and not just attack the fleet."
"So not only did you react immediately to a known threat, you were able to digest the input of your subordinates and take actions based on their recommendations alone with no evidence they were correct in their assumptions?"
"Yes. Senator. I trust my subordinates to provide me with their opinions, even if they do not think I will agree. In this case, I knew Colonel Sand had spent his career in an effort to plan for this day and had been studying the Xotoli for twenty-five years. I thought that his opinion was the best informed about the Xotoli’s intentions."
"Did you instruct Colonel Sand on where to place his defenses?"
"No, I did not, Senator. Colonel Sand is an excellent officer and had been studying infantry tactics for years to prepare for command of an infantry brigade. I felt confident in Colonel Sand’s decisions."
Senator Kago paused for a moment; a small satisfied smile crossed his face.
"So it was Colonel Sand who decided to defend the space port and fleet anchorage headquarters?"