The petite operator stood and turned to the map. Fortifications were marked in green, with red spheres--presumably enemy aircraft, identified as the only ones remaining in the sky--swirling and diving. Most of the action was in the western half of the city, near the lake. "They're focusing their attack here. We held them off while your Wing assisted, but with air superiority the Children are steadily advancing. We fear the Wall will be theirs within the hour."
"What's our reserve garrison?"
"One hundred and fifty armored peacekeepers throughout the city," said another operator. "Fifty more here in the palace. There are a few larger-calibre weapons available as well, undeployed as of yet."
"Good. Deploy forty peacekeepers to that section of the Wall." He wanted to send more, but feared other sections of the Wall might soon come under attack. They needed to hold some in reserve in case that happened.
"They'll never get there in time," said the first operator. "The Children already blew out a section of the railway. And air transport is impossible without our pilots."
Drysane cocked her head. "The pilots in the barracks..."
"Out of the question," Charion said, stepping up. "We don't know who we can trust. I locked the barracks for a reason."
"You are not in command," Drysane pointed out. "He is. You had no authority to lock down the barracks, and you have none to resist the order now."
Charion towered over her. "He may command the defense of the city, but I command the defense of this compound. Defending the Emperor's heir--even just the facade--is within my purview."
Jayce let them argue and strode to the tiny operator. "Sir?" she said as he bent over the computer.
"Can you find a tracking chip for me?" It was a simple request--all steadfasts of rank had chips implanted in their neck to track their location, during emergencies or battle.
"Of course, Your Luminance," she said, hands moving fast over the computer terminal. "Code?"
Jayce ignored the honorific and gave her the sixteen digit code he'd memorized. Karrana's file popped up on the computer, her picture and details listed. "Is that her location?" he asked excitedly when a flag appeared on the map.
"No, sir," the operator said. "That's her last location, marked two hours ago." She hesitated. "Tracking ceased after that."
The Academy. Karrana might have manually turned her chip off once the attacks began. If she were leading her students to safety that's what she would do. He focused on that thought, refusing to even consider the other, more dire possibility. "Put it up on a dedicated monitor," he said. "I want to know the moment her chip is reactivated."
"Yes, sir."
He turned. "Deploy ten peacekeepers to the pilot Academy," he said to the other operator. "Evacuate all students and instructors back to the palace."
Charion heard the order, and stopped his argument with Drysane to spin around. "Evacuating specific parts of the city might cause a panic, Your Luminance," he said, bowing his head in deference. "If everyone in the city tries to reach the palace..."
Drysane was giving him a disapproving look as well. She can go to hell, too. Jayce ignored them both, nodding to the operator to confirm the command. Pilot Brynn had arrived at some point, standing against the wall with her arms behind her back.
"We don't have time to bother with the pilots in the barracks," Jayce said. "The Gold Wing can assist in the city's defense for now. Pilot Brynn. Command of the Gold Wing is yours. Get them back into the air. Single pilots to a ship, no co-pilots. Have four take transports, ten peacekeepers in each. The leftover pilots can grab whatever is suitable in the hangar--Widowrens and Faerywrens, ideally. Make sure there's a good mix of all types."
Brynn frowned. "Sir, I... with all due respect, I don't understand. Why have you taken command? Where is His Luminance's heir? Has he been evacuated?"
She'd missed that part. I'm in charge because I can't stand up to the tiny little Vice Admiral. He considered telling Brynn that, but he hated needing to say the words. "That's not important right now. You have your orders, Commander."
She hesitated, then dipped her head. "Aye... Your Luminance." She fixed him with a strange look, glanced at Drysane, and left the room.
Was there a mocking tone to her voice? No, it's the words that are ridiculous, not her tone, he thought. The title didn't sound right to his ears, not yet. It's only until the city is safe.
He returned to the map. "What of the city's steadfasts? Are formal evacuations prepared?"
"A video was broadcast instructing everyone to remain indoors," the bald operator said. "No evacuations have been announced, though preparations are in place if need be."
"Your Luminance," said the other operator, "the Governor of Panarat is still requesting assistance. What should I tell him?"
"There's nothing we can tell him," he said. Panarat bordered the Pyhaja Ocean thousands of miles away; it would take hours to send reinforcements. "We have our own problems to worry about."
"I have to tell him something."
"Lie to him," Jayce said. "Tell him to hold out as long as he can, that we're sending reinforcements. They'll fight harder if they think help is on the way."
The operator relayed the message without hesitation.
They watched from computer monitors as Brynn split up the Gold Wing, taking the pairs of pilots and spreading them out to new ships. In addition to the original fifteen Riverhawks, they took to the air with five each of the Widowrens and Faerywrens, and the four transport craft full of peacekeepers. They flew low, sliding between tall buildings as they drifted away from the Imperial compound and toward the fighting to the west.
Another monitor showed the ten peacekeepers marching into the street toward the Academy, hopefully to bring Karrana to safety. There is no safety, the sound of distant explosions reminded him. They wouldn't stop once they breached the Wall--there was one place Jayce knew they would target, where his feet stood right then. A problem for later.
He began pacing the length of the room. He felt powerless watching the Gold approach battle without him. Was this why Admiral Acteon had been so unhappy aboard the Olitau? The paralyzation of command without action? Stars, I'm a fighter, not a leader. Being Commander of the Gold was different--while they were flying the Wing was an extension of himself, a sword held in his arm to be wielded. Standing there in the command room, squinting at computer screens and maps, was entirely different. It's like it's happening in a simulation, with computer processors instead of men and women.
One of those computer screens showed a view from Brynn's Riverhawk, from a camera in the nose. They flew low over a street as they approached the Wall, the buildings on either side streaking by as she accelerated. She tilted the ship up until the dull grey Wall met blue sky.
Forty enemy ships waited. Jayce knew it from the radar, but seeing it from Brynn's point-of-view emphasized the danger. The Children were in no hurry--most of their ships lazily circled above the Wall, occasionally diving down to strafe at the remaining fortifications. It seemed almost routine, as if the ships were performing training exercises.
That changed abruptly. The forty ships turned as one, moving to intercept the incoming Gold. Jayce listened as Brynn gave orders on the radio. She and the Riverhawks led the way, with the other fighters and transports just behind. They were gaining altitude fast, trying to reach the top of the Wall quickly to deploy their troops, but it was clear the enemy would reach them before that.
In open air the pilots of the Gold would have had expert advantage, but there was little room to maneuver in a head-on attack, especially with altitude disadvantage. The two groups barreled through each other, two waves of laser fire crashing together.
Jayce's fingers itched to grab a phantom control wheel, so he turned away from the screen to look at the map. The battle raged on the three-dimensional city map. They were two distinct clouds of ships, red and blue, swirling and pulsing. The blue Riverhawks spun in a tight loop as they reached the top of the Wall, curving back away. T
he other blue fighters turned in a different direction, beginning evasive maneuvers, trying to lure the enemy away from the transports. Jayce scanned the map.
Two of the transport ships were already destroyed.
The other two continued their climb obediently, lumbering slow and steady. They crested the lip of the Wall as a slice of laserfire knocked one out of the sky. The other stopped, hovering at the edge. Jayce spun back to view the ship cameras. The peacekeepers leaped one at a time from the transport ship to the Wall twenty feet below, rolling across the surface when they landed, spreading out to provide small-arms cover. Jayce held his breath.
Eight of them made it before the transport took a volley from a passing Widowren. It careened away from the edge, spinning sideways. The ninth peacekeeper jumped, but the transport was no longer above the Wall. Jayce imagined he could hear his screams as he fell to his death.
The operators in the command room continued switching cameras, keeping their view of the Wall relatively constant. The pilot of the transport did her best to recover, but the enemy sought her out once they knew her purpose. Soon the transport's flaming pieces followed the falling peacekeeper into the city below.
Eight peacekeepers deployed, thirty-two lost within seconds.
Jayce spun back to the map. About half their strength remained, including Brynn's Riverhawk, although the Children were taking similar losses. He watched them swirl and turn in individual dog fights. The Gold was outnumbered, and even-losses on both sides would only accentuate the disadvantage. And now the enemy was no longer focused on the transports.
One of the video screens showed the base of the Wall, on the outer city side. An army of Children sprinted across the open space to reach it. A few of the turrets fired at them, but most were focused on the aircraft above. The Children spread out against the wall, surrounding a hole that had been blown open. One girl tossed two objects inside, and three heartbeats later smoke exploded out. The soldiers poured inside.
With the Wall breached the battlements on top would fall quickly. A few hours since we lost the Olitau and I've retreated three times. Oh, how I'll be remembered. Jayce grabbed a microphone. "Brynn, fall back and regroup at the palace. I repeat, disengage."
Brynn's camera showed her chasing a pair of Widowrens high above the Wall. "Sir, we can finish them," she said with a grunt. "Give us another minute!"
"You'll be dead in a minute!"
She continued her dogfight a moment longer before spouting a string of curses. "Gold Wing, full retreat."
The ships on the map began turning back toward the city, abandoning the fight. A few enemies gave chase, but most stayed to continue the attack. With air superiority regained the Wall fell quickly. The eight peacekeepers held off the advancing ground troops on the roof for a few minutes longer before being overwhelmed.
The room was silent except for Brynn cursing on the radio, until Drysane finally muted her with the press of a button.
Chapter 5
The Children gathered on the top of the Wall in one large mass, shooting lasers into the air in celebration. Three Wall defenders and two of the deployed peacekeepers were captured. One peacekeeper was stripped of his armor and savagely beaten, the throng of people pressing all around, desperate to reach him.
The other prisoners were simply thrown from the Wall.
The occupants of the command room turned away from the sight, and the bald operator began weeping openly. Drysane stood against the wall expressionless. Charion watched the others, as if deciding which emotion to emulate.
Jayce made himself watch the action on the screen. The Children ran along the Wall north and south, briefly engaging the remaining defenders when they came across them. They suffered the same fate as the others.
One Widowren fighter dove away from its patrol, disappearing on the far side of the Wall. A minute later it returned, rising vertically until it reached the top. Lengths of rope hung from its wings, and one at the nose. Men hung from each rope with one hand, like jungle apes. Suspended underneath the craft was a heavy laser, long and menacing. The Widowren moved forward until it hovered above the wall. Each man simultaneously cut their rope with a knife, dumping the laser roughly onto the Wall. The men dropped to their feet and pushed the laser to the edge, facing the inner city. Unburdened, the Widowren tilted away, dropping back down to the old city to repeat the process.
They're not just terrorists, Jayce thought, they're a disciplined army. He hadn't grasped the scope of it, but now it was clear as cockpit glass. The Children were coordinated, at least on a large scale. Perhaps the Emperor had not been paranoid in bolstering Luccar's defenses.
When Jayce had seen enough he turned back to the petite operator. "Hail the remaining cities. All aircraft, troops, and mobile weapon batteries are ordered to redeploy to the capital at once."
She gaped at him. "Your Luminance, we've lost contact with Kozare, Panarat is still barely holding, and Luza reports troops massing outside their city. If we have their defenses abandon the cities..."
"If Luccar falls the rest will fall anyways," he said, "and right now the chances of that are high. Defending the capital is the only thing that matters."
"Yes, Your Luminance. It will still take hours for--"
"Make the request," he snapped, turning to find Drysane. She still stood against the wall, hands held behind her back. "There's little we can do while they have two dozen planes in the air, hovering like vultures. We need to regain air superiority."
"I agree, Your Luminance," she said. "Regrouping all of the planet's strength here is best."
Jayce shook his head. "No. It's not enough. Besides, they won't get here in time."
"The barracks," Drysane said slowly, "has plenty of pilots."
Charion frowned. "Absolutely not. We have enemies within the compound, and the stars graced us with the luck to isolate them all in one place."
"They are not all enemies," Drysane said pointedly.
"And there is no way to determine, with certainty, who is loyal," Charion said. "The palace safety would be compromised. If word gets out that there is no heir to the Emperor..."
Stars are they stubborn here. "My safety is already compromised--anyone here in the palace could be one of the Children. And one thing I know with certainty is the city will fall if we do not get more ships in the air. We have hundreds of aircraft in the hangar and nobody to fly them. I agree with Drysane. We must free what pilots we can."
Charion looked unhappy, but he would not argue with Jayce. He nodded.
Jayce looked around the room at the computer screens and operators. His eyes felt dry, and a dull ache was growing between them. I can't stare at computer monitors any more. I need to get out of here. "I'll lead the mission into the barracks," he heard himself say.
"You are going in there? Your Luminance?"
"I will not send men to do what I would not," Jayce said. "What kind of Emperor would I be if I hid like a coward?"
The Shieldwarden stared with an open mouth, but Jayce turned to Drysane. "You're in command while I'm gone. And I don't want to hear any arguments. We need these pilots, and--"
"I won't argue. I agree with what you're doing."
He stopped. "You do?"
She leaned in close to whisper. "Everyone here is afraid. They need someone strong, and you're leading by example. Keeping everyone calm and forcing them to accept your leadership is worth a little risk."
Jayce smirked. What would I do without Drysane? "I'll need you to be my eyes while I'm in there. Find me a reasonably secure comm line. Select ten peacekeepers to meet me at the barracks. Deploy the rest throughout the city, depending on what the Children do next. I trust your judgment there."
She nodded. "If you die and leave me in command I'll spend the attack soiling your reputation."
"So much for me sneaking out of the palace," he muttered, but her comment made him smile all the same. It was the first time he'd ever heard her make a joke.
The map of the barra
cks showed at least a hundred pilots still alive. "What happened to the video feed?" he asked the operator. That screen was now black.
"They cut the lights somehow," she said. "The whole building is dark."
"Can you not switch to infrared view?"
"Most of the cameras in the city have infrared, but not here in the palace compound. We never thought we'd be fighting our own pilots. Most of the pilots are using flashlights though, so the motion sensors know where everyone is." She paused to think. "Unless they're hiding in the dark."
Well that's just great. "I don't suppose their tracking chips are activated?"
"Most of the pilots turned them off when we locked the doors. Those who didn't... well, they didn't last very long."
Jayce didn't think he'd be so lucky, but he had to ask. "Make sure the peacekeepers bring suitable gear for the darkness." He gave Charion one final look before leaving the room.
The two Flameguards waiting outside fell into step behind him as he strode down the hall. "I don't need ceremonial guards where I'm going," he said. "You two can return to the leisure room and do... whatever it is you do."
One of them said, "If there's going to be a fight, you'll want us there."
Jayce snorted. "To do what? Spray colored water and dance around like fools?"
"Something like that," the Flameguard said with a level tone.
"Do what you want," Jayce said. He despised the ceremonial guards, their uselessness, the immodesty of their sheer clothing. "I don't care if you follow me around, so long as you don't cry to me when a beam chars your leg."
The Flameguards laughed as if it were the funniest joke in the world. Is everyone here mad but me?
It was eerily quiet outside without the distant booms of battle. The calm before the next storm. The roar of the Gold Wing approaching was a welcome interruption. Jayce counted them as he strode across the open ground from the palace to the barracks. Six ships, six pilots. Hardly enough to do much good. We need the city patrol pilots more than ever.
Drowned by Fire (Tales of a Dying Star Book 4) Page 4