Soarer's Choice

by L. E. Modesitt Jr.

After a time, he found his eyes were closing.

  49

  The patroller had been right. The station quarters were very tight, even though all the patrollers had disappeared into the twilight by the time the Myrmidons had finished settling their pteridons for the night. Dainyl’s sleep on Septi night had been fitful, with visions of baleful lightcannon incinerating pteridons and their fliers in brilliant blue-green incandescence, followed by scenes of women and children being executed on Tables of immense size and scope. What was worse was that in one of the dreams he was the one ordering the executions, even as tears streamed down his cheeks, tears that burned like flames eating away his visage.

  Just before dawn on Octdi, when he could sleep no longer, Dainyl dressed and washed up, then walked up the low hill that sheltered the patroller post to take another look at the RA’s complex. In the gray predawn light, he could see nothing moving outside the structures. He turned and studied the hills beyond the settled area, looking for the rockier locales. After a time, he walked back down. He thought his stomach was settled enough for some travel rations.

  Lyzetta was waiting for him. Her violet eyes studied him, but she said nothing, just nodded.

  “How was your night, Captain?” he finally asked.

  “I’ve had better, sir. I’ve had worse, too.”

  “After we eat, gather the fliers together, and we’ll go over how we’ll implement what we discussed last night. After that, we’ll have them gather the boulders and stockpile them. There’s a deeper valley about a vingt and a half to the north of the ridge where the RA’s place is. The valley’s across the high road to the east from there. We’ll put the boulders there. While you’re doing that, I’ll need Alynt to fly me out to the mines so that I can talk to the battalion commander.”

  “I’ll let him know. You think this will work?”

  “It will work.” How long it might take was another matter.

  Once the Myrmidons had eaten their rations and gathered together in the sunlight outside the barracks, Dainyl took out one of the sheets of paper he’d found in the barracks and began to sketch, using his own grease marker. When he finished, he had a crude side view of the low stone ridge on which the regional alector’s buildings were set. “I’d like each of you to take a quick look. That’s a rough sketch of the east and west approaches to the ridge. You can see that if we fly low enough, we’re not exposed to the lightcannon until we have to climb over the edge of the ridge. After that, if we fly directly toward the buildings, we’ll be exposed long enough for that lightcannon to target us. It’s less than half a vingt from the edge to where they’re dug in, but that’s too much exposure.”

  There were several nods, especially from those fliers in second squad.

  “The tower where they have the lightcannon isn’t that high,” Dainyl went on. “That means they can’t see when a pteridon approaches until we come up over the edge.” He paused. “We aren’t going to fly that distance. How big a boulder—or a rock—can a pteridon carry?”

  “For short flights, twenty to thirty stone,” offered Lyzetta.

  “If we try to drop something that big on them,” ventured Alynt, “won’t we be as vulnerable as clipped-wing fowls?”

  Dainyl shook his head. “What happens if a pteridon flies up to the edge of the ridge out of sight, then pops up for a moment and lets that huge stone go…on an arc, with all the speed of flight behind it? Then it drops back out of direct sight. No pteridon will come up in the same spot as the one before, or any other one. It’s sort of like that lander bowling game, except the objective is to throw the boulders at the buildings and keep doing it until we flatten them. The buildings are stone-walled, but the walls aren’t that thick. They were designed to last against weather, not against pteridons bombarding them with stone missiles.” For the moment, Dainyl did not mention his other idea.

  “We’re going to miss some. It could be most of the time,” pointed out one of the Myrmidons whose name Dainyl couldn’t remember.

  “We’ll get better,” Dainyl said.

  “What if they turn that lightcannon on the boulders?”

  “They’ll just waste power. It’s not designed for that.” Dainyl could see that some of the Myrmidons didn’t understand exactly how much force would lie behind a thirty-stone boulder propelled by a pteridon that could cover over seventy vingts a glass. “Have any of you seen what happens when a large boulder rolls down a mountainside?”

  “Yes, sir. It happened in Coren last year, after the fires and all. It flattened one of the cottages, and it had thick stone walls. Maybe they were as thick as the ones in the RA’s buildings.”

  “The boulders your pteridons will be tossing will be moving about twice as fast.” Dainyl didn’t know that for certain, but he had to say something. “We do have to locate a number of boulders first, the rounder the better. Sharp-edged ones will tend to dig in. Captain Lyzetta will tell you where to stockpile them. Take care to stay well away from the target. Then, once we have enough to begin operations, I’ll go over with each of you how I want you to approach the RA’s complex, based on the approach of the previous pteridon.”

  “Prepare for liftoff in a quarter glass,” said Lyzetta.

  While the others moved to their pteridons, Dainyl motioned to Lyzetta. “Late this afternoon, we’ll have to watch for First Company. We don’t want them flying into that lightcannon.”

  “You don’t think we’ll take out the complex today?” Lyzetta raised her eyebrows.

  “I’d be surprised.”

  “Ah…sir…what if they’ve used lifeforce the way they did in Hyalt, and all the boulders pile up?”

  “Hyalt was different. It was built into a cliff. Here, the buildings are out in the open on a flat surface.” Dainyl laughed. “If they try to use lifeforce, it will take longer, but it will work out the same in the end. They can only coat the outer walls. That will stop skylances, maybe even something like their lightcannon, but it won’t add that much strength to the stone behind the coating. It’s like taking a lander bullet with a shimmersilk tunic. You get bruised with the first bullet. It gets worse with the second…”

  “I hadn’t thought about that, but it makes sense.” Lyzetta nodded. “What do you plan to do during the bombardment?”

  “Watch from behind a thick pile of stone, close enough so that I can see how matters are going, and where I can signal you or the squad leaders when I need to. If I fly with anyone, it only reduces what they can carry and their maneuverability, and with that lightcannon, that’s not something I’d want to do.”

  “I’ll have the second seat put on my pteridon then, after you get back from the Cadmians.”

  Dainyl didn’t argue. He wouldn’t be spending much time on a pteridon once he finished meeting with the Cadmian commander.

  In less than a quarter glass, he was airborne, seated behind Alynt as the Myrmidon directed his pteridon southward, across dry and sandy hills, following the paved road that led to the mines, and then to the only occasionally used goldenstone quarries.

  From the air, the copper mine looked more like an oval, with a road wound around its edge down to the lowest level. Farther to the west were the works for the tin mines, which looked deserted. The barracks and other buildings were on a low mesa to the east of the copper mine pit. Dainyl could see two companies of Cadmians formed up to the north of the buildings.

  “Set down where the Cadmians are, but not too close!” he called forward.

  The Myrmidon eased the pteridon into a glide downward, and warm air rushed past Dainyl’s face, comfortable enough, but hot enough that he wondered how the indigens dealt with the heat in the heart of summer. Alynt landed his pteridon with a gentle flare.

  By the time Dainyl was out of the harness and standing on the sandy ground, a Cadmian undercaptain had ridden up.

  “Marshal, sir…ah…what can I do for you?”

  “Is Majer Juasyn still the battalion commander?”

  “Yes, sir. He should be here in
a moment.” The undercaptain glanced back over his shoulder. “He’s riding here now, sir.” He eased his mount back slightly.

  Juasyn rode toward Dainyl with the ease of someone who had spent a great deal of time in the saddle, reining up short of the marshal. He was a smallish and dapper black-haired man with a thin mustache. His eyes were light brown, but penetrating. “Marshal, sir. Welcome to Soupat mines. I must say that I never expected you here. What can we do for you, sir?”

  Dainyl smiled politely. “I’m afraid that we can’t offer you support in your efforts against the mountain brigands, and for the next few days, possibly a week, our actions will create some difficulties for you and the mine. The regional alector’s compound in Soupat has been taken over by some insurgents, and we will be using pteridons and skylances, as well as other methods, to return it to control of the Duarches. Unfortunately, that will require that none of the mine wagons will be able to travel the high road north until we finish the operation. It will also require that you keep your men out of Soupat until further notice.”

  “Yes, sir.” Juasyn cleared his throat. “We have been told that the High Alector of Engineering expects no delays of any sort with the production and shipment of the copper…”

  “I’m certain of that,” Dainyl replied, “but he will be even more distressed if the wagons and horse teams are destroyed by the weapons likely to be employed over and around the high road north of Soupat. If anyone questions you, tell them that you felt it unwise to dispute your overall commander.” Dainyl grinned. “And two companies of pteridons and skylances.”

  Juasyn bowed slightly, a glint in his eyes. “Thank you for that clarification, sir.”

  Dainyl could sense the officer’s concealed amusement. “If you have problems with supplies or other items, we will be operating out of the patrollers’ station on the southeast side of Soupat, and you can contact me or the senior officer in charge there.”

  “Might I inquire as to whether we might be of assistance, sir? I would not wish to be presumptuous…”

  “Your courtesy and kindness is appreciated, Majer, but the insurgents are using weapons similar to skylances, and I would prefer not to expose your men to such weapons, except in extreme circumstances. If we do need your assistance, you will be the first to know.” Dainyl smiled. “I appreciate the offer.”

  Juasyn nodded. “We will be happy to do what we can.”

  “Thank you. How are your efforts against the brigands going?”

  “We have managed to reduce two of the larger bands into scattered groups small enough that they pose far less of a threat. The one matter that is of some concern is how so many of them managed to obtain Cadmian rifles and ammunition.”

  “I’m afraid I can answer that, Majer. Last year, an assistant engineer reported that a large number of rifles, thousands in fact, were flawed and scrapped. They were not. He diverted them for a great number of golds. While he was discovered and executed, we’re still finding the rifles in places we never expected.” If Ruvryn had been behind the weapons being made and shipped to indigen insurgents, Dainyl wondered, why would he have allowed them to go to the mountain brigands? Or had lander golds diverted them without alector knowledge? Everywhere he turned, there was something else that seemed to make no sense.

  “Like Soupat, sir?”

  “Unfortunately.” Dainyl paused but briefly. “If you do not have any more questions, Majer, I need to be returning to our efforts against the insurgents.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Dainyl nodded, then turned and climbed back into the harness and second seat behind Alynt. The pteridon launched itself into the wind, then swung northward.

  50

  Even with the tireless pteridons beginning to gather stones less than a glass after sunrise, it was past midmorning before there were enough of the huge stones piled in the desolate valley, more like a collapsed sinkhole. After returning from the mines, while the Myrmidons were completing the task of ferrying their makeshift ammunition to its staging point, Dainyl had located a rocky outcrop to the north of the target ridge, a vingt away, which was as close as he could get with adequate protection should the massive lightcannon be turned on him. The lower south side of the outcrop was covered in powdery sand, almost dunelike.

  Another half glass passed before all the fliers gathered around Dainyl. He looked over the Myrmidons. “If you want to survive this, you have to make sure that the rebels have no idea where you’ll appear for the few moments it will take to release your boulders.” He smiled. “I assume each of you knows the day and the month you were born? It’s very simple. You note where the pteridon in front of you goes over the ridgeline. The first time you angle to one side fifty times your birth month. If you were born in the third month, that’s 150 yards. The second time, it’s fifty times your day of the month. Alternate sides, but not evenly.”

  “Sir…I was born on the fortieth of ten month.”

  “You’d better cut those in half,” Dainyl said with a laugh. “The reason I want you to base the deviation from the previous flier on your own birth dates is so that whoever aims that lightcannon will be facing a different distance each time. You’ll have to adjust early because you still want to come up over the ridge facing the buildings. That’s so you spend as little time as possible where they can fire at you.

  “Captain Lyzetta will direct you as to which of you are to attack from the east and which from the west.” That would keep the defenders from focusing on one side or the other.

  “The marshal will be watching this operation and advising us,” Lyzetta added. “I’ll drop him at his observation post. When I get back, I expect everyone ready to fly. For now, second squad will attack from the west, first from the east.”

  Dainyl followed her to her pteridon, mounting after she did.

  “How do you intend to signal me?” Lyzetta asked as she fastened her harness.

  “I’ll move to the back side and wave my jacket. Or fire a lightcutter into the air, if I need something urgently. You’ll have to watch occasionally, but not much will happen for a while.”

  “You think that they’ll just let us roll rocks at them and do nothing?”

  “I don’t think they’ll realize the danger at first. That big lightcannon can’t be easy to move, and they don’t leave its protection while we have pteridons and skylances.”

  “I hope you’re right.” She turned to face forward in her harness, and the pteridon was airborne, moving in almost a low glide out of the sinkhole valley and across the high road, turning slightly southward, and then climbing gently up the long rugged incline leading to the ridge point Dainyl had earlier pointed out.

  “Land on the back side. I can climb up the last fifty yards. That way they won’t know from where I’m watching.”

  Lyzetta eased the pteridon down, but the north side was so uneven that its crystalline talons crunched into the rock, and it kept its wings spread to maintain balance while Dainyl dismounted.

  After a quick wave, Dainyl clambered up the steep and stony slope until he reached the top. From there, he took a careful survey before slipping from behind one outcropping and moving forward to another, and then another. His final vantage point was a hundred yards higher than the flat ridge that held the alector’s complex, but both were actually outcroppings on a larger underlying ridge.

  Dainyl wished he were close enough to use his lightcutter or even Talent, but a vingt was too distant for effective use of either. He tried to find a comfortable position behind the rock shield from which he could watch the coming bombardment.

  Lyzetta began the first run, her pteridon barely above the ground, certainly not more than twenty yards, so close that it seemed that the tips of the long blue leathery wings nearly touched the uneven stony prominences that rose in places. Then, she was up over the eastern edge of the ridge, the boulder arcing across the hard ground toward the middle building before catching something and skid-rolling sideways.

  From that one pass, Dainyl
had the feeling that it was going to be a long day.

  The next pteridon followed her, rising over the eastern ridge edge some seventy yards to the south of where Lyzetta had released her boulder. The Myrmidon managed a touch more lift, arcing the stone almost to the base of the easternmost building, before it slammed into the building wall and lifted a small plume of rock dust.

  The following pteridon came in from the west, and its boulder rolled past all the buildings and down the eastern slope.

  The Myrmidon on the fourth pteridon—from the east—had no better aim than his predecessor, and his weapon dug in a good fifty yards short of any building.

  Two more passes went by before another boulder shuddered into the main building, but it hit with enough force that Dainyl could see the entire structure shiver.

  As Dainyl watched, he could see that about one in three or four missiles actually contacted the buildings, and only half of those impacted with great force, and so far, the defenders had not opened fire on the attacking pteridons. He doubted that would continue, especially if the Myrmidons and their pteridons became more accurate in their bombardment.

  Another set of passes by both squads resulted in four more strikes against the stone and masonry construction, and a pall of sandy dust was beginning to enshroud the complex.

  After the first pteridon lofted its heavy stone at the beginning of the third run, the light-rifle flashed out at the second Myrmidon, if nowhere close to the pteridon.

  Lyzetta must have passed a shift in directions because the next set of pteridon passes came more from the northeast and northwest—the southern approaches were too exposed—and the light-rifle beams did not anticipate any of the pteridons. Four more of the heavy stones slammed into the buildings, and the dust thickened. While Dainyl hadn’t planned that aspect of the attack, the dust aided his forces far more than the defenders, since the pteridons were changing positions constantly and the buildings remained fixed targets.