Spirit of Empire 4: Sky Knights

by Lawrence White

  Traders’ melds were the secret to fighting the gleasons if caravans were ever to operate without shuttle cover. Traders’ first shots would be with stunners, their aim guided by melds. Everyone could then converge on targets with blasters to finish the gleasons off.

  None of them knew how many gleasons there were on the planet, but Havlock believed strongly that they were pulling gleasons to the convoy from other areas. If he was right, threats against other towns and cities might be lessening. They would know more by the time they reached the next kingdom, Tricor.

  Lastly, the marines needed to get better at shooting from astride gorlacs.

  Havlock and Galborae stayed with the caravan for two grueling weeks during which Galborae’s sword saw plenty of action, so much action, in fact, that Galborae wondered if the sword itself was attracting gleasons. Every time he unsheathed it, attacking gleasons turned toward him. He began keeping a few extra marines with him whenever he could.

  He and Havlock were just about to fly ahead to Tricor when word reached them that Shanloc was having problems. They shuttled back and learned that gleasons had, indeed, chosen to leave the city and concentrate on the caravan. King Tennisol had ordered some farmers back into the fields with support from the marines. They enjoyed great success for a few days, but then gleasons started returning. Apparently some gleasons had decided the pickings were easier near the city than with the caravan.

  The news, though not good, encouraged Havlock. To some extent he was controlling the gleasons’ movements. The rudiments of his plan were working, he just needed to refine things.

  Other shuttles confirmed that a steady stream of gleasons were headed toward the caravan, abandoning cities farther afield for the more difficult challenge of fighting the marines.

  Marines and a few of the locals continued patrolling the nearest fields around Shanloc while farmers worked. Melds accompanied anyone lucky enough to have them. Though it was a start, there weren’t enough nearby farms to really effect the long-term issue of food supplies for the kingdom.

  “You need more fighting men,” Havlock told King Tennisol.

  “The few who are still alive are defending the city. Farmers, merchants, and craftsmen are not fighters.”

  “We talked about this. They’ll fight if their lives depend on it.”

  “They are fighting. They’ve been manning the wall since the very beginning, but it’s not their nature. It takes a long time to train fighting men. We start almost from childhood.”

  “Your fighters no longer wield swords,” Havlock argued, turning to Galborae for support.

  “Your Majesty,” Galborae said to his king, “he’s right. Every man, and maybe every woman, can learn to use these weapons. We’re in a fight for our very survival.”

  Tennisol struggled out of his chair, his wounds still raw. “You know as well as I do that putting a weapon in someone’s hand does not make him a fighter. They have to think like a fighter. That’s why we spend so much time practicing.”

  “Fathers and mothers will do whatever it takes to protect their children,” Galborae countered. “It doesn’t have to be a permanent change. You can rotate people in and out on a daily or weekly basis. You can require every healthy merchant to soldier one day a week, or maybe one week each month. They could return to their merchant duties on the other days.”

  Havlock interjected. “Your Majesty, this won’t be forever. A few years certainly, but not forever. We’ve only been at it for two weeks and we’ve seen progress.”

  “What progress?”

  “The gleasons not only followed the caravan away from here, other gleasons from other areas joined them. We have killed hundreds . . . uh, many, many gleasons. Now we learn that as soon as you send out farmers, the gleasons return here to fight the guards protecting the farmers. What does that tell you about them?”

  “They’re stupid.”

  Havlock shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think they seek challenge. They’re killers, but how much talent does it take to kill a wild animal or an unarmed man? It’s almost like they’re showing off. I want to give them that opportunity, and I’m asking for your help to do it.”

  “My help? You sky knights need my help?” He stared hard at Havlock, then grunted as he carefully sat back down. “What kind of help?”

  “You know we’re trying to develop fighting methods we can take to other kingdoms. Yours is the very first kingdom we came to. Your caravan will soon reach Tricor, but there are many, many more kingdoms.”

  He asked for and received paper and writing utensils. He drew a fair representation of the province over which Tricor held sway, the five kingdoms with Tricor at the center. He circled Shanloc, then drew in the position of the caravan and circled it.

  “My sky ships tell me that gleasons from afar are moving toward the caravan. Only a few are moving toward your farmers in the fields.”

  Tennisol’s brow furrowed as his gaze moved across the map. Without lifting his gaze, he said, “The demons know nothing of kingdoms. They are coming at you from other kingdoms.”

  “Just so, Your Majesty.”

  “Some of my neighbors are not my friends.”

  “Not yet, perhaps, but when they discover what you’ve done for them, they might become your friend. You might become their champion.”

  Tennisol settled farther back into his chair, his eyes staring at the map but his thoughts clearly elsewhere. His sharp, calculating gaze fell on Havlock. “This is all guesswork. You want to learn at my expense.”

  “I do, Your Majesty, but I will give credit where it’s due.” He leaned forward and drew more circles on the map, one on each road between each of the four kingdoms and Tricor. “What if we sent caravans to these places? Would they attract all the gleasons from Tricor?” He drew new circles on roads outside the five kingdoms, roads leading to other provinces and kingdoms. “What if we, in time, move the caravans to these farther places, places that are outside the five kingdoms. Might we not draw most of the gleasons from the five kingdoms?”

  “Until we start farming.”

  “Maybe. This is new. Let’s find out.”

  “You expect my farmers to pay the price while you learn?”

  “No. We’ll protect them—for a while.” He stood up and paced, then turned back to Tennisol. “Your Majesty, there aren’t enough sky knights to fight all the gleasons. People from every kingdom have to join us in the fight, and I suspect those kingdoms have lost their best fighting men just as you have. Farmers and merchants and craftsmen have to step into the boots of soldiers. It’s our job to teach them, and I can’t promise it will work, but it’s all we have for the moment. If the plan fails, we still win because we then know we need a different plan.”

  “I need to produce food.”

  “You’ve lost a lot of people, so you don’t need as many farms, and your merchants have fewer goods to trade. Put them to work sharing protection duties. In time, we’ll learn what works best.” He looked hard into Tennisol’s eyes. “Will you let your kingdom be our training ground? Will your name become known across all the lands as the one who led the fight?”

  “Ah, but will I become known as the king who led his people to victory or to defeat?” Their gazes held to each other, then the king relented. “It will take more of your men and sky ships.”

  “Temporarily, while we learn.”

  The king nodded his head in agreement. As they stared at each other, Havlock understood that Tennisol was manipulating him just as he was manipulating Tennisol. For the king, the agreement meant more help now from Havlock even if the plan failed. His greatest need was right now. He would deal with tomorrow when tomorrow came.

  * * * * *

  Havlock had to deal with tomorrow now. His immediate focus was gleasons, but in the long run the Empire’s purpose here was to guide the people of Tranxte through their emergence, not just eliminate the gleasons. Sergeant Kori’s success with the local populace opened his eyes to possibilities along those
lines. Even the simplest Empire cures would advance medical knowledge here by hundreds of years. The people here were suffering through a terrible culling, and any reasonable actions the Empire could take to help the survivors live through it would be remembered and probably appreciated.

  He pulled Kori aside as she was restocking her backpack aboard her shuttle. “I like what I’m seeing in you. Do you like what you’re doing?”

  “Yes, sir. Us medics don’t often get opportunities to make a difference like this. I think we’re doing the right thing.”

  “So do I. Do you want to stay with it?”

  Her eyes widened. From the hungry look in her eyes, she had clearly given thought to the idea, though her position as a squad medic placed limits on any plans she could make. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying, sir?” she asked.

  “Maybe. You tell me.”

  She looked away and stared down the length of the shuttle, biting her lip, but when she returned her gaze to him, he could see in her eyes that something had changed. She thrust her chin forward. “I’m a marine first, sir, and a medic second. You’re asking me to reverse those priorities.”

  He nodded. “I am. Only if it’s something you want.”

  “I want it more than you can imagine, sir. I feel like my whole life has been preparation for this, that I’m exactly where I should be. Milae and I have become a good team. Eventually you’ll bring civilian medical people from the Empire into this, but it’s too soon for that. The job still needs a marine.”

  “My thoughts exactly. Are you willing to leave the squad?”

  Her mouth turned down in a frown. “My squad has been my home for a long time, but they deserve a full time medic. So do these people. We’re coming up on another kingdom. I can do a lot more for them if I’m not encumbered.” She looked hard into his eyes. “That said, I still need support for supplies and a place to rest my head from time to time.”

  “Think bigger. You need your own shuttle, a squad of medics, and someone to bring supplies to you so you don’t waste time walking back and forth.”

  Her eyes widened. “My own shuttle? Sir, I’m a sergeant.”

  He frowned and looked off into the distance for a moment just as she had. When he turned back to her, he said, “I want you to be more than that, Kori. I want you to keep thinking outside the box. We think of our jobs here as killing gleasons, but if you look at the bigger picture, our real job is to help these people emerge. Killing gleasons is only the first part of that bigger picture. You’ve single-handedly started us down a path that I can see taking us into the future.” He paused for a moment, then asked, “Do you see where I’m going with this?”

  “I do, sir, but I don’t have my hands all the way around it yet. Give me some time to see how it develops. I won’t let you down.”

  “I know you won’t. I don’t have a spare shuttle at the moment, but that might change. How are your supplies?”

  “I’ve seriously depleted them. Sergeant Hawke, with Lieutenant Fogel’s permission, has made a couple of runs up to the transporter for more. Both of them have been very supportive, sir.”

  “They’re doing the right thing. I’ll let them know. I’ll see to getting your replacement.”

  “Uh, I can do it, sir. You’ve got bigger things to deal with, and I’d like to have a say in who replaces me. My squad always seems to be where the action is happening.”

  “While you’re at it, keep your eyes open for other medics who show an interest in the locals. I have a feeling you’ll be leading them before long. What else can I do for you?”

  She did not hesitate. “I could use a direct line to the medical staff on the transporter, sir. I’m a medic, not a doctor. There are times I need advice, and times a doctor might be able to talk me through a procedure I’m not familiar with.” She thought for a moment, then added, “If a shuttle ever gets assigned, it would be useful to install a lab and assign some specialists.”

  “Hmm. You’re talking about a medical shuttle. Maybe you need a surface installation of some sort.”

  Her eyes shone as she looked into the future and what she could do for the people of Tranxte. “I hope the day comes when I need a bunch of them, sir.”

  Chapter Ten

  The caravan rounded a curve in the road and Tricor came into view. Havlock had seen it from orbit so he knew what to expect. This was truly a city, vastly larger than Shanloc. In fact, most of the city lay outside the gates of the fortress that dominated the peak of a hill.

  The fortress itself consisted of an outer wall of stone with regularly spaced watch towers and a massive inner wall surrounding a number of tall stone buildings, their high sides acting like another layer of walls. Colorful banners fluttered in the breeze above the castle’s battlements and higher up on spires.

  After weeks on the road under primitive conditions, Havlock sensed the powerful sense of security a place like this would provide to anyone calling it home.

  Galborae’s eyes shone as he stared at the city. He looked to Havlock with pride evident in the look. “I have seen your cities on Aldebaran. I know this holds no comparison, but to me it is the most beautiful city in the world. Peace has existed here for so long that our people felt safe enough to build homes and businesses outside the main gates. I suspect they’ve moved back inside those gates now. Conditions will be bad.”

  Galborae studied the fortress through his visor. “The outside wall is heavily patrolled. In normal times King Harbig does not keep a large garrison here—soldiers are needed more on the borders. It looks to me like he recalled his knights and archers and footmen.”

  He continued studying the fortress through the magnification on his visor, and after a time he nodded. “They’ve seen us. Archers have increased in number along the outer wall, and the towers of the keep have longbows pointed in our direction. They are powerful enough and accurate enough to fire down on targets outside the outer curtain wall.”

  There had been no attacks against the caravan for the past hour. The shuttle reported multiple gleasons prowling the fields and forests outside the city, so that would likely change, but Havlock decided to stand down the scooters anyway. Their presence would frighten the locals, and he could always bring them back if they were needed. He then detailed the forward squad to scout ahead. Galborae ordered Limam to gather up several of the traders’ melds and join those marines since gleasons could be lingering in abandoned homes and businesses along the road. Life form sensors could not see inside buildings. The two remaining squads spread out along the rest of the caravan.

  Havlock was aware that someone had actually planned development here—attacking forces might infiltrate through the buildings, but nothing had been built within 50 meters of the road or within 100 meters of the outer wall. Defenders would have clear fields of fire, and under normal circumstances attackers would find themselves subject not only to arrows but to hot water, burning oil, and whatever other ghastly defenses had been created. How effective those defenses were against gleasons he could not say, but he believed the high walls provided only a limited, false sense of security.

  He agreed with Galborae: things were probably bad within the walls.

  The caravan was still half a kilometer outside the main gates when those gates swung wide. Two columns of riders emerged at a cantor with several melds flanking them. Banners flew on staffs, black leather and metal mesh covered riders from neck to toes, and black metal helmets with nose guards left only the eyes visible.

  Three flying creatures rose into the air from the castle as one and headed toward the caravan. When they neared, Havlock distinguished mottled green and yellow bodies, long, vicious mouths, taloned feet, and a wickedly barbed tail. Very long wings extended from the widest part of the body. A single rider sat just forward of the wings. These had to be the flying snakes he’d heard about, the saurons.

  “Do they shoot fire from their mouths?” he asked Galborae.

  “No. They’re more like snakes than dragons. The
y are moderately intelligent but not wise like the Rress. The riders guide them entirely with thoughts. There are no reins, only handholds.”

  Heads on the columns of soldiers shifted constantly from side to side, searching as they rode out to meet the caravan. Havlock, Galborae, and Trader Kratzn pulled out ahead of the convoy, planning to stop just short of the column, but as they approached, a dragon swooped down from the sky and landed between the two groups. A rider dressed in fighting gear and carrying a bow climbed down from the dragon. The dragon leapt back into the air as soon as the rider reached the ground. The rider turned toward them and took a few steps, then the helmet came off and golden ringlets flowed over the shoulders of a chiseled woman.

  Havlock glanced sideways at Galborae who returned the look with some alarm. Things must be bad if women had become soldiers here, as well.

  Trader Kratzn was the first to speak. “Lady Atiana?”

  Her clear, commanding voice called back, “It’s me, Trader. Welcome. What are you doing out here?”

  “A long story, M’Lady. Perhaps we could tell it inside the gates?”

  She shifted her gaze to Galborae as she stepped closer. “And you are . . .?”

  “Sir Galborae, liege to King Tennisol, M’Lady.”

  “You’ve come all the way from Shanloc?” she asked in amazement.

  “We have, M’Lady.”

  She mumbled something under her breath that sounded a lot like, “Are you crazy?” and directed blue eyes to Havlock.

  Galborae spoke for him. “He comes from a far land, M’Lady. He does not speak our language. He and his men have come to help us defeat the demons.”

  She studied Havlock through narrowed eyes, then shifted her gaze to the caravan and the oddly dressed men and women. “Indeed?”

  “Yes, M’Lady.” Galborae pressed a hand to his ear and listened, then said to her, “Demons come. You should go back inside.”

  Her gaze hardened as an arrow appeared, notched to her bow in the blink of an eye. She shouted a command, and the columns of her men encircled the four. Melds prowled, tense and focused.