Jack said, "And what if it doesn't?"
Go offered a solemn response. "If that chamber goes, we lose most of the lab deck. Would the damage spread beyond that? Couldn't say. That chamber is like a bomb right now."
Our discussions continued for another hour. The chamber held as the crystals began to grow. Joni and Garrett returned to the transport as I walked back to the alien ship with Jack and Go.
Jack said, "I have to say, having a team of people here and having things to keep me busy is making this trip much better than any I've had yet. We usually have days of anxiety just ahead of a transport run, because there is nothing to plan for. We just charge in and live or die."
I replied, "That should have told you that something was wrong with the whole process."
Jack laughed. "Oh, I knew the whole process was whacked. I just didn't have any alternatives. You do as you are ordered out here or they do away with you."
I smiled. "Well, maybe it's time we changed that!"
Chapter 12
Of the nearly five hundred seeds placed in the chamber by Go, one hundred twenty-eight grew crystals of the desired size, shape and makeup. The crystals were added to the circuits and attached to transmitters. Each ship in the fleet would have two transmitters. If a transmitter failed to dissuade enemy fire, the second transmitter would be enabled. If that failed, it was business as usual.
Jack's nav officer gave status. "We are five minutes from weapons range. We should have an indication of the first wave of missiles being launched in just over four minutes. I have indicators from every ship that they are ready for activation, Sir."
Jack nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Capp. Start the algorithm running for the transmitters."
Jack turned to look at me. "This either works or we get spanked. They have three more ships than we have destroyers. Getting past those missiles will be critical for our survival."
I replied, "Let's just hope we tuned that algorithm to enable the transmitters at the right time. That half-second window we are relying on is not very wide."
Go stood with his fists firmly planted into his sides. "It will work, but I'll bet it only works on this raid. They won't let it happen again."
I half smiled. "We only need it to work this time."
Several minutes passed before Jefferson Capp spoke again. "We have missile launch detection. We'll know in about fifteen seconds whether or not this works."
The countdown was undeniably tense. I looked around the room at the brave faces surrounding me. Against the missiles we were outgunned, but we hoped our ingenuity would turn the enemy advantage into a weakness.
In the instant before the wave of missiles struck, the majority turned away from our ships. Five of the crystal transmitters, two on destroyers and three on transports, failed.
I yelled a command over the comm. "Switch to your alternate transmitters for this second wave!"
Again the Heap led the other ships into the fight. After destroying six missiles on her own, a seventh tore through the cockpit and exited through the cargo hold. The destruction inside the ship was both immense and complete. The Heap, who had served us so well, and her crew, were no more.
Seven of the ships failed to change to the alternate identity code. All seven took direct hits. Shortly after, we were heavily engaged with the twenty-six enemy teardrop shaped ships.
Jack yelled. "Turn into those two heading for the transports! Fire when in range!"
The scene on the bridge was chaotic. I felt helpless as I stood and watched the battle being fought by our brave captains and crewmen. Garrett in the Jess, along with two fighters, protected the command transport that carried Joni and several of the senior Adican staff. The others had been disbursed across other ships in the hope that at least some would survive.
Our Talisan crews, and the deadly ion cannons our ships carried, were punishing the teardrop attackers. Of the twenty-six attacking ships, a dozen were destroyed in the first two minutes of battle. The holo-display was full of beams and bolts. Ships, highlighted as friend or foe on the display, flashed across the three dimensional view that surrounded the lone green blip, signifying the Garmon.
Three minutes into the fight, the teardrops broke from battle and returned to their place in orbit.
Jack pounded his fist. "Yes! Looks like we are bringing in thirty transports! I haven't seen those numbers in a while, especially given the fact that we were ambushed first! Mr. Capp, take us to the designated ground targets! I want those taken out before the transports are in range!"
The Garmon dropped in just above the city skyline as repeated ion blasts hammered enemy positions on the ground. It was evident from the lack of response that the ground forces were not prepared for an assault. I ordered the Garmon to set down next to Joni's transport. I was going in with her. With only a slight resistance having been met, the remaining transports and their Adican troops were redirected to the main landing area.
Jack spoke as we hit the ground. "Keep your head down out there, Mr. Beutcher! We're gonna need you back when this is done!"
I nodded as I left the bridge. "I'll do my best, Jack. You just keep this ship flying in case their command decides to involve their other ships."
As I stepped out onto the ground of Doomlight I felt the pull of the slightly heavy gravity. I was angry with myself for not having asked what to expect ahead of time so that I might become better acclimated. It was negligent on my part, an omission that had the real possibility of getting people killed.
"Joni? Garrett? Where are you?" I asked into an open channel on my comm.
Garrett replied, "I'm in the Jess, hovering above the city with a continuous deep scan running. If those ships come our way, I'll give you notice. Be prepared for a pick-up in front of that command post if that should happen.
Joni replied, "Check your locator, I should show on there. I am in front of the transport, moving towards the building designated as E55."
I nodded. "I see you! Keep moving, I'll catch up!"
My slow trot turned into an all out sprint. Hundreds of Adicans gawked as the two meter tall Grunta blew past their position in a full run, a pace that would make most Humans look like they were stuck in a thick syrup. The Adicans, with their shorter stature, fell quickly behind. I slowed as I caught up to the others.
Joni jogged. "I'm taking the brigade following me straight into D41. That's the command headquarters building."
Joni stopped suddenly, taking aim at a civilian who had just come out of a side building. After a moment's hesitation, the civilian returned through the door from which he had come.
Joni caught up. "I wish they wouldn't do that. I don't think anyone will be expecting us. With that cloudy sky up there, maybe they think those gun emplacements being taken out were thunder or something."
When we reached D41, the guards came out with their hands raised. We surmised they were part of the local population and probably didn't care to be caught up in the fight. We entered the building with two guards fast asleep at their posts. The Adican soldiers swept through the building like angry ants whose dirt pile had been kicked over. By the time we reached the fifth floor offices, not a single shot had been fired. I followed Joni into a large room where a lunchtime feast was underway. The commanders of the alien army were caught stuffing their faces with a smorgasbord of food. Our alien enemies were not native to Doomlight.
The enemy commanders, a species known as the Moddle, were rounded up and forced into a corner of the great room they had been feeding in.
Joni yelled as she aimed her blaster. "Who's in charge here?"
The room was silent.
I stepped forward. "I don't think they know what you are saying."
Joni scowled. "Well, common sense should tell them how they are supposed to surrender!"
I held up my hand. "Have patience. I would suggest we send the other troops back to the transports and take the landing field. We can handle the command with the brigade you have here."
Joni opened a comm on her a
rm pad. "Martum! We have everything secure here! Start phase two!"
Martum Bargo replied, "Commencing phase two!"
Through the massive glass windows of the dining hall, a half kilometer away, I could see the first of the reserve transports loaded with Adicans lifting off.
I opened a comm to the Garmon. "Go? Are you near the Anterra?"
Go replied, "I'm standing beside it. Why?"
Can you open a comm device so I can communicate with the ship directly?"
Go nodded, "I can. What are you wanting?"
I looked over at our captives. "We need to communicate with these people and that ship may be our only method of doing so right now."
Joni waved her blaster at them. "They have to have translators. How else would they be maintaining the circus with our command that they have been running here?"
I replied, "I'm sure they do, but we don't have access to our command post at this moment. Go, do we have comm?"
A warble came over my arm pad. It was a connection request from the Anterra. "I'm sorry, Emperor. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I do have translation abilities that I can assist with."
I gestured towards the commanders. "Tell them, in your native language, that we are demanding their surrender."
The computer could be heard voicing the demand in an alien tongue over my comm. The alien commanders stood with blank stares.
I frowned. "I don't think they understood."
The Anterra offered a reason. "That is because they do not understand my native language. The Moddle language is very much different than my own."
I looked at my comm with an angered stare. "Do you speak Moddle?"
The Anterra replied, "I do."
With an increasingly angered voice, I continued: "Would you ... no ... just tell them we demand their surrender, in Moddle."
The Anterra blurted out another string of unintelligible sounds. Seconds later, the commanders of the Moddle army on Doomlight dropped to one knee with their heads bowed.
Joni shook her head. "OK, I'll take that as a surrender."
Word came back from the first transports to arrive at the enemy landing area. "This is Bargo. There was no resistance at the landing fields. They are secure."
I spoke into my comm. "Anterra, tell the Moddle to have their army lay down their weapons and for them to start moving towards the landing fields."
The Anterra repeated my commands in the Moddle language. The Moddle wearing what appeared to be a heavily decorated uniform stood and began to laugh.
I asked the Anterra. "Why would he think that order is so funny?"
The computer voice hesitated for several seconds. "Emperor, I hope you do not mind. In an attempt to answer your question, I conducted a brief survey of the sensor data on your arm pad. I apologize for this intrusion, but I believe I have uncovered the reason for the Moddle commander's reaction. There are no armies at the front. A scan by one of your ships identified no individuals as being in that location."
Joni grabbed my arm. "Ask it about our troops on the other side of the front."
I nodded. "If the scan data covered the other side of the designated front, how many individuals were found to be located there?"
The Anterra replied, "None. Scans indicate zero at the landing area and zero at the alternate command post. The only army that is showing on the scan is the mass of Grumars who are fast approaching this building."
I leaned my head back. "Anterra, ask the Moddle where their armies are."
The Anterra asked the question and translated the answer. "According to the Moddle, there are no armies. The planet has two dominant populations that control it, under terms of an agreement reached years ago by both populations, after the invaders had been overrun. Future battles would be fought in massive arenas for the population to enjoy and wager upon. Both invading commands were allowed to live if they in turn provided new fighters for the arenas."
The Anterra continued as we stood with our jaws dropped. "Emperor, I can provide you with a translation algorithm for your arm device that will translate and rebroadcast your commands in any of the forty-six languages that I understand. It can also translate their words into your native language, allowing you to have direct conversations with the captives who stand before you. Is that a desirable situation?"
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, please download the algorithm to my arm pad."
A ding could be heard as Anterra spoke. "Thank you for the polite response, Emperor. The algorithm has been installed and is ready for use."
Joni shook her head. "I don't know if I like how easy that was."
I replied, "Let's see if it works."
I looked directly at the being who appeared to be in command. "Are you the Moddle in charge?"
The commander replied, "I am. General Dovit Kussa of the Moddle Empire. With whom am I speaking?"
I glanced at a scowling Joni Salton before answering. "I am Knog Beutcher, Emperor of the Talisans. Why did you laugh when we asked where your armies were?"
The General gestured towards the food tables. "Come, let us eat while we discuss your new life here on Doomlight."
I shook my head angrily. "I have no interest in your food. Explain to me what's going on here!"
The General laughed. "There is no need for hostilities between us, Emperor Beutcher. We are all trapped here, playing to the will of the local population, who are members of a very large empire in this region of the galaxy. It seems your aggressions, as well as our own, brought us both into a fight we cannot win. You and I are left to watch the carnage of our armies as they fight to the death in this planet's arenas. We are not in control, nor can we converse with our empires in an attempt to tell them to stop sending in more troops.
"Our voices, as well as every identifiable biometric, have been recorded and are being used to send back false combat reports, and to order more troops into battle. The ships you brought down to this planet, have them do a scan of the space surrounding this planet. I believe you will find thousands of those teardrop shaped ships in orbit by now. Your bold move to assault this building will be looked upon with glee. They have not had any such assaults since the first ones of two to three years ago."
The General walked to the food table and picked up the cooked leg of a dead animal, taking a generous bite from it. "You and I are prisoners here, Emperor. We will be prisoners until our empires decide they aren't sending any more troops. At that time, or perhaps before, I expect to be thrown into one of those arenas."
Joni lowered her blaster. "Who are these locals? What empire do they belong to? Who are we fighting?"
Dovit Kussa laughed. "You aren't fighting anyone. You are property of the Grumars. You just don't realize it yet."
I opened a comm channel to Jack. "Where are you?"
Jack replied: "The transports weren't seeing any resistance, so I returned to orbit. We're keeping an eye on those teardrop ships."
I took a deep breath. "Do a deep scan of the surrounding space. If you see anything at all, I want you to break orbit and get as far away from this planet as you can. It may be that we walked, or fought our way into a trap. Scan now and tell me what you see."
Jack replied, "Coming up now … and ... crap! There are thousands of those teardrops heading this way! And the streets leading to your location are flooded with soldiers!"
I split the comm channel between Garrett and Jack. "Get out now! Don't come back until you have a fleet that can take out several thousand of those teardrops! If you have to wait for a portal back to the Triangulum to open, then do that! Give the Anterra to Harden Salton and tell him that his niece is being held captive here. And tell him to not bother coming through that portal unless he can muster a fleet of ten thousand ships or more!"
Jack nodded as he yelled to his nav officer. "Capp! Get us out of here pronto! Head away from those incomings with everything we've got!"
Garrett replied, "You and Joni get out to that field in front of the building! I'll be there in u
nder a minute!"
I glanced out the window at the hordes of Doomlight fighters converging on our location. "Don't bother, Garrett. You get the Jess to safety. We'll need a rescue if the situation changes. We wouldn't make it out the doors of this place as it stands right now."
I looked into the comm camera. "Mr. Carson, I wish I could say different, but I believe your family is long dead. There are no armies on this planet except for the natives that reside here. We've been sending our people here for their entertainment. Don't come back until you know you can do so with adequate force. I'm sending what data I have to you now."
Jack shook his head as he looked into the comm. "We have a couple of those phony transponder codes left. If they fall for it we might just be able to slip out of here. I'll do everything in my power to get back as soon as I---"
The comm channel went silent with static.
The General took another bite from his animal leg as he sat in a chair. "Roasted Aldair, Emperor? It's very good. Don't bother with your comm anymore. They have it jammed. Speaking of jam, the brattaberry jam is delicious!"
As I looked out the windows of the command building, the streets surrounding D41 filled with local Doomlight troops. Joni looked on in dismay.
I turned to Joni. "Give the command for the Adicans with us to not fire. We wouldn't last ten minutes against that horde.
The General leaned back with a solemn look. "I'm sorry about your people. If you want to look at the bright side, they will probably allow the people in this room, which includes you, to stay. The remainder of the building will be cleared out and those individuals sent off to the arenas. I hope your friends are good fighters. Ours are decently trained but not very bright. The lower classes have always migrated towards military duty on our worlds."
Joni sat at the table. "Our people are conscripts."
The General laughed and then stopped himself. "Oh, you were serious? I'm sorry about that. What society sends their regular citizens off to war?"
Joni replied, "One that doesn't have a full military."
I winced and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps it's better that you not give any more information."
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