Then he decided something. I'd rather be afraid than ashamed. With fists clenched, he rose to his feet. He looked out into the ocean and scowled. His heart began to pound in his chest once more.
“I'd rather be afraid than ashamed,” he repeated out loud. Then he closed his eyes, lifted his arms from his sides, and jumped.
"Water has played an important role in the history of the conflict between Reysa and Gartol. Not only is the Aeil River responsible for delivering each city its precious Tormada, but the Delucean Sea has occasionally served as a battlefield. Both the Reysene and Gartolians regard the sea with trepidation. Given the choice, both races would much rather do battle on solid ground. However, from time to time, one of the armies would take advantage of the other's apprehension and launch a surprise attack from the sea, even though it meant risking the wrath of its custodian."
- Chapter Four of The Crescent Wars, by Nicholas Baston
Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Tank
Gartolian tanks and Reysene solar cannons exchanged fire into the afternoon. Xander strode along the top of Reysa's perimeter wall, weaving between solar cannons as he shouted orders to the Reytana manning the weapons. A relentless chorus of hums and whooshes rang out as the cannons unleashed shot after shot at the Gartolian tanks. However, their attack didn't seem to be having much of an effect. The solar flares hit the steel sides of the tanks and simply washed over them in an impressive explosion of light. Meanwhile, Reysa's forcefield was waning. Each time a Gartolian volley hit it, the shield wavered for several seconds before reforming itself. Xander knew that it was only a matter of time before they would have to make a decision to either cease their attack or take down their forcefield. They did not have enough solar energy to maintain both.
Then he had an idea.
"You there!" he pointed toward the Reytana manning the cannons closest to the Gartolian basecamp. "Target the command center!”
The Reytana nodded and turned their cannons toward the large, circular building at the center of camp. They unleashed a round of shots. The command center was made of steel, but it was not of the same impenetrable thickness as the tanks. The solar flares dented the roof. Several shouts rang out from the ground. All of a sudden, a group of Gartune came running toward the command center. Once there, they created defensive perimeter around the building.
Xander watched from his perch on the wall and smiled. That should even things out a bit. "You three, keep firing on the command center," he ordered. "The rest of you, power down for a moment."
While the three Reytana continued their fire, Xander gathered the remaining soldiers into a group and relayed new instructions. Several of the Reytana nodded approval at their new orders. A few of them even had smirks on their faces when they returned to their weapons. They climbed back into the seats of the solar cannons and awaited Xander's command. Meanwhile, more Gartune had joined the perimeter defending the command center. Each time a solar cannon fired on their location, several Gartune would stamp their eürocs into the ground, causing a large mound of rocks to form in the area where the solar flare was heading. The projectile then smashed into the rock pile before it could reach the building behind it. It was a laborious procedure for the Gartune as they constantly had to race to the location of the next shot before it could strike the camp. The Reytana were skillfully varying the trajectories of their shots to keep the Gartune scrambling. Thanks to the Gartune's efforts, no more flares were getting through to the command center. They were effectively at a stalemate again. But there was one difference. The tanks were not nearly as protected as before.
"Now!" yelled Xander. The rest of the Reytana opened fire toward the tanks. However, instead of targeting the tanks themselves, the Reytana targeted the platforms underneath them. Even though there was hardly any area where the platforms were not covered by the tank above them, the Reytana still managed to sneak in a few shots before the Gartolians realized what they were doing. Three tank platforms were disabled before Morlo redeployed a regiment of Gartune to the front of the platforms. Within seconds, the Gartune had built up mounds of rock in front of the tanks. Solar flares smashed into them, causing dirt and rock to fly everywhere. After each hit, a couple of swift eüroc stomps built the mounds back up.
And so, the battle continued on. The Gartolian tanks now had to maneuver around the rock piles in front of them in order to get off a clear shot. This slowed their assault considerably. Even though the tanks had sustained no damage, Xander's strategy was having an effect.
While the Reytana waged war with the Gartolian basecamp, Loras was attempting an equally arduous task – learning how to swim. It had taken him what seemed like forever to resurface after his dive off the cliff. Once the initial shock of hitting the ocean had subsided, he frantically flailed his arms and kicked his legs back and forth. He could barely keep his head above water, let alone propel himself through it. It was all he could do to keep from drowning. He swallowed an unhealthy amount of water and struggled to breathe between coughs. After about a minute of flailing without any success, Loras gave up his attempt at moving forward. Instead, he decided to concentrate on breathing, so he flipped over onto his back and floated for a minute, staring up at the sky.
The sun did its job. Loras could feel the strength returning to his tired muscles. Once his breathing had returned to normal, he decided to make another attempt at forward motion. This time, he remained on his back and swept his arms in large circles at his sides. He didn't know what to do with his legs, so he just let them drag under the water. Better to just concentrate on one thing at a time, he thought. It was not elegant, but it moved him toward his destination, and it kept his head from sinking under the water.
The floating shield tank rose out of the water a hundred yards away. As he paddled forward, Loras lifted his head out of the water and looked back toward Reysa. The Gartolian basecamp was taking heavy fire from the solar cannons, but they were still able to return fire at a consistent, though slower, rate. Reysa's forcefield flickered and wavered each time a barrage of tank fire hit it, but it was still holding. They're doing their part, now I have to do mine, thought Loras as he twisted his head to look toward the tank that controlled the Gartolian sun shield. Much to his dismay, it didn't seem to be any closer. Could that thing be moving away from me?
Loras held his breath and ducked his head under the water. He could make out the hull of the tank way off in the distance. Bubbles were emitting from the end of a spinning propeller that was attached to the back of the tank. It is moving away from me. How could they possibly have seen me coming? Then Loras saw the chain attached to the bottom of the tank. It stretched down to the ocean floor where it was tethered to an enormous anchor. Relief and recognition dawned on Loras. Of course it's moving, just like the shield tanks on the ground move. It's moving with the sun. It's still possible that they haven't spotted me.
With newfound determination, Loras began to paddle harder toward the tank. He was halfway there when he felt something brush against his leg. He froze, hoping that it was just a bit of seaweed or maybe a fish. Then it happened again and this time it was undeniable. The thing that brushed against his leg was a hand. This time it didn't brush – it tugged. Loras shoved his head under the water and was face to face with one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. A water nymph; her long, wavy hair flowing all around her perfectly oval face, stared at Loras with inquisitive white eyes.
Loras froze, waiting to see what the nymph would do next, but she simply floated and continued to stare. Surprisingly, Loras felt no fear toward this strange creature. Perhaps it was her beauty that disarmed him, or the unthreatening way that she regarded him. Either way, Loras was as equally enthralled with her as she appeared to be with him.
She wants to know what I'm doing, thought Loras. He nodded toward the floating tank. The nymph frowned. Her white eyes somehow became whiter, as if they were glowing. They mesmerized Loras.
The nymph nodded toward the anchor on the ocean floo
r. Loras peered through the water and eventually saw what she was motioning to. It wasn't the anchor; it was the condition of the ocean floor surrounding it. Just as the three shield tanks on land had carved enormous gouges in the ground, the floating tank had dragged the anchor along the seabed, causing a huge rift that ran straight through a large coral reef. The anchor had done enormous damage to the reef. In addition to the dark, muddy trench that it had carved through the center of the reef, Loras could see that the surrounding coral had begun to die as well.
That tank is killing the sea floor. No wonder the nymph is mad. He looked back at the woman floating beside him. She now wore a frown. How do I convince her that I only want on the tank so that I can destroy it? Loras waved his hands in front of his head making large semi-circles while blowing bubbles out of his mouth to represent an explosion. After doing so, he immediately realized that he was out of breath, so he re-surfaced for air.
Gods, how long was I down there? Two, maybe three minutes? I can't hold my breath that long. What is going on here? He ducked his head back under the water and was alarmed to see not only one face, but now three. They slowly bobbed up and down in the water and watched him with their large, white eyes. Loras pointed to the anchor and then to the tank and re-enacted his explosion pantomime, this time being even more dramatic when he waved his arms and blew bubbles. The nymphs were confused. Then, one of them whispered something into the ear of the first nymph and a look of recognition came over her. She thought for a moment and then rapidly swam away. The other two nymphs followed her. Loras watched them until they were out of site. Suddenly, his lungs contracted and he became dizzy. He was beyond breathless. He was drowning. With all of his might he pushed his head out of the water and gasped for air. Blotches of white light dotted his vision as he sucked in oxygen as fast as he could. Eventually, his lungs re-inflated and he started breathing normally.
What just happened?! Loras thought to himself as he began to calm down. How did I go from being perfectly fine to completely out of breath? Then he realized that it had happened exactly when the nymphs left him. Had they been the ones allowing him to hold his breath for so long? Loras thought that must have been it. He promised himself to remember the effect they had on his breathing if he ever ran into them again. He had a feeling that he had not seen the last of them.
Loras took two deep breaths and then resumed his slow, labored swim toward the tank. After fifteen minutes of strenuous paddling, he finally reached his destination. Up close, the tank was enormous. It was even larger than the three on land. The giant iron leg stretched out of its turret and extended all the way up to the shield. Loras looked up and could barely see where the leg connected to the shield. The massive disc looked quite a bit smaller from his current viewpoint.
Loras recalled the one time he had stood on top of a shield tank. It was dark and raining that day, but if memory served him correctly, there was a hatch right behind the turret. However, reaching the top of this tank was going to be a challenge. Before, he was able to use his Reytana ability and simply jump to the top of the tank. Without a solid surface to push off of, jumping was out of the question this time. He had no other option but to climb. It was a particularly difficult task because there was nothing to grab onto. The hull of the ship was a smooth, solid surface. Loras had to press his arms and legs hard against the metal in order to form enough friction to pull himself up, but not before slipping back into the water several times.
After many unsuccessful attempts, he finally pulled himself up to the top of the ship. He shook himself off and tip-toed softly to the back of the tank. Slowly, Loras peered behind the turret. There was nothing but smooth, solid metal. Loras frowned and walked to the other side of the turret. Nothing. He then retraced his steps and walked back to the front of the tank, thinking that he must have missed something. But the tank was completely solid. Not only was there no hatch, but there weren't seams of any kind. It was as if the entire vessel had been shaped from one solid piece of iron.
Loras sat down to think. There had to be some way inside this thing. He wondered if the Gartolians inside knew he was there. Then Dario's voice spoke to him from inside his head. Gracien knew this was a suicide mission... Suddenly, Loras knew where the tank's hatch was. His heart sank. He stood up, hoping that his intuition was wrong, then walked to the edge of the tank and peered over the side. Well, only one way to find out.
Loras dove back into the water then propelled himself under the tank with a few awkward strokes. Somehow, he had more success swimming underneath the water than above it. He took several more strokes toward the center of the vessel. The rhythmic whoosh, whoosh, whoosh of the propeller at the rear of the ship filled his ears. Once he had reached the center of the tank's hull, he looked up and saw it – a large, rectangular door with an iron wheel for a latch.
Loras began to feel his lungs burn. He looked back the way he had come. It would take him some time to swim out from under the tank; time that he did not have. The nearest source of oxygen was inside the tank. He made the snap decision to go for the hatch rather than try to swim for the surface.
Loras reached up and tugged on the wheel connected to the hatch. It did not budge. He pulled harder, exerting energy that he did not have. His lungs were on fire now. Each tug of the wheel seemed to burn the last bits of air in his chest. The sound of the propeller churning the water became louder. Loras' extremities began to tingle. He could feel his eyes bulging in his head. There was only time for one more tug on the wheel. He summoned all of the strength he had left in his body and pulled. The wheel started to turn just a tiny bit before everything went black.
Loras' hands fell limply off of the wheel. His body went numb as he slowly drifted away from the hatch. The water's current pushed his lifeless body toward the back of the tank. The propeller’s churning blades drew him closer and closer. Loras' eyes rolled into the back of his head as his body was sucked toward the propeller.
His head was inches from the blades when a rush of water came roaring from the opposite direction and pushed him away from danger. Two strong arms wrapped around his chest. Suddenly, Loras' vacant body was filled with life. His lungs filled with air and his eyes shot open. Instinctively, he opened his mouth to breathe, but a large hand immediately covered it up. Behind those fingers, a shadowy figure began to come into focus. She had some similarities to the other nymphs that Loras had encountered earlier; she had the same flowing hair, the same blue tint to her skin, but she was darker... much darker. In particular, her eyes were solid black. There were no pupils, no irises. Just solid black like an eel. They were also too large for her face, almost double the size of normal eyes. Looking into those black orbs, Loras did not detect good or evil, only power.
Behind this woman, Loras could see several other beings swimming around in the darkness. They looked like the nymphs that he had seen earlier. They swam in slow circles behind their queen – for she was undoubtedly their queen – as if they were protecting her. Loras didn't see how she could have needed any protection, though. Nothing in the water, other than maybe Lyse herself, could have been any threat to this creature before him.
Once Loras had closed his mouth, the nymph queen removed her hand and nodded toward the hatch. Loras looked up and saw that the wheel had indeed turned slightly on his last attempt. The queen placed her hand on Loras' chest and a surge of strength filled him. He knew that it would only take one more turn and the hatch would open. Effortlessly, Loras swam to the hatch and turned the wheel. This time it gave way without a fight. The hatch slid sideways, and light poured from the opening. Loras swam up through the entrance and was surprised when his head quickly surfaced above the water. He swam away from the opening and his feet found a solid floor. Slowly, he stood up in a waist-deep pool that was inside of a large, brightly lit room. The room appeared to span the entire width and at least half the length of the vessel. On one side of the pool was a dock of some sort, and a ladder. Attached to the dock was a small submarine. So that'
s why Dario never saw anyone come in or out of the tank.
Loras waded over to the ladder and pulled himself onto the dock. Then he saw the windows.
One side of the room was made up entirely of windows, with a large glass door at its center. Behind the windows, Loras could see a dim room that must have been the control center for the tank and the sun shield. The back wall contained several monitors with graphs, numbers and squiggly moving lines. There were rows and rows of brightly lit buttons. Some of them flashed. More important than all of that, though, were the five Gartune standing behind the windows, looking out at Loras.
Two of the Gartune had confused looks on their faces. Two others looked angry and ready to rush through the door. The fifth Gartune, the one standing nearest to the door, was smiling. He said something to his companions, and they began to laugh. Then, he pressed a button near the door and Loras heard the hatch at the bottom of the pool slide shut. At the same time, the water began to rise.
The Gartune gave Loras an evil smile from behind the glass. One of them waved at him. Standing on the dock, the water was now at Loras' knees and rising rapidly. He looked down into the pool and saw something move. A large, dark shape circled gracefully in the water. Then something touched his leg. Loras looked down and saw two white eyes staring up at him. The nymph from before. She waved her hands to the side of her head and made two semi-circles while blowing bubbles out of her mouth. It was the same motion Loras had made to her when he communicated his intentions to blow up the ship. Loras nodded to the nymph and the two of them waded toward the back wall.
The large dark shape that had been circling began to rise out of the center of the pool. Water cascaded off of her dark, wavy hair as the nymph queen emerged from the rising water and faced the room with the windows. Before the water level covered his head, Loras looked back at the Gartune behind the windows. He couldn't help it; he waved.
Hyperion's Shield Page 35