Spirit of Empire 4: Sky Knights

by Lawrence White

  “I know your story, but I don’t know you. We need to talk,” Havlock said.

  “On the way to Tranxte?” Galborae asked hopefully.

  “No. We’ll move as quickly as we can, but I will not rush things. I have to give serious consideration to what supplies we bring. Once we leave here, we’re light-years from support.” He looked to the ceiling, calculating, then said, “We’ll be ready to go in three weeks.”

  He saw the glazed expression on Galborae’s face, but he misinterpreted it. “The time won’t be wasted.”

  Galborae shook his head. “You don’t strike me as one to waste time. That part I understand.”

  Havlock blinked, confused. He ran a hand through close-cropped dark hair that had recently begun turning a premature gray and asked, “What don’t you understand?”

  “What’s a light-year? I get the impression it’s far.”

  Havlock paused, his hard gaze softening as his eyes moved once again up and down Galborae’s body. “I’ve seen you on the firing range but we haven’t talked. Your aim is good and your stamina is acceptable considering your wounds. I think it’s time we got to know each other a little better. Actually . . . a lot better. I’m in command, but you have to show us around once we get there.”

  “We’ll start with my home if I can find it,” Galborae answered with a frown, his eyes betraying an inner doubt.

  “You don’t know where your home is? How did you get here?”

  “I was rescued by a great warrior who was in service to a Knight. Until meeting them, I’d never been farther from my town than a gorlac could travel in one month.”

  Havlock’s eyes went to the ceiling again as a hand rubbed unconsciously across the stubble on his chin. He was one of those unlucky people who always looked like he needed to shave, even right after shaving.

  He lifted a communicator to his mouth and spoke. “Zac, I’m volunteering you for a new assignment. We’re shipping out. I need to see you.” He took Galborae’s arm and led him to a side office and waited while Limam crowded in with them. “Let’s talk,” he said. “Tell me about yourself.”

  “I’m a knight. I answer to my liege lord, thence to the King.”

  “How many knights are there?”

  “When I left, just myself. Gleasons killed the others.”

  “How many before the gleasons?”

  “Three. Each of us had a squire, and we all had gorlacs and melds.”

  “Melds?”

  “Like Limam here,” he said, running his hand through the cat’s fur. “They mind-meld with us.”

  “So only three knights on the planet?”

  Galborae jerked visibly. “No! There were three knights in my town. Most towns have at least one knight. My king commands 72 knights. I’m told some kings command more, but I have not seen it with my own eyes.”

  Havlock’s eyes narrowed. “There’s more than one king on your world?”

  “There are. Probably many. I can’t speak with certainty. Until the Knight took me aboard her ship, I had no idea how large our world was. I still don’t fully grasp it. What I do understand is that gleasons are everywhere. We will have to kill each and every one of them, not just the ones near my town.”

  Major Lebac found them. Havlock introduced Galborae to him and added, “I’m taking an advance force of 20 squads to Tranxte. Want to fight gleasons with me?”

  Lebac’s jaw dropped in shock. “We’ve been gearing up to do it, but these are gleasons we’re talking about, Gar. It’ll be bad. Going there was months away. Now you’re telling me it’s . . . right now?”

  “We’re leaving as soon as we can pull it together. You and I beat the Rebels with no preparation at all. This time we have time to prepare, but we won’t have easy access to support once we leave. We have to take everything with us. Will you be my second in command?”

  “Depends,” Lebac said guardedly. “We waited until the Terrans took out the Chessori before we took on the rebels. We can’t operate that way against gleasons. We’ll be on our own. Besides, you’ve been in a dark mood lately, my friend.”

  Havlock shot a furtive glance toward Galborae, then returned a steady gaze to Lebac. “And you know why.”

  Lebac frowned. “You see the marines who died. The rest of us look at the marines who lived. General Stymes must believe a change of venue will do you good. I happen to think he’s right, but gleasons?”

  “You’ve probably heard we have a life force sensor that can identify gleasons. We’ll do most of our fighting from shuttles.”

  Lebac shook his head. “It’s never that simple, Gar, and you know it. It’ll take all of us at our very best.”

  Havlock nodded. “It will. I’m already putting the rebellion behind me. Stick with me, Zac. Let’s pull off another win.”

  “Only if I get your best.”

  “You have my word on it.”

  Lebacstuck out a hand with a grin. “Then I’m in. I’m ready for a change, as well.”

  “I want all the officers and as many of the enlisted as possible to be volunteers. Find people you can live with, then I’ll interview the officers and senior sergeants.”

  The two of them discussed an overall plan, then Lebac left to get started on preparations. Havlock watched his friend go, then he led Galborae and Limam from the building. They strolled down a wide boulevard adjacent to the port, the smell of freshly clipped grasses filling their nostrils. The sun burned fiercely and Galborae felt like removing his tunic, but he’d been with the marines long enough to know they frowned on uniform imperfections. He did not have an actual uniform, but he had been wearing the tunic since his arrival and knew they considered it appropriate for him.

  “So you know the lands around your town out to a distance of one month on a gorlac. That’s an animal?” Havlock asked.

  “It’s a four-legged beast.”

  “What about the rest of your world?” Havlock asked, beginning to get a better handle on the scope of his mission. “You say there are more kingdoms. Do they all speak the same language?”

  “I don’t know. I had never heard another language before the Knight’s ship arrived.”

  “You ride gorlacs. I take it you have no self-powered vehicles.”

  “We don’t.”

  “You carry a sword, so you have fire.”

  Galborae rolled his eyes. “And wheels. We eat out of bowls. We use spoons and knives. We have roads and castles and homes and healers.”

  Havlock reached a hand out to Galborae. “I mean no disrespect. I’m just trying to get my hands around the nature of our mission. How high can you count?”

  Galborae blinked, not understanding the question. “What?”

  “We have 20 combat shuttles. Each of them carries a twenty-man squad, two pilots, a medic, and an officer. How many soldiers do we have?”

  Galborae didn’t hesitate. “Many.”

  “How many?”

  Galborae knew he was missing something, but the only answer that made any sense to him was many.

  Havlock needed no further explanation and he changed the subject. “What will your people think when they see us fighting the gleasons?”

  “It would be best if they only see me.”

  Havlock shook his head. “No matter how hard we try, we’ll be seen. Rumors will spread.”

  “Governor Seeton and the Knight each went to a lot of trouble to explain the consequences to my people of learning there’s an empire of aliens beyond our skies, but that’s your problem. I only care about stopping the dying. Let the rumors spread.”

  Havlock studied Galborae for a long time, his mind considering the scope of their mission and Galborae’s part in it, then he shook his head. “You’re wrong. The cost to your people is not my concern. It’s yours.”

  “My concern is gleasons.”

  “No. You’re a knight. That means you’re a leader. I don’t know how good a leader you are, but your people need you to be a great leader. Your king and all the other kings will ne
ed guidance when we arrive. I’m counting on you to lead them through this terrible time. My men and I will deal with the gleasons, and we’ll do our best not to frighten everyone while we do so, but we’re going to fail at that. Many, many, many people will learn of us, and they won’t understand. General Stymes is putting together a program to help them. He’ll bring more soldiers, and he’ll bring scholars and experts to explain things, but those experts will need your help. So will your kings—all of them. I need you to start thinking bigger.”

  “My people are stronger than you think.”

  “We can’t bring all of them for a ride into space to teach them what you know.”

  “They don’t need a ride into space. They need to survive. They’ll be desperate for food by the time we return. Farmers were not able to plant this season.”

  “We can’t feed a whole planet.”

  “Why not?”

  Havlock rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm. I’ll discuss it with General Stymes before we ship out. He might be able to send rations or something, but you’re talking about a whole world starving. To the best of my knowledge, he hasn’t been thinking along those lines. I know I haven’t.”

  He clapped Galborae on the back. “See, you’re already helping them, and not just the people in your town. You’re helping everyone on the planet. Keep thinking along those lines.”

  Chapter Five

  That night Havlock borrowed a shuttle and took Galborae into orbit. When they approached the dark side of the planet and the many, many lights below came into view, Galborae got a better feeling for how many people lived on a planet.

  “Imagine each light down there representing a town on your world,” Havlock said. “There will be many kings among them. You have to go to each king and explain who we are and why we have come. How are you going to do it?”

  Galborae’s eyes blinked rapidly. “Are there so many?”

  “I don’t know,” Havlock said, his hand taking Galborae’s shoulder in support, “but there will be quite a few. What we know with certainty is that however many gleasons there were when you left, there will be more of them when we return. They’re breeding, increasing their numbers every day. They’re my problem. Your problem is your people. They need you.”

  “I can’t speak in so many places.”

  “No, you can’t. You have to recruit others and teach them what to say, then send them out in your place. You have to learn how to lead many people.”

  Galborae brightened. “I can do that.”

  “We’ll clear all the gleasons from your kingdom, then ask your king to provide messengers you can train to go to other kingdoms with my men.”

  “He’ll agree.”

  “He might, and he might not. Kings have a tendency to want power, the more power the better. They never want less. Now all of a sudden he won’t be the most powerful person in his kingdom. We will, and because of us, you are. He’ll be suspicious and afraid, and that’s going to be repeated everywhere we go. Before long, kings will start wondering if you might have given more to a neighboring kingdom than you gave to them. I’m talking about food, weapons, and knowledge. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

  Galborae nodded. “I do. The gleasons come first, but after that, there could be disputes, maybe even war.”

  “There will be wars. That’s what we Imperial Marines spend most of our time stopping, and it’s part of the reason General Stymes wants a thousand ships. We won’t just be killing gleasons, we’ll be keeping your kingdoms from each other’s throats. I’m guessing we’ll end up having a presence on your world for a long time to come, probably a big presence.”

  He stared into Galborae’s eyes. “Our effectiveness begins with you.” He pointed to the lights shining below on the planet. “Are you prepared to talk to kings, and are you ready to show others how to talk to kings?”

  “I’m ready to kill gleasons, but I hear you. I will think on this.” He stared down at the sparkling world below with a forlorn expression. “How am I going to find my home?”

  Havlock ignored the question. “Tell me, what’s it like to fight a gleason?”

  Galborae’s whole body tensed momentarily, then he became his old self again. “I don’t really know. I only fought one and I lost that fight. I believe I killed it, but in my mind I was dead as well. It’s worse than your worst nightmare. I only had a vague idea about where it was, but I suddenly sensed it beside me, then I felt its warm breath on my face. The next thing I knew, it’s arms went around me. Claws pierced my armor as if it wasn’t even there. The one that killed me was, I believe, playing with me and the others. It could have taken all of us without effort, but it took its time. The only way we fought back at all was through our melds.”

  “Oh?”

  Galborae nodded. “Our melds sensed it and attacked. Brael and I moved in with swords as the gleason made short work of our melds. We injured it, but we were really just flailing around trying to make contact. Brael died, then I killed the gleason as it killed me. I learned later that a second gleason fought the rest of my men. Your Knight’s men got there right about then with the intention of testing an idea that stunners would make the gleason think it was mortally wounded. It must have worked because it became visible, but just for a moment. As soon as it did, everyone who was still standing attacked it with arrows and an axe. They never stood a chance. They died before the Knight’s men learned they needed to stun it harder. Once they learned that, they then killed it with blasters.”

  “What were you doing there in the first place?”

  “The gleasons were new to our land. We received several reports of people suffering horrible deaths, and I was sent to investigate. We tracked it, though we had no idea what we were tracking. In the end, we became its prey. These creatures are worse than your worst nightmare. As anxious as I am to return home, I cannot say there will be any home to return to.”

  “Well, whenever I do get you back home, I need to make sure you stay alive.” Havlock looked down at Galborae’s sword. “We’ve issued you a stunner and a blaster, yet you still carry your sword.”

  “I have not been apart from my sword since I started training as a young man. I like your blasters, but for close fighting, the sword has some advantages.” He drew it out and smoothly cut the air a few times, then held it out to Havlock.

  When Havlock took the sword, he almost dropped it. “It’s heavy!” he exclaimed.

  “I don’t even notice anymore,” Galborae said. “The weight helps it to cut and pierce better.”

  Havlock ran a thumb along the edge and was surprised at how sharp it was. Clearly, Galborae took good care of his equipment. He considered for a time, then said, “For your own safety, I want you to be fully outfitted like a marine, including our body armor and helmet, but you’ll be introducing me to kings. Body armor that looks more like what you’re wearing now would work better.”

  “If you have such a thing, bring as much as you can. I’m not the only knight on Tranxte who would benefit from it.”

  “I wonder if we could come up with a better sword?”

  Galborae took his sword back possessively. “I like the one I have.”

  Havlock nodded, but his eyes took on a far away look.

  * * * * *

  Galborae became a fixture at Havlock’s side. When they boarded the transporter two days before departure, Havlock presented Galborae with a pile of new uniforms. Atop that pile rested a sword, a much lighter, shorter, and narrower sword than Galborae’s iron broadsword.

  Galborae set the sword aside, dismissing it with a scowl, but his eyes gleamed at the new uniform. He had been wearing the standard marine body armor during his training, a soft, snugly fitting suit that covered him from neck to toes, but the pattern in the green and brown armor was impossible to focus on properly. Whenever he tried, he came away with a headache.

  His new body suit was made of the same military grade material that instantly hardened when struck by a projectile, but it mo
re closely resembled what he had been wearing when rescued from Tranxte. Dark blue, the armor included gloves, boots and a heavy, thigh-length cloak of the same material. His kingdom’s coat of arms, a silver shield emblazoned with two silver, crossed broadswords below a silver helm, had been worked into the chest of the armor and the back of the cloak.

  Body armor was not perfect. It could be crushed if a force was applied over a large enough area, and the force of whatever hit the material could still cause bodily damage, but a sword, an arrow, a standard blaster shot and, hopefully, gleason claws and teeth would not penetrate. Various communication links imbedded within the armor would keep him in constant contact with other members of the squad and with the shuttle, and the suit would display pertinent information automatically to a visor attached to his helmet.

  A smaller piece of the same material fell to the deck. Galborae picked it up and held it out, but it made no sense to him. “What is it?” he asked.

  “I had it made for Limam,” Havlock said. “It’s a scaled down version of the body armor occasionally worn by our Great Cats. I don’t know if she’ll wear it, but if she will, it will provide her with a modicum of protection, certainly more protection that if she wears nothing.”

  Galborae blinked several times, not sure what to think. He doubted if Limam would wear the thing, but Havlock’s intent spoke volumes about the man.

  “Thank you, Colonel,” he said. “This means a lot to me.”

  Havlock picked up the sword and held it out to Galborae. “I think this will, as well.” When Galborae scowled, he said, “I’m just asking you to give it a try. Engineers made it just for you and it’s the only one in existence. The technology is based on equipment used by our miners.”