Victim of Circumstance (The Time Stone Trilogy Book 3)

by Robert F Hays

  “Sounds interesting,” Ken said. “Tell me more.”

  “Marilou, would you explain?”

  Marilou laughed. “I would like to hear you explain. I believe that you would know more about our history on Earth than we do. Much has been lost.”

  “Without eyesight the witches have lost some of their ability,” Edward said.

  “What abilities?” Ken said.

  “Strange ones,” Colin said. “It was known that if a man looked into the eyes of a Siquijor witch and she wished it, he’d be hypnotized and become her slave. My father and Mr. Fajardo used to joke about it. They kept saying they were both going there to try it out. Mrs. Fajardo used to throw a fit; she was deadly scared of the witches. She told Sid she would divorce him if he set one foot on the island.”

  “Was all this true?” Ken said.

  Colin shrugged. “Don’t know. There’s one fact I was told. The island was home to millions of fireflies. If you approached it by sea on a clear night, the island had a bizarre greenish glow to it.”

  “That part we didn’t know,” Edward said.

  “Man,” Ken said. “If it was still there, I’d be packing my bags to go right now.”

  Colin turned to Marilou. “Are you a Siquijor witch?”

  “Ooo?” she replied. “Do you think so?”

  “You said you see the future.”

  “Well, my mother’s, mother’s mother going back to the first to arrive on this planet was from Siquijor.”

  “So, how do you hypnotize men now if you can’t look into their eyes? The Causian said you do it with your voice.”

  “Ooo?” she replied. “Do you want to be hypnotized and become my slave?”

  “Hmmm,” Colin said. “It would be interesting.”

  “No,” Marilou said and reached out to grab Colin’s chin with surprising accuracy. “You are loved by another. I do not interfere with that.”

  “My family loves me.”

  “No, no, a woman, one of this planet. You are both too young now. You have mountains to climb and battles to fight before you are together, but you will be together.”

  “Col,” Ken said. “Is she talking about Ma…?”

  “Shut up,” Colin interrupted. “Edward. Is Marilou’s predictions usually correct?”

  Edward burst out laughing. “That is for you to find out.”

  “You’re a great help.”

  “As Bugs Bunny say: ‘Ain’t I a stinker?’.”

  * * *

  Colin, Edward and Minda walked between rows of fruit trees.

  “Yes, I think it was wise for your Bishop to keep out of sight with a Sangustin in the village,” Colin said.

  “Agree, but Bishop Carlos is anxious to meet you. He has many messages, history and facts for you to pass on to the Pope on Nova Roma.”

  “You have durian?” Colin said, looking at the spinney green fruit hanging from the trees.

  “Of course,” Edward said. “It is the king of fruit. You know much about Pinoy.”

  “From our neighbors in Texas. Their son Alvin was my best friend for three years. We hung out together. Every time I was at his house I’d always have a plate of mangos, papayas and durian shoved in front of me.”

  “So, what happened to all these fruits that are now extinct? I learn on the history recordings that great cashes of seed were stored on Earth in giant caves in mountains.”

  “All destroyed. We don’t know who did it but we have our suspicions. On the colony ships, because of the harsh environment of space travel and the environments of the new planets, half the species they took with them didn’t survive.”

  “Yes, we are also without half the plants listed in the records. One we would very much want is malunggay, it is a herb, very good for many illness.”

  “I’ll look in the database and see if one of the other planets has it.”

  “So how do we sell these things to other planets? Putting them on a rocket would cost too much.”

  “The cost of space travel is a fraction of what it used to be. We now have anti-gravity as well as artificial gravity. Cargo shuttles are launched by electromagnetic catapult and powered by ion drive into orbit. Anti-gravity shields reduce the weight to a tenth. Then things are loaded on big freighters that are powered by fusion engines using warp drive.”

  “Then that parallel space jump and the cargo is there.”

  Colin looked at Edward and smiled. “I’m amazed that you understand it so easily. Where do you learn the basics of physics and space travel?”

  “Compulsory education. The children must listen to hours of the old voice recordings.”

  “Where did the voice recordings come from? All the technical information was stored as text.”

  “Over the many years we have had people immune from the disease. They could see. They record voice reading the text. They also put narration on Bugs Bunny and Three Stooges to say what they are doing.”

  “Do you have any now who can see?”

  “No, the last one was fifty years ago.”

  “They were very busy people,” Minda said. “Not only reading computer text but everyone want them. The people ask, ‘would you find my favorite hat I misplaced’, ‘would you tell me where my goat is hiding’, ‘is my husband good looking?’”

  Colin laughed. “I can see where they would come in handy.”

  “Where are your friends?” Edward said.

  “Ken’s with Farren, they’re trading with the leather goods we brought. He has to protect him from the evil short people.”

  “Evil short people,” Edward grunted. “That is why our great-great-grandparents cut them off. Every time they came to trade they would set up away from the village. They always had a minister there who would yell at our people who traded with them. They would yell about sin, evil and hell and how our ways were the ways of Satan.”

  “Cut them off?” Colin said. “So, it was your people who put up that rock wall in the pass.”

  “Yes, as Bugs Bunny say: ‘Sangustins are a pain in the tuchas’. They think all others are evil.”

  “They seemed to accept us,” Colin said.

  “You are tall,” Minda said.

  “They think you are other Causians,” Edward said. “The Pentecosts, from the north east, other side of the plains. They were also pain in the tuchas.”

  “Were, past tense?” Colin said. “They’re not still there?”

  “The Thai say they almost wiped out from mutate measles epidemic. Very few left.”

  Colin’s face sagged. “Too bad.”

  “Thais sad but happy. Pentecosts yell at them the same as Sangustins yell at us. They yell at all not Causians.”

  “By the way, not all of our party are Causians. Ken is mostly African and part German.”

  “African?” Minda said. “Does he have a big penis?”

  Colin grimaced. “Please, he’s had enough discussion about his appendage since he’s been here. Kindly don’t mention it.”

  “Why not?” Minda asked.

  “To us it’s private.” Colin looked around. “I know where Ken is, but where has Yuri got to?”

  “He is talking with Marilou,” Minda said. “She is telling him his future.”

  “Will she… uh…”

  “No,” Minda said. “She will not hypnotize him and make him a slave. She wants willing man.”

  “But telling the future?” Colin said. “She can’t be very good at that. She didn’t know we were coming.”

  Minda laughed. “Why do you think she was picking papaya so far from the village? She was there to meet you.”

  Chapter 14

  A laser beam passed over Jim’s head with a solid crack and he felt the vibration in the air. He ducked further down into the newly dug trench just as another bolt of light hit the nearby ground raising a cloud of dirt and rock which rained down on Jim and Sam.

  “Ah thainks they’s a tryin’ ta break through our center,” Sam said.

  “Colonel Mace!” Ji
m heard the voice of Harry yell from a nearby bunker. “Advance your battalion and press them on the right!”

  “That’s one thaing we didn’t have in the war between the states,” Sam said. “Radios. Took time for them dispatch riders ta git the message through.”

  “Welcome to modern warfare,” Jim said.

  The air above them lit up with a swarm of speeding fireflies which made a snapping sound as they passed overhead.

  “There’s one thing that hasn’t changed since my time,” Jim said. “The thing you see most in a major battle is the two meters of dirt right in front of your nose.”

  “How long will you be?” Carol said and Jim turned to see her crouched down next to him.

  “Maybe another hour,” Jim said.

  “I hope it doesn’t take longer,” Carol said. “Matt and Laura will be here for dinner soon.” She turned to Sam. “Sam, are you really here or just a holograph?”

  Another explosion made Carol duck lower as she waited for a reply.

  “Ah’m at ma farm,” Sam replied. “Joan’ll be a callin’ me fer dinner soon too.”

  Several more explosions shook the ground.

  “Darling,” Jim said. “The battle’s heating up. It’ll end before Matt and Laura get here. I’ll be straight in.”

  “Ok,” Carol said and looked around. “I’ve lost my bearings. Which way is the door?”

  Jim pointed. “I think it’s behind that rock.”

  Carol raised herself slightly, turned and took off at a fast walk.

  “Hold it, hold it,” called the voice of Harry and Jim looked up to see him crawl out of his entrenched position. He was followed from the bunker by two other officers. “Freeze the bloody simulation!” he yelled. “Get me a controller.”

  Suddenly a passing drone stopped and hung in midair, several explosions froze with rock and dirt suspended above the point of impact. The entire battlefield went eerily quiet.

  A technician appeared a couple of meters from Harry with a data pad in his hand.

  Harry turned to the other officers. “Jeff, Bill, call it a day for now, I want to talk with this guy.”

  The two officers nodded and one by one disappeared.

  “What the bloody hell are those enemy drones still doing in the air,” Harry yelled. “My bloody strike team should have knocked out the control center by now.”

  The technician looked down at the data pad. “According to the simulator your strike team was detected and destroyed.”

  “How?” Harry said. “When we retreated through that pass I ordered two platoons to move to one side and dig camouflaged positions. They were to let the main enemy body past and when they brought up their mobile computer control center they were to attack that. What the bloody hell happened?”

  “According to the simulator, the enemy detected them using their ultrasonic excavation units and knew where they were.”

  “They weren’t to use ultrasonic excavation units; they were to dig in with picks and shovels. Their ranger suits would have covered their infrared signatures.”

  “According to the simulator that would’ve been impossible. A soldier could not manually dig fast enough to make a camouflaged position in the time they had.”

  “Modern soldiers can’t but Casian troops can. Unlike modern troops, they’re practiced at digging a hole with a pick and shovel.”

  “I really do not think that…”

  “Would you bloody well rerun that part of the simulation without them using ultrasonic excavation units.”

  The technician reluctantly tapped on the data pad. “Well,” he said, “it appears that they would not have been detected but when they attacked the mobile computer control center the enemy would have used a short range energy sink weapon. That would’ve drained the power packs on your troops pulse rifles and laser pistols. They would’ve had no weapons to destroy the computer control center.”

  “They have plenty of bloody weapons!” Harry yelled. “They’re all over the bloody ground! They’re called bloody rocks!”

  “And the butts of their pulse rifles,” Jim added.

  “Oh,” the technician said and made another entry. “Well… uh… It appears that you would’ve knocked out their drones but it’s still projecting that you would lose the battle.”

  “How?” Harry yelled. “My troops are well dug in. The enemy would’ve had to get up close and personal. That’s where we have the advantage in training and experience.”

  “Again,” the technician said. “You’re forgetting the enemy’s short range energy sink weapon. The Bund are rather partial to it, they definitely would use it in this situation.”

  “That’s what I was counting on,” Harry said. “The enemy would be so close that it would’ve drained their weapons too.”

  “You would still have lost,” the technician said. “Both sides would’ve had to pull back to recharge their weapons. That’d give the enemy time to bring up their reserves and you would’ve been outnumbered four to one instead of two to one.”

  “Did ya git that there memo thaing we sent ya,” Sam said.

  “We got a memo, but we did not understand what it meant.”

  “Our pulse rifles done been modified,” Sam said. “They now got a mount on them ta attach a bayonet. With them fancy light weapons not bein’ able ta work, we jest do an old fashioned bayonet charge.”

  “Uh…” the technician said. “What’s a bayonet?”

  “Holy mother of hell!” Harry screamed. “Even without a bayonet they still have entrenching tools! They could have attacked with them!”

  “Uh…” the technician said. “What’s an entrenching tool?”

  “Uh…” Harry said, his face reddening and his body tensing.

  “Hold it,” Jim said. “Does the simulator have a short range weapon called a laser dagger listed and can its range be modified? It’s a knife that uses a laser beam to cut and stab.”

  The technician made an entry. “Yes, that’s listed.”

  “Give our troops one each, make its power setting five and its rage at about a meter and a half. Also modify it so it can’t be drained by an energy sink weapon.” Jim turned to Harry. “I think that’d be as close a simulation of a bayonet as we could get.”

  Harry nodded. “And we attack, using them.”

  “Oh,” the technician said. “The computer projection now reads that the enemy’s front line falls back, but they will join up with their reserves who do have fully powered up weapons.”

  “I had planned to pin them down with our M60 machineguns. Each squad carries one.”

  “What’s an M60 machinegun?”

  “It’s a rapid fire, automatic, chemical propellant weapon. We manufacture them on Casia. An energy sink weapon would have no effect on them.”

  “A reproduction antique weapon?” the technician exclaimed.

  “That’s when I bring up my troop carriers with mounted pulse canons. We keep pressing the hand to hand combat and use the pulse weapons to suppress their reserves as they come up.”

  “Your troop carriers are 359Js. They don’t have a visual espy field to cover them from sight. They’d be seen and knocked out by the enemy’s photon missile launchers.”

  “I was going to cover their advance with a smoke screen.”

  “What’s a smoke screen?”

  “Keep your cool Harry,” Jim chuckled.

  “Chemical smoke that comes from a fire,” Harry said.

  “But scanners can detect them through chemical smoke.”

  “One of our chemists discovered that adding a trace of copper and molybdenum to the smoke yacks up ninety percent of all military scanners.”

  Jim turned to the technician. “Just change the 359Js to 359Ms that do have visual espy fields.”

  The technician looked up from his data pad. “The enemy are now in full retreat.”

  “You see now,” Harry said. “That’s why I sacrificed my drones to take out their front line combat robotics. I wanted to get the g
round fight man to man where we have the advantage.”

  The technician shook his head. “This whole thing’s too out of the ordinary to work. Digging by hand, using rocks as weapons and whatever this bayonet thing is. Then there are antique chemical weapons and, what did you say, smoke?”

  “Yes,” Harry said as he again tried to calm himself. “The gunners on the troop carriers won’t be able to see the enemy through the smoke screen so I’ll have artillery spotters with the front line troops verbally guiding them.”

  “Verbally?” the technician said. “Not through your computer system?”

  “It takes less time for a guy to say on a radio: ‘Gun five, correct two hundred meters right.’ than it does to make an entry on a data pad.”

  The technician paused for a moment and looked down at his pad. “The analysts are debating now, but the consensus is that your unit would be wiped out the first day using such unconventional methods.”

  “Your own simulation program says otherwise,” Jim said.

  “We do not know why,” the technician said. “There must be some glitch in it. It’s not taking everything into account. You’ll receive a full report and evaluation on the simulation tomorrow.”

  The technician suddenly disappeared.

  “End program,” Harry said.

  The battlefield scene vanished leaving the plain walls of the corporeality room in its place.

  “Bloody idiots,” Harry said. “They’re so up themselves with technology they’ve forgotten the basics. A man is just as dead if you hit him with a rock as he would be shot with a pulse rifle.”

  “Tell us, Harry,” Jim said. “Vent your frustrations on us, we don’t care.”

  “Damn morons!” Harry yelled. “If their junior officers wanted to take a shit, they’d first run the procedure through a computer simulation then get permission from command. No initiative, no make do with what you’ve got. They all have bloody computers up their asses.”

  “Colin says he is quite impressed with the training he’s had with the Rangers.”

  “The Commonwealth Rangers are a totally different matter,” Harry said. “They’re the only units in the bloody military that actually know what they’re doing. We have more in common with them than the idiot Home Guard units.”