by Pirx Danford
All around us pure chaos erupts, while we close in to the “palace” of the Benefactor step by step. Arrows drum our shields, spears clatter to the ground or even burst and sword strikes glide aside harmlessly deflected.
The last line of defence consists of only a few soldiers but armed with battle ready energy rifles. Angry alarm signals from our glasses safe our lives and as the shots from the rifles pulverize our cover bit by bit a well aimed stun grenade resolves the trouble.
We destroy the rifles and enter the palace.
Behind the entrance a monitor bobs out filled with the Benefactors angry face. “Why do you do this? You cannot allow the lie to live on!” I take aim with my gun and the screen shatters with a satisfactory bang.
After a short search only interrupted by a few attacks we locate the entrance to the cellar. Irene and Richard secure the door, as I push forward with Ernest at my side. Only two soldiers are protecting the weapons, we stun them with minimal energy. As they come to, bound and disarmed, we drag them towards the basements exit. “We will blow up everything. And with that I do mean the whole palace.” I explain to the two. “So get everyone out. In five minutes anyone who remains will be buried or worse.”
Richard pushes the two out into the main floor and with a few explosive shots I bring down the ceiling over the entrance.
We deploy and activate the charges, then withdraw into the tunnel heading to the prison.
It is obvious to me that some soldiers will try to get back into the basement, but at least I had handed them the opportunity to make the right choice. Solid steel doors greet us, while behind us the explosions herald the successful completion of our disarming mission.
As a layer of loosened mortar is going down on us as a dusty shower a desperate fatigue takes hold of me.
But behind those gates are people waiting for our help, so we have to press on.
The opening mechanism is out of order since ages. To prevent jailbreak a solid bar is in place, ironically located on our side of the gates. Richard lifts the massive wooden beam and for a moment looks like an angry berserker with a mighty club, before throwing the the bar to the ground with a loud clatter.
The warfare mode is unable to select the proper category for the human silhouettes behind the steel and so there are countless schemes tainted in a dull orange tone.
I make sure that my current shield generator still has sufficient energy reserves and swear on realizing that only an additional two shields remain ready for action in my belt.
Behind the other side only an empty hallway awaits, the orange schemes become gray as Marple is able to identify them as prisoners.
With a gesture I send the others ahead to secure the corridors and then start opening the locks with aimed explosive shots.
Already six cells are open before their inhabitants realize that they are being set free.
I call to them that they should gather at the exit towards the barracks and that we have equipment ready to be distributed among them. Unfortunately I am being ignored as nobody knows me, but before total chaos breaks loose Irene and Richard come to the rescue. Most of the prisoners are indeed with the resistance and this helps in a quickly established chain of command, which of it’s own accord is being headed by Richard. In the meantime the prison keys have surfaced. My knowledge is needed by the wounded, Irene takes the medpacks from Richard and Ernest and allocates them to two of the former prisoners and the four of us do our best to mobilize as many of the wounded prisoners as possible. Mainly we are kept busy with infected wounds and mutilations, this horror presented to you by your friendly torturer, now you can get two for the price of one.
Ernest and Richard distribute shield generators and stun grenades among the combat-ready prisoners, also the twenty pistols are being handed out to trusted resistance members. We have a lot of time, as nobody is checking up on the prison. There only had been a small guard of five soldiers and those had been stunned and firmly secured back when my companions secured the corridors.
After a busy two hours we are able to draw a very positive summary, we nearly have a half hundred ready for battle and only seven completely immobilized wounded. These seven can be moved by the twenty other wounded though, so they won’t slow us down. I refill my weapon belt, then we discuss the further strategy.
The plan is simple enough and so we directly start executing it. Together with Richard, Ernest and Irene I step up out the prisons exit and it actually is the basement door of the barracks.
Before us lies a long corridor lined with a lot of doors, which could lead to dorm rooms or officers wards. Silently we rush room by room and stun all soldiers we meet, in actuality the barracks are pretty deserted though. We are being searched for someplace else apparently and I do have to grin at that thought and my tiredness boils away, by some margin at least.
From the barracks we are able to see the recruits training camp, the situation there is completely different. Apparently the rookies are being prepared for deployment right now.
We decide to simply surround the camp and snow it under a hail of stun grenades.
Two fighters armed with stun guns remain at the barracks entrance to guard the wounded, all others come with us and together we spread out around the training camp.
Everyone noticing us is being shot down, still the ruckus within the camp is so loud that we aren’t noticed by the crowd.
The near simultaneous detonation of a fifty grenades is marked by sudden silence, shortly after to be broken by alarmed yelling of the remaining soldiers and recruits. Stun shots quickly send them asleep and then we are busy tying everyone up.
We have the soldiers transported into the prison and our counts show about two hundred recruits had been in training. With Marples aid I locate Mark and am shocked to see him fully uniformed and armed. In a collective effort we secure the camp, at every entrance gunners are being posted and the wounded leave the barracks to join us. Now we have to wait for the stun effect to wear off or we would have to leave the recruits behind.
After half of the needed time has passed we are already located by the Benefactors forces. A troop with a dozen soldiers returns from a patrol. Unfortunately two soldiers manage to escape the shots of our guards and soon some hastily alarmed soldiers are gathering outside of the pistols shooting range.
While the troops make ready for a battle with us, the first recruits are waking from the forcefully applied sleep.
Richard takes the floor and gives an inspirational speech, but I don’t get much of that, as my attention completely belongs to Mark.
His relaxed young face is hardening bit by bit as he slowly regains consciousness.
When he opens his eyes, I look into the face of a jaundiced adult. Only as he unbelieving asks “Helen?” I realize that tears are rolling down my cheeks. In his gaze I recognize the child I had come to know back in the barn and relief fills me up. “Hello Mark, remember I did promise that I wouldn’t forget you, sorry that it took me so long, but now I am getting you away from here.”
To orchestrate such an amount of people takes a lot of time and for a while I observe the bedlam, the intense conversations going on all around me and some reunions as prisoners spot a son or nephew.
But we are given only a short five minutes after Marks waking, when the Benefactors soldiers charge on a massive frontal attack.
One of the guards calls out loudly “Archers”, if the recruits are completely on our side has become irrelevant, now survival is at stake for everyone.
I call out “Anyone equipped with a shield generator turn it on now!” And then hurry towards the entrance from where the alarm call sounded. A long-drawn-out line of archers closes in and while the shots in their direction puff out without effect they already come to a halt.
The Benefactors soldiers have taken position between the city and the barracks, getting into the city is impossible without battle now.
Clueless I look at the unfolding situation and desperately wish for a seasoned
strategist like Maximus or Gurd.
In this moment Ernest accompanied by a dozen soldiers storms out from behind us and like a madman races towards the archers.
The pistols are only usable on a short range of about ten meters and before his troop closes in on the archers they release the first volley. Only a few arrows are aimed on the camp, most go down on the onrushing foray troop.
With relief I notice that our soldiers had remembered to activate their energy shields. Sadly that wasn’t valid for all of them, one of our fighters slumps to the ground pierced by arrows. I turn away sobbing and standing before me I notice Richard. He grabs my shoulders carefully and explains with sincere manner “Helen, we need you for a very important decision.” He nods towards the battlefield “Leave that fight to Ernest.” “Okay.” I hear myself reply and then follow him.
In the tent of the camp commander or rather the head of training a small group had assembled. Irene greets me and introduces me to the four new faces. “This one here is Helen van Scharl, the freshly awoken. Without her we wouldn’t have made it here.” Turned to me she explains “I know the original plan was to escape into the tunnels and join the forces of the outer and middle decks, but our new friends here have informed us that only a small protective force is stationed in the city. Nearly all forces are holding the tunnels. The contingent of soldiers just now attacking us is probably all that remains in the city from the Benefactors forces.” Irene looks to Richard and he grins as he takes the word “What Irene is saying is, right here and now we have the chance to seize the city. Most recruits are on our side, so what do you think about it Helen?”
Dumbstruck my eyes wander between the anticipating faces and my lips move on their own regard at the first thought crossing my mind: “But we don’t have enough room in the prison.”
Loud laughing resounds from the tent.
From here on the events start happening very fast.
Like a wave, whose particles consist of people, we rush forward as one. Before my eyes the attackers faces change in quick succession and ceaselessly I run and shoot. The defensive line of the attackers is holding for only a short moment and then we stream into the cities streets without any resistance.
Neither jubilation nor opposition is given by the citizens. As we enter the streets are emptied. Some folks wave at us from the roofs while others observe us apprehensively.
The Benefactors estate had been properly demolished when we blew up the weapon storage. The jail with the barracks is securely in our control, but is located too far away.
With that the largest building in the city is now the markets administration building, so we set up our headquarters there. While the city is being searched for any remaining soldiers, we are busy setting in. Seemingly untiring Richard concerts the takeover of the city, since a long time I lost track over the many visitors. Nobody is paying attention to me, as I leave the house. I find Mark at the square before the house and together we search for something to eat. Neither of us is talking, too much had happened to both of us to already talk about it. Two times I take hold of the locating device, which Mark wears as trinket on a necklace and then caress motherly over Marks head, but as it is visibly embarrassing for him I then stop doing it. Eventually Mark asks me if I know how his mother is doing, but Marple is unable to establish a connection with the security service and the maintenance teams, so I have to answer in the negative.
Tiredly Mark lays his head on his he arms folded on the table. Motherly instincts, which I never knew to be within me, stir as he lies there so exhausted in a childlike manner.
In actuality I am barely able to keep myself awake, so we two search the new headquarters for a place to crash. In one of the larger rooms a huge crowd of our fellow comrades lies crammed together on some mattresses and we simply slump down in their midst.
Friends. Laughing. Whirring. Many Friends. So Many. All my friends dart around before my eyes. One falls to the ground, no energy. Sad, but I just can make more. My home, so fine. Everything shines, let my friends clean everything again though, just to watch.
What? Oh, no. Oh! Foes, there!
Outside eyes show humans, again humans.
Want to open the door, again. I cannot allow this.
Nevermore!
Open the doors and let my friends fly, red mist, so fine. No humans no more.
Soaked in sweat I wake, this had been the rooms of a maintenance center in my dream. The humans I had seen, had been the Benefactors soldiers. The realization hits me like a hammer and I am instantly erect, which disturbs the sleep of a stranger whose back I had used as cushion. I hurry out of the room and search Richard, whom I find with red rimmed eyes and hoarse voice grown together with a conference tables seat.
“I need to get to the maintenance center for the ships drive.” I interrupt the discussion he was just having. Tiredly he looks at me and I go on “The main computer there has gone completely berserk, if it gets connected to the other four in this state…” for a moment I hesitate, but then decide to tell it like it is “then all of the ship could become one gigantic death-trap.” Richard only sighs, pushes a stack of papers to the side to then only confirm my words by a short “Okay”. Just when I am about to ask if he understood what I had been saying he waves to one of the folks waiting at the tables side. “Find Ernest, tell him we need an escort. For Helen.” He looks at me questioningly “With at least a dozen soldiers?” I shake my not with my head and explain. “A handful has to be enough. We must be fast.” The assistant hurries away and I put my hand on Richards shoulder. “Thanks! But you should really go get some sleep.” He just smiles languidly “We can sleep, when we are dead. Well okay you are right of course. Now shoo and go safe the world.” After saying that the guards should wait outside and giving him a hug as goodbye I go and search Irene.
She had fallen asleep in a huge armchair and with a bit of regret I wake her.
Then I tell her about Mark and ask her to take care of him and the other children and if possible maybe even find their families. After that I fetch Mark and introduce Irene to him to then give both my goodbye.
Outside Ernest is waiting for me and insists on accompanying me, together with four strongly-built fellas we depart. On the way I explain to my five companions, that the main computer of the maintenance center has gone completely haywire and is using his maintenance drones as killer machines. As of yet lacking a good plan to approach this problem, one of the soldiers asks how we could protect ourselves from the drones, the question makes it clear to me that our shield generators don’t offer sufficient protection.
The central is not too far away, she lies directly within a large hall, which shields the drives from the rest of the ship.
We get near the entrance, as suddenly Marple signals be an incoming connection request from Kara. I gestures to the others to hold and then greet Kara with great ardor. We talk for at least half a hour to exchange news. The troop that was to connect and overhaul the maintenance center in C 5 IV with me, had finished successfully despite my having been captured. Kara personally had taken up the task of getting the stern central running and connected. The security service was extremely busy protecting the maintenance crews, which only made slow progress. Even so the troops numbers constantly grew and a very many facilities on the outer docks had been repaired and also the material recycling was going very well.
But having the security service members spread throughout the ship resulted in a stalemate situation within the tunnels towards the inner deck. Kara rejoiced when I told about the occupation of the “imperial city” at the water treatment plants. When I told her about the troble with the main computer of the maintenance center she asked if maybe a space suit could offer sufficient protection against the drones.
That had been the solution I had needed, but there were no airlocks in the inner decks, so the only possibility was to find a fabber and make a suit myself.
I promised to Kara to stay in touch and had Marple perform a thorough scan
of the environment.
Unluckily the closest fabber was within the maintenance center before us, so the only possibility was to go back to the treatment plants.
However Marple located unexpected signs of life directly behind the entrance. “There are life signals behind the door.” I told Ernest and went closer to the entrance. “Only four, two of them with a very weak pulse are lying on the ground.” As I proceed towards the door Ernest holds me back. “You should avoid unnecessary risks.” I sigh, but nod and he signals to our companions to take point. The automatic door seems to ponder for a bit before opening up, but then opens to let the four through.
Only for a short moment fighting noises are to be heard, the quiet returns. In the meantime I ask Ernest, what name he chose for his glasses and he smiles a bit sadly and replies “Susanna”. One of our comrades signals to us that the fighting is done with and we also enter into the hall.
Four Iron Warriors had been able to save themselves and flee the onslaught, we drag the two stunned and the two wounded out of the drives hall.
“We split.” I tell Ernest. “I go back to fetch two space suits and you stay with them.” I point to the soldiers of the Benefactor and take out my medkit, which I still have with me. “Take care of them. I’ll be back shortly.” Two of the fighters stay with Ernest and the other two go with me.
During the short tour back I have Marple scan which of my friends is available to be hailed. Obviously Richard, Irene and Ernest are in range. Also Agatha and Hask are being shown, but Rolf is not available. I open a connection with Hask “Where have you been? We searched for you all over!” I give a short summary about me being captured by the Benefactor and as a thanks turning the tables on him and occupying his city with the help of some new friends. “But pray tell, it seems I cannot reach Rolf, do you know where he is?” “Well he had been helping with conquering the middle decks, probably he joined the effort to try and find a way to breach into the inner decks. You should know he was extremely worried about you.” Obviously Rolf was in an area with weak signal… some tunnel then probably. “With the city fallen the fighting in the tunnels surely will soon find an end.” Says Hask “I’ll have more security service people dispatched towards the inner deck lines. Regrettably we are kept very busy with preventing the Open Eyes and Flying Hustlers to kill each other. And its nigh impossible to keep the middle deck folks from lynching the Iron Warriors. Eh, also my people are still taking side much too easily, but I will get this sorted out somehow.” I thank Hasks for the news, in the meantime we are back in the city and I search the nearest working fabber. Quickly I have two space suits made and then we already are on our way back, my two companions are the brothers Steven and Max and without complains they carry the heavy suits.