Battleframe (The Mindwars Book 1)

  General Grendig slowly pulled his jagged blade out of its sheath and leaning forward from his throne he bent over the prone and unconscious DG. He then roughly grabbed DG’s helmet and pulled up his head to see his victim’s face more easily.

  Whizzbang began to panic. Not DG. He was so much fun and full of life. Not him! His mind was a chaotic tumble of emotions that seemed to block him from focusing on how to save DG. Everything was happening so fast. He could not bring his thoughts to bear on how to save his friend.

  What felt like minutes were actually seconds and Whizzbang finally managed to gather his will together to assault Grendig’s mind. It was going to take too long! A Scourge General by nature has a huge ego and natural defences against such an attack. Whizzbang could crack the mind but it was going to take too long.

  Grendig drew back his dagger and rammed it home into DGs neck. Red, not purple blood, flowed in great gushes from DG’s torn and ripped throat. Grendig then began to hack away at the battleframe pilot until DG’s head adorned the tip of his long dagger point.

  Whizzbang watched appalled as General Grendig laughed holding up DG’s head and yelled, “This is what will become of you all!” With a flick of his blade, he tossed DG’s head halfway across the command centre. He let out a loud half mad laugh as DG’s head bounced off a console and onto the hard stone floor.

  Whizzbang’s mental assault disintegrated in the shock of seeing his friend slaughtered like a pig. The desecration of DG’s body in such a manner only contributed to Whizzbang’s devastation. Even while perched in his position high up amongst the girders, Whizzbang could not help himself and began wretching. The others had been too busy with the cannons to notice what was happening down below. By the sounds of it, the last of the cannons had just been permanently decommissioned.

  Whizzbang wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and began to pull himself together. He jump-jetted down from his perch and on flaming jets took up a position a few feet off the command centre floor directly opposite the General. His steel blue eyes bored into the pink staring blankly back at him and then in a cold flat voice he said, “That was my friend you just butchered.”

  Grendig finished cleaning his blade on his black tongue and gave a low chuckle. “Do you think that I care? You will all die and we will triumph.”

  Still firing his jump jets Whizzbang slowly maneuvered himself towards the shield console while never taking his eyes off the General. A quick glance suggested that the console was still operational. In that split second, Grendig realised Whizzbang’s intentions and jumped back into his seat so that he could guard the shield console with his personal throne shield.

  Although Grendig was fast, Whizzbang’s nanite infused reflexes were far faster. In a split second, he reached the console and flicked the “fortress shield off” switch. Even though the writing in the Scourge language, he found that he could clearly read it as if it was in English. The shield level meter immediately began displaying a steadily falling level of energy.

  In front of him, like a caged animal Grendig let out a low growl.

  As Selfia glided towards the Scourge fortress, she brought her sniper riflescope up to her eye to better survey the scene with its light enhancing capabilities. The Barrier towers had collapsed in a pile of rubble to either side of the command dome, one of them completely crushing the barracks. The outer wall had been breached in several places and through the rapidly settling dust, she could still make out a few Scourge warriors crawling amongst the rubble. What really concerned her was the green tinge that everything appeared to have.

  “Gardner, do you notice the green colour across everything?”

  “I was just looking at that Selfia.”

  “Any ideas?”

  “I would swear that it’s some type of force field and it’s going to be bad news if we fly into it.”

  Selfia peered through her scope again. “The green tinge is gone now.”

  Selfia could hear the surprise in his tone as Gardner said, “Looks like someone’s shut down the force field Self.”

  Using the broadcast channel on the comnet Selfia said, “To all battleframes. The Earthmen have rolled out the welcoming mat and dropped the Scourge shields. Let’s make sure that we clean the mat of any unwelcome dirt on the way in. Form up on my wing.”

  The battleframes moved into a tight bunch around Selfia and those with long range weapons began sighting and firing at any Scourge that stuck their heads up. Selfia took her command high over the fortress to drop grenades like an aerial bombardment over any Scourge that remained alive. Not surprisingly, after the two Barrier towers had collapsed there were not that many targets left. Those that were alive, quickly died at the hands of the battleframe snipers and grenade launchers, as they glided within range. Selfia spiralled the Concord battleframes down and landed near the command dome entrance.

  Strike Leader Aldarg tightened the cloth protecting his eyes and mouth from the dust permeating the atmosphere. Using his rifle as a crutch, he coughed violently a number of times to help remove the particles from the back of his throat.

  “How could this have happened?” he thought to himself. “We were invincible within our fortress!”

  Stumbling over broken plascrete in the half-light, Aldarg left the temporary safety of the command dome entranceway. With any luck, some warriors survived the disaster that he could regroup into a fighting force.

  The crunch of metal shod boots on broken stone alerted him that a number of warriors were approaching from the far end of the street that ran alongside the command dome. The deep gloom prevented him from seeing whom had managed to reach him.

  A lone battleframe pilot stepped through the haze and looked directly at Aldarg as he leant on his rifle. Aldarg knew that he was dead but why did it have to be at the hands of a human female? He had always believed that they were the weaker enemies. Looking into the eyes of the Concord pilot immediately told him that he was wrong. Male and female, they were both just as deadly.

  In a single fluid motion, Selfia raised her rifle, pressed the firing stud and then continued to lead the squad of pilots behind her forward. That was how Strike Leader Aldarg died.

  Chapter 15

  It is Finished

  Behind him, the General gave a growl and spat out, “StarBlade, it makes no difference. We will win because it is our destiny. You will become a head ornament for my ceremonial spear and I will show the galaxy just how weak you really are.”

  The other members of the squad descended on blasted jets and it was only then that they saw DG’s mutilated body. Whizzbang felt a steely resolve transmitted across the mental rapport he had with the others.

  “We will look after DG later,” Bosk stated flatly.

  Kheldar thought, “Can you get to Grendig or do I have to drop this whole building on his head?”

  Whizzbang thought, “Kheldar, we can get him.”

  “Good, don’t take too long about it. We need to look after our friend.”

  “CT Kheldar,” Whizzbang thought, “this won’t take long.”

  The four telepaths surrounded General Grendig and other than the crackle of a few fires, the dome was deathly quiet. A desk moved off to the left. Pyro swung around and let loose a blast of his chain gun. The desk evaporated into a spray of wooden splinters and what had caused the movement parted in two.

  Whizzbang looked the General in his pink eyes and asked, “General Grendig, are you sure you are safe within your shield?”

  “Nothing you have can harm me and it’s only a matter of time before my warriors will come to my aid.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong General.”

  At this range, the four Earthmen mentally punched through the shield as if it were tissue paper and began hacking at the lock that was the essence of General Grendig. They were not gentle with the General and the pain that they inflicted in the process of unlocking the General’s mind was considerable.

  At first, the Scourge General wondered what was hap
pening and began swatting at invisible flies but when he finally realised his danger it was his turn to panic. He tried to put up mental barriers to block the four from cracking him open like an egg. In the end, he could do nothing against four of the most powerful minds in the galaxy. What questions they asked, they received answers and the four of them had many questions that needed answers.

  The General’s feeble mental defences finally completely collapsed and his mind was splayed open like a gutted fish for each one of them to examine in detail. His position in the command structure only related to Alpha Three and he reported to a person known as Lord Zechlan. Within a few minutes, they had absorbed the entirety of General Grendig’s knowledge and had come to some startling conclusions.

  The first thing they had learned was that this was a war without quarter. No mercy would be asked for and no mercy would be given. It was kill or be killed. There were no Earth concepts of the rules of war set by a Geneva Convention. This war did not have parallels on Earth and would only end in the complete extermination of either side.

  The second thing they learned was that Alpha Three was a small part of something much, much larger. General Grendig had the impression that he was one of many Generals that reported to Lord Zechlan and there were many worlds enslaved by the Scourge. What was unclear was whether Zechlan was actually a Scourge himself or something else altogether.

  The intelligence they had gained in a few minutes was more than the Concord had been able to secure since the war began. There was a lot to contemplate and they would need the help of the generals and their friends to understand it all.

  As Kheldar reverently brought DG back together, the other members of the squad moved through the command dome looking for survivors. Upon finding any officers alive, they invaded their mind, stripped them of their knowledge and then executed them. No quarter was asked for and no quarter given.

  By the time, they completed their grizzly but necessary task they were all exhausted and ravenous.

  “Bosk, we need to find Zechlan,” Whizzbang thought to the squad so everyone could hear.

  “I agree. Grendig didn’t know how to contact him so we’ll have to wait for an inbound call.”

  “Elzetro, is there a way we can track a signal so we know where it’s coming from?” Whizzbang asked.

  “Hang on, let me look around. One of these guys I scanned knew how to do it; hopefully the right equipment is still intact.”

  Behind him, Whizzbang heard Elzetro and Pyro rummaging around for the equipment they needed. While they searched Bosk asked Whizzbang, “What do we do with it?” indicating Grendig who was still sitting in his command chair with the shield now turned off. His eyes stared vacantly into space and his breathing was quick and shallow in his induced mental coma.

  “Let Kheldar deal with it.”

  Despite his devastation at what had happened to his friend, Kheldar provided General Grendig with a quick painless death and then walked away. He needed some time to himself and wanted nothing more to do with the monstrosity.

  “Found it! Just give me a second to patch it in,” Elzetro thought. “We’re good to go now. If Zechlan calls I’ll know exactly where he’s calling from.”

  “All we have to do now is wait for him,” Whizzbang said tiredly.

  “What do you think is going on outside?” Bosk asked Whizzbang.

  “I’ve got no idea. Let’s hope that Selfia and the others have made it. Hang on, give me a sec will you.” Whizzbang was so tired he could not get even a squeak of power out of his perception to see outside. After glancing at the General’s body below the dais to make sure he really was dead, Whizzbang sat on the command throne. After they had stripped Grendig’s mind bare they all knew every one of its functions as well as the General did. Flicking a number of switches Whizzbang brought up a screen of what was happening outside the command dome entranceway.

  Bosk looked up at the cracked and damaged screen and thought, “Isn’t that the prettiest sight you’ve ever seen.” The image on the monitor showed that the entrance to the command dome surrounded not by Scourge but by Concord battleframes.

  “We did it Bosk. Alpha Three’s been won!”

  “We did at that.”

  The victory seemed hollow without DG. There would not be any impromptu dance parties, turrets materialising to save the day or his quirky smile and wit. Yes, the Scourge were vanquished but this was the first time that Whizzbang’s squad had been impacted by a loss personally. In the past, it had always been a stranger that had suffered or died, not one of their own.

  DG’s death crystallised the reality of the evil that they were struggling to fight. This was not a game where you get multiple lives, this was for real and for keeps. When you died here, you really died and forever.

  Slowly standing to his feet Whizzbang thought to the squad, “We need to look after our friend.”

  There were grunts of agreements from the other four. They were all exhausted but some things needed finishing. A collapsed tabletop provided a stretcher and Bosk with Elzetro’s help carefully lifted DG’s body and head onto it. Kheldar found a covering from another table that improvised as a shroud to provide DG with some dignity.

  Pyro reached into a pocket in his battleframe and pulled out a picture of all of them during a party. He placed it on DG’s chest and with tears welling up in his eyes whispered, “We will never forget the good times DG.”

  Whizzbang led the way out of the dome while the four others carried their friend’s body. He keyed in the pass code and the door slid open revealing a bright sunny day. “The world goes on,” he thought to himself.

  Once they recognised who was exiting the command dome the Concord battleframe pilots lowered their weapons. As they watched, the Earthmen emerge from the command dome carrying DG’s body sorry replaced their jubilation of victory.

  Selfia, Tiny and Acheron were at the far end of what remained of the street outside the entrance, and upon seeing Whizzbang, they rushed up to him with smiles on their faces. “Commander Whizzbang, you Earthmen did it!” Selfia exclaimed excitedly. She then saw the other four carrying DG’s shrouded body. “Oh no!” She looked up at the others and said, “DG?”

  Pyro nodded and Selfia could see the tears still streaming down his face and those of the other Earthmen.

  Tiny removed his cigar from his mouth and butted it out. This time a new lit one didn’t magically appear. In his gravelly voice he said, “DG you were my friend. We had a lot of good times together that I will never forget.” A single tear rolled down his rough battle scarred cheek. Dropping to one knee, Tiny bowed his head and gave the Concord salute that said DG would never be alone.

  All up and down the street outside the dome entrance, battleframes dropped to one knee and with bowed heads, they repeated the salute as a mark of respect for the fallen.

  Finally, Acheron stood up, walked over to the shroud, and pulled out of a pocket in his battleframe a drinks umbrella. With a broken voice he loudly said, “DG taught me that a drink always taste better with umbrellas in them.” He then placed the umbrella carefully on DG’s covered body.

  Selfia moved forward and said for all to hear, “DG taught me that life was precious.” She then placed a photo of her and DG on the shroud.

  And so it went on for the next thirty minutes pilot after pilot came forward, stated a lesson that DG had taught them and left a small token of their friendship. Like the man, some were humorous, while others embodied his spirit of living life to the fullest. All were respectful and honouring of the pilot who was their friend.

  Whizzbang was surprised that DG had such an impact on so many people within such a short time. While he had been making the command decisions, DG had been bolstering everyone’s morale with a few kind words or sharing a drink. He went about the job of ensuring that people could still smile in the midst of a terrifying war.

  Finally, Whizzbang stepped forward and fell to both his knees before his friend’s body. Sadly, he said, “DG taught me
the cost of leadership and the privilege of leading men such as him.”

  Out of a pocket in his battleframe, he pulled the tourist brochure that he had picked up in the taxi back in Los Angeles. It said in big letters on the front, “Hollywood Tourist Sites”. He did not know why he had kept the brochure or why he had it with him, but it seemed appropriate that DG have a bit of his hometown with him on this world, light years away from Earth. He placed the brochure on the shroud, wiped his moist eyes and stood to his feet.

  Looking across at the gathered battleframes before him Whizzbang felt a sense of pride rising up against his grief. He was proud at being part of something bigger, more noble and good. Speaking loudly so that those in the back could hear he said, “DG’s passing is a terrible loss. From what we have just witnessed, many of us counted him a friend. He would not want us to be sad on a day like today, he’d want a celebration!”

  Whizzbang watched as downcast faces turned upwards towards him. “Together we have achieved an incredible victory over the Scourge. We have claimed Alpha Three for the Concord and the dreaded Barrier that has kept us penned into a small area of the planet is no more!”

  Smiles now adorned the faces of the pilots all around him and a few had begun to cheer at Whizzbang’s last comment. Bosk leaned closer to Pyro and whispered, “Your Dad certainly has a way with words.”

  Despite his fatigue, Pyro straightened up in pride and whispered back, “That’s my Dad alright.”

  Whizzbang now had the undivided attention of every pilot in the area. “Although we have won this planet the Concord and my home planet of Earth are still under threat. Even now, we are tracking inbound signals from a Scourge central base to this one. Together, as one we will stand and continue the fight for freedom!” The pilots began yelling words of agreement and loudly cheering.