by Saxon Andrew
“Some earn it through testing, Rory. You’ve earned it through your actions.”
Rory slapped Tyler on the back and said, “I hear you’re carrying some oil bags with you.”
“Yes, I am.”
“What on earth do you intend to do with them? I would think the extra weight isn’t worth the effort of taking them.”
“I just have an idea and want to be able to try it.”
Rory stopped and Tyler stopped with him. “Tell me what you’re thinking?”
“Do you remember when you went over all the defenses the Destroyers have waiting for us?” Rory nodded. “Well, I remember that you mentioned that there are gunpowder storage facilities spaced at regular intervals against the base of the coastal wall.”
“They have pulleys that lift the barrels to the top of the wall.”
Tyler nodded, “I believe you said there were about thirty of them.”
Rory thought for a moment and closed his eyes. He opened them and said, “There’s thirty eight of them.”
Tyler smiled, “Thanks for remembering.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“Rory, what’s going to happen when my Warriors arrive at the wall and open fire on the guns with their beams?”
Rory visualized the action and said, “You’ll have to kill every person on the wall or they’ll turn the spitters on the sources of the red beams.”
“They won’t need the spitters, Rory. How many Destroyers armed with rifles are going to be at that wall?” Rory shook his head and Tyler said, “It could be as many as a hundred thousand and we’re going to have to focus on the guns. My warriors are going to be shot at by thousands of Destroyers who are very accurate with their rifles. They’ll see our beams and they’ll quickly learn to fire at the source of them.”
Rory shook his head, “And there’s going to be less than two thousand of you to face them.” Tyler nodded. “So what are you planning?”
“I’m going to have a hundred and sixty fliers, now that I know there’s thirty eight storage facilities along the wall, launch off the end of the forest wall and fly over those storage facilities and drop oil on them once we arrive within three hundred yards of the wall.”
Rory nodded, “And you’re going to shoot fire arrows at the facilities.”
“That’s my plan.”
Rory stared at Tyler and said, “Please tell me you’re not going to be one of those firing the arrows.”
“Would you send your warriors in and not be willing to take the risk with them?”
“Tyler, those powder facilities will blow out from that wall a lot further than three hundred yards.”
“Rory, I don’t see any other way to do this without losing most of my warriors. I’m having the bulk of them stay with Olivia to go to the Care Center.”
“What does she think about this?”
“I can tell she doesn’t like it but I have to give her credit. She respects the fact that I have to do it with my archers.”
Rory shook his head and thought about the plan. There was no way the archers firing on the powder facilities would survive the blast. Rory turned to walk toward the Council Meeting and looked at Tyler, “How many Master Warriors do you have?”
“Four hundred; why do you ask?”
Rory smiled and told him.
• • •
“Hey, Mindy!”
Mindy turned around and saw Jake and Francis running toward her, “Yes?”
“The two Groups that are going to attack the coastal cannons are having a get together at the weapon storage facility. We want you to come with us.” Mindy started shaking her head and Francis said, “I am not going to allow you say no. There are too few women as it is. I can use the support.”
Mindy chuckled, “Francis, since when do you ever need support?”
“I mean it, Mindy. What are you going to do at this moment?”
Mindy tilted her head, “I don’t know. I guess I was going home to rest.”
Francis took her arm and said, “That’s what the night is for, sister. Come on.” Mindy shook her head and said, “Alright, alright, you don’t have to squeeze my arm like a pod.”
Jake grabbed her by the hand and said, “We need to hurry, we don’t want to miss any of the fun.” He pulled Mindy and all three ran toward the storage facility.
They arrived and they heard the warriors inside already singing at the top of their voices. Mindy smiled, “One would think they could carry a tune.”
Jake laughed, “They can when they’re sober. Come on.” Jake walked forward and opened the door. Mindy stepped up to the entrance and paused. The singing stopped when the door was opened. Francis pushed her through the door and she stumbled into the room. The room erupted into cheers and Mindy’s eyebrows lowered. She saw Rory walking toward her with a smile and the room grew silent when he arrived in front of her.
“Mindy, the warriors in Johnathan’s and my groups want you to know that they are grateful for all the hard work you’ve put in getting them prepared for the coming mission.” Rory looked around the room as he said, “All of us feel like you made the difference in getting us ready to attack the Coastal Cannons. The Warriors had this special arrow made to show you their appreciation.” Rory handed Mindy an arrow that was coated in gold. Engraved on it was, “We’ll follow you anywhere.” Gold was one of the rarest metals used by the community and Mindy knew how much the arrow had cost the warriors. She took the arrow and pulled it to her chest as her tears ran down her cheeks. The room exploded in cheers and Rory leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She grabbed him and wrapped her arms around his chest as she wept. The cheers doubled in volume and Rory whispered in her ear, “I’m so proud of you.”
Mindy held on to Rory. It was the first time her brother had ever told her he was proud of her. Even when she received her Master Warrior’s rank, he had not said it. She released him and warriors ran up and asked her to dance as the music started. She was danced off her feet but she held on to the arrow the whole time and felt her heart singing.
Finally, Mindy begged to sit down and the warriors reluctantly allowed her. She took off her shoes and rubbed her feet. She looked up and saw Gordon sitting across the room by himself. She left her shoes, walked over, and sat down beside him. She noticed he was wearing a standard warrior’s uniform, “You weren’t able to find anyone to join your wing?” Gordon shook his head. “Why not?”
Gordon sighed and said, “After the week ended and I lost my rank, I went to see the warriors that had been in my wing and asked them why they left.”
“And?”
“They told me what a bastard I was.”
Mindy shook her head, “I imagine that was hard to take.”
Gordon nodded, “It was, but they were right. I was so full of myself that I lost sight of what got me promoted to begin with.”
“What was that, Gordon?”
“I would help the warriors in my wing to get better. Most of them became good friends and all of them told me, after the fact that they were ashamed of what I had become.” Gordon looked Mindy in the eyes, “Maxius was right, I’m not ready to command anyone.”
Mindy stared at Gordon and saw herself in him. “Gordon.”
They looked up and saw Lance Adams standing in front of them, “Yes?”
“My Commander has requested that you be reassigned to his group. Group Commanders Rory and Johnathan have agreed to allow you to go if you choose to do so.”
“Why would Tyler want me?”
“He has an assignment that requires Master Archery Skills. I should tell you in advance that it is incredibly dangerous.”
Gordon stared at Lance and said, “Am I needed to save lives?”
Lance tilted his head, “Yes.”
Gordon stood and smiled, “Then I’m your man.”
Lance smiled and handed Gordon an object. Gordon looked at it and sat back down in his chair. Lance said, “You will meet with your wing in the morning to start training. You don’t
have long so make the most of the time you have.”
Gordon nodded and clutched the object tightly in his hand. Lance walked away and Mindy said, “What did he give you?” Gordon opened his hand sand showed her the silver disk of a Wing Commander. Mindy smiled, “How do you feel about serving under Tyler?”
Gordon looked at her and said, “You need only to read the arrow you were given.”
Mindy smiled and leaned forward and hugged Gordon’s neck. “Come see me when this is over.” Gordon smiled and nodded.
Rory watched what happened and smiled. Now Gordon was ready. Rory looked at Mindy and saw her staring at him. He looked at Gordon and nodded. Mindy nodded in return. Gordon was different. Rory had just confirmed it. He wasn’t a Tyler, but he had talent in abundance. She took his hand and led him over to her shoes. She put them on and led him toward the door. Gordon’s eyes narrowed, “Where are we going?”
“You heard Lance say your mission was going to be incredibly dangerous, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes.”
“I don’t think I want to wait until all this is over. We should make the most out of the time we have.”
Gordon’s eyes softened and he shook his head, “Mindy, I don’t deserve you.”
Mindy put her free arm around his waist and said, “No, it is I that don’t deserve you. Let’s try to work hard to make it work.” Gordon stared into her eyes and smiled as they left the building. Mindy said, “By the way, that isn’t a Wing Commander’s disk.” Gordon’s eyes narrowed and he looked at the disk again. He turned it over and his eyes widened as Mindy said, “You are now a Group-Unit Commander. You’ll have more than two hundred fliers under your command.” All Gordon could do was shake his head. Mindy saw his fear at failing again but she knew that his fear would prevent it. Like her brother, she saw he was ready.
• • •
Andy looked at the flag on top of the cliff from the platform leading up to the cut in the cliff wall and saw it blowing toward the east. It had moved back and forth from east to the west for a week, but now it constantly blew east toward the Destroyers. Maxius, Mark, Harvey, Tyler, Rory, Johnathan, Zeck, Steve, and Annelise stood around him staring at the flag. The group was silent as they stared up at the flag as thousands of warriors were gathered below them. Andy turned and said, “It’s time. We’ll launch one week from today. Make sure all your groups are ready and on board.”
Andy looked at the gathered warriors and raised both hands over his head. The roar was instant, as the warriors ran away to notify every one of the coming war. A priest ran up the steps and stopped in front of Andy. “It’s time. Melody has started her labor.” Andy ran down the steps following the priest. The entire group followed him as the Community’s drums began beating the rhythm of war.
• • •
Andy lay beside Melody and looked at his two daughters. They were unbelievably beautiful. Melody was resting and her eyes were closed. Andy couldn’t stare at them enough. He heard Melody say with her eyes closed, “The one in my right arm is Linnae. The one in my left is Harmony.”
Andy leaned over and kissed Melody gently on the forehead. Melody said, “Haven’t you learned what lips are for?” Andy chuckled and kissed her on the mouth. Melody opened her eyes and smiled, “I was so hoping they would come before you left.”
Andy nodded and said, “They are so incredibly beautiful, just like their mother.”
Melody sighed, “I am a wreck at the moment.”
“I think you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Andy looked at the babies, “How are you going to tell them apart; they look exactly alike.”
“I can feel the difference.” Andy turned his head to Melody and she gave a weak shrug, “I can’t explain it, but they feel different in my mind. I’ll have no trouble telling the difference.”
“Are you saying they are like you and Harmony were?”
“I don’t have any idea what it means. But I know the difference.”
A priest came in and picked up Linnae to take her to get a dry diaper. Both babies began immediately wailing. The priest looked at Melody and she said, “You better take both of them.” Another priest walked up and picked up Harmony and they stopped crying. Melody looked at Andy and sighed, “It does appear they are connected in some way.”
Andy watched the two babies as the priests took them out and nodded, “Yes it does.”
Chapter Eleven
Andy held his two daughters and smiled at Melody, “I can’t get over how much they look alike.”
“They do look exactly like each other.”
“And you still think you can tell the difference between them?”
“You’re holding Linnae in your left arm.”
“How can you tell!? I’ve got to be able to tell the difference and I’ve gotta tell you, I can’t tell the difference.”
“There is one thing that might help you.”
“What is that?”
“When you talk to Linnae, her eyebrows go down. Harmony’s go up. Try it.”
Andy looked at the baby in his left arm and said quietly in her ear, “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Andy saw the baby’s eyebrows go down. He looked at Harmony and smiled, “I was just kidding her; you’re the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.” Harmony immediately smiled and her eyebrows went up.” Andy shook his head and looked at Melody, “Does it always happen like this?”
“So far.”
“But you can tell the difference anyway.”
“Andy, Linnae feels different from Harmony in my mind. I can’t explain how that is but I know their feel.”
Andy stared at Melody and after a moment, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on the baby in his left arm. He opened his eyes as the infant squeezed the finger of his hand. He thought about the baby in his right arm, and she suddenly smiled. He turned to Melody and shook his head, “It seems that Harmony is much quicker to smile.”
“She is, Andy. It feels like Linnae is exploring the world around her a lot more than her sister.”
Any nodded, “I can sense that.”
“You’ll have no trouble telling them apart. When are you leaving?”
“I’m going to the Flagship in an hour and we’re going to set sail. The six camouflaged ships lifted anchor and sailed about three hours ago.”
“I’m nervous about all of you being on the same set of music during this attack. A lot of things are going to have to overlap and none of the parties are going to be able to communicate with each other. Are you sure everyone is ready?”
Andy shrugged, “I guess you can never be sure about anything except for my love for you, Melody. However, there will be definite clues that will indicate everyone’s time to go into action has arrived.”
“What about Tyler?”
“I have to say that I’ve been impressed with the way he modified his plans multiple times and still had all his warriors trained on making the final version a success. It’s his command that has the most difficult challenges to handle. I’m going to get things started and that will put the ball in motion. We’ll just have to adapt on the fly.”
“What happens if things don’t work out the way you’ve planned?”
“Then we’ll have to go about killing everyone in the city…including the infants.”
Melody shook her head, “I really hope that doesn’t happen.”
Andy shook his head slowly, “If any one part of the plan gets thrown off schedule, that’s probably what is going to happen.” Andy went over to Melody’s bed and handed the twins to her. He leaned down and kissed Melody tenderly on the lips, “I’ll see you in a couple of months.”
Melody grabbed his arm before he could pull away and said, “Andy, if it means putting your life in jeopardy to save the infants, don’t do it!” Andy stared in Melody’s eyes and she said, “I mean it!” Andy stared at her and she squeezed his arm hard, “Promise me, you won’t.”
“I thought this was extremely important
to you.”
“It is important, but not as important as you are to me…and our Community. We’re going to have to face a space traveling species and we must have you to lead us through it.” Melody paused, “I guess what I’m telling you is…your place is not on the front line.” Andy’s eyes narrowed and both babies immediately started crying. He was startled for an instant and then took a deep breath, “I’ll stay out of trouble, Melody.”
“Promise me!”
Andy shook his head but knew he had to do it. “I promise.”
Melody fell back on her pillows and the babies grew silent. “Thank you, Andy.”
Andy nodded and kissed all three of them before he left the cave. He shook his head as he walked toward the pier to board the Storm Chaser. Steve was commanding the stealth ships on this voyage and Zeck commanded the Community’s Fleet. The ship was still camouflaged on the front and rear and Andy was planning to be close enough to watch the fliers as they attacked the cannons guarding the harbor. Now…he was going to have to remain out of range of the cannons. He didn’t like it but he knew if he went in close, Melody would find out. Andy knew she would question Zeck when he returned to see if Andy kept his promise. Andy didn’t like it, but he gave his word; he was going to keep it. He arrived at the end of the pier and walked up the ramp to the ship. He was the last one to board and the ship quickly cast off its mooring lines and the ship moved out toward the hundred and forty tall sailing ships waiting on the Storm Chaser to take the lead. Andy walked back to the stern and walked up the steps, “How are things going?”
Zeck smiled, “All of our forces are on their assigned ships and settling in for the voyage. Rory’s ships are on the north and south points of our advance. They’ll let us know when they are close to their launch points.”
“I’m nervous about taking out those harbor guns.”
“What? Do you think we’ve missed something?”
“It doesn’t make sense to me to only have the gun crews at them. I have to believe there’s more there than what we’ve seen.”
Zeck stared at the sea as he listened to Andy and after he moved around a ship to the port side as he said, “Perhaps we should take a closer look before we commit the fleet.”