Assault on Cambriol: The Manhattan Trials

by Jerry Borrowman

  “It’s strange. As I put my foot down, I sense there’s going to be a shooting pain, but then the feeling instantly subsides and I get a slight hint that I have a foot. It’s just enough to help me figure out where I am. But, the hardest part is not feeling my lower legs.”

  Together the three of them made it across the room. Magill was relieved to see there was a shower chair for him to sit on and after settling onto it, Eaves and Carter left him alone. It was a lot more painful than he’d let on and tears now streamed down his face. He was grateful for the warm water to wash them away.

  After one of the longest showers of his life, he dried himself off and pulled on the freshly-cleaned, Alturian uniform that had been left for him. It felt strange to be in foreign clothes for the fabric was coarse, stiff, and didn’t feel good against the unwrapped part of his burned legs. But even that couldn’t offset the joy he felt in being clean and dressed again. He called out to Eaves and Carter and they helped him back into the bedroom. They tried to steer him to the bed, but he had them help him to a chair next to the small conference table. A footrest allowed him to elevate his feet.

  “I need to know what’s going on. You’ve got to bring me up to speed.”

  For the next two hours, they poured over maps of the surrounding territory, trying to come up with a plan to escape the planet surface. They didn’t want to become hostages. Eaves relayed that their parachute landing brought them down on trees next to a small river and, after regaining consciousness, he dragged Carter down and then used portable lasers to cut branches to lower the ship. There was enough remaining fuel for thrusters to move the ship into the river, where they floated downstream for nine or ten kilometers closer to the city. They found a secluded spot to beach the fighter and camouflaged it with branches and debris. Using their locator, they beat a path through the jungle to the main city entrance. At about five kilometers out, they connected with Major Wilkerson and his party and collected stragglers along the way. Finally the group reached the city and were taken in by Loyalist troops.

  “You’ll like Wilkerson,” Eaves said. “He’s a leader in Jesik’s mold, cool under fire and fearless in battle. We were attacked on two separate occasions and he deployed the limited men under his command to make the rebels think there were hundreds of us. Even the Alturians obeyed his orders.”

  “I know Major Wilkerson,” Magill replied. “He saved my life by carrying me through the swamp.” Magill shuddered at the memory. “I never felt so helpless.”

  Carter interjected, “He was particularly worried about you and never strayed far from your litter. He took a personal interest in your welfare.”

  Magill could see Carter was stressed out and that Wilkerson’s attention to an unconscious man meant a lot to him.

  “Are you two still here?” Captain Carling’s voice showed irritation. “Lieutenant Magill needs rest and you two need to spell the advisers to the Palace Guard. So get a move on!”

  “Yes, Sir!” said Eaves, giving her a formal salute and a wink to Magill. Carter sighed as they left the room.

  “How’re you feeling?”

  “Surprisingly good. These boots are really amazing, giving me enough feeling to know I have feet, but the intense pain is gone.”

  “I’ve asked the carpenter to make crutches, so he should be in shortly to do the measurements. In the meantime do you think you can make it to the bed.”

  Magill blushed at the thought of what he would look like stumbling to his bed and hated himself for it. Either she didn’t notice his blush or pretended not to. He stood up uncertainly, wanting to walk on his own, but his first step forward landed him in a heap. He couldn’t get used to not feeling his knees.

  “Stupid legs.” He felt Captain Carling put her arms under his armpits. She had surprising strength and helped him to stand. Walking like a zombie in an old earth movie, he stumbled to the bed.

  “Thank you, Captain,” he said as he slumped onto the bed. “Back on Kalenden, I was on the All-Continent Soccer team, although you wouldn’t know it to look at me now.”

  “Oh, I can see that you’re athletic and I’m convinced the shock of the burns would have killed you if you hadn’t been in such great physical condition.”

  He was relieved to think she could see past his injuries. Plus, he liked the phrase, “Great physical condition.” Still, it was so strange to talk to this woman, who was all business, yet tender. Not many women served in the Kalenden armed forces and none of those he’d dealt with were this beautiful. He knew he shouldn’t be attracted to her since she was from Alturus, but she was the most interesting person he’d ever met.

  Laying his head on the pillow, he picked up on their earlier conversation, but resolved to stay level-headed this time, “Carling is a fairly prominent name on Kalenden; one of the leading families. How about on Alturus?”

  “We’re considered part of the snobbish class there as well.”

  “Magill is pretty common where I come from. I’m adopted, so I don’t really know my heritage – probably mongrel – but I couldn’t have had better parents if I’d tried. Fortunately, I did well on my military and scholastic exams, which is why I received the scholarship to Kalenden Arms, even though we’re not a prominent family.” She didn’t say anything, probably nervous that she’d set him off again.

  “You asked me to tell you about Kalenden and now maybe you can tell me about Alturus. Different cultures and customs fascinate me. Would you mind?”

  For the next thirty minutes the two of them talked back and forth, occasionally laughing, but mostly speaking earnestly of the differences between their two peoples, finally agreeing there were more similarities than differences.

  “What exactly do you hope to do with your life, Lieutenant?” she asked.

  “Eventually I want to go into diplomatic service, but not until I’ve gained distinction in the military. You go a lot farther in our system if you have military contacts.” Then he looked down at his legs and added, “That probably won’t happen now. One needs to be in top form to stay in the service – particularly the fleet.”

  Tara wanted to lift his face and try to get a smile back, but his mind had taken him deep into his own thoughts.

  “Well, Lieutenant, I’ve stayed far longer than I should have. I didn’t even follow my own orders to let you rest.”

  “Don’t go,” he pleaded. “It’s been years since I’ve been able to talk so freely.” A yawn betrayed him and he laid his head back on the pillow.

  “Take a nap and then it’ll be time to join Major Wilkerson for dinner.”

  “I still stick with what I said as I was conking out from the sedative you gave me at the base camp. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” He was pleased with her surprised look. “You thought I forgot, didn’t you?”

  “I thought you were delirious. Perhaps you’re having a relapse.” He smiled and closed his eyes.

  As he breathed deeply, she gently stroked his face. “I wonder what it would be like to come from a planet where people join together in love, not duty?” She stood and quietly left the room, being careful to wipe her eyes before entering the corridor. But, she couldn’t stop thinking about his comment that his military career was over. It certainly would be on Alturus. When dinnertime arrived, Lieutenant Magill was still sound asleep, so Wilkerson and Carling dined alone.

  * * *

  The next morning Eaves burst into Magill’s room. “Wake up Sean! You’ve gotta get out of bed!”

  Magill had slept in his borrowed uniform, so instinctively he tried to swing his legs out. But they were still fairly numb.

  “I can’t move fast, Travis. Help me. What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but there’s a commotion in the hallway. We’ve got to move to protect the Royal Family, but I don’t want to leave you here in case of prowling rebels.”

  Magill stepped down. His feet again screamed in agony for a short time. He put his arm around Eaves’ shoulders and they hobb
led into the corridor and turned towards a magnificent door. When they reached it, an Alliance guard swung the heavy door open and they stepped inside a large, elegantly-decorated room.

  About forty feet away, a well-dressed family huddled close to each other, surrounded by a fierce-looking contingent of Palace Guards, weapons pointed at the gathering crowd. Eaves spied Carter to one side of the room, standing next to a member of the household staff. They were leaning against a wall painting, which struck Magill as odd. Carter beckoned them to join him.

  “Try to move quietly, Sean, so we don’t attract attention.” They joined Carter. Eaves whispered to ask what was happening. There were fifteen or twenty Alturian advisers in the room, along with a number of Loyalist troops, all of whom held weapons. Captain Carling moved silently in the direction of Magill and the others.

  “I think there was a disturbance at the main palace gates,” Carter whispered. “Some of the household staff turned on the guards and shot them. No one knows what’s happening for sure, but it looks like there’s an attempted palace coup.”

  Gunfire erupted in the outside hall. Eaves, Carter and Magill raised their weapons and pointed expectantly in that direction. Magill turned to look at the Royal Family just as, without warning, the guards swung around and opened fire. Before anyone could react, the Royal Family was heaped in an expanding pool of blood.

  Acting on impulse Magill fired at the lead guard, who had already aimed at the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister stood motionless, stunned by what just happened to the Royal Family. The blast from Magill cut the guard in half. He then turned to a second guard rushing towards the Prime Minister and shot him as well. As he was about to fire again, a bullet tore the laser from his hands and a second bullet grazed his head. The combined impact of the two bullets knocked him to the floor. As he sat up, he saw a guard racing toward him, his weapon pointed at his face. Instinctively, he rolled to one side to protect his face. He saw the guard squeeze the trigger and braced for the impact, but instead, a searing blast flared next to Magill as Eaves blasted the guard into his next life. Still, the soldier’s bullet also grazed Magill’s head, tearing a gash through his hair, but leaving just a surface wound.

  “Get out of the way, Sean, fast!”

  Magill tried to rise to his feet, but the pain was too great, so he rose on all fours and crawled toward the wall where Carter stood.

  Chaos ruled in the room, with members of the royal guard firing at both Loyalist troops and Alturians. A few managed to return fire with lasers, setting furnishings on fire, while others used impact weapons that shredded bodies and furniture alike. Many more fell, while others ducked behind protective pillars, or found other protection. With bullets and laser beams flying in all directions, there was no place safe.

  Carter shouted “Everybody, push against the painting.” Eaves looked at him like he was crazy, but the wall behind Carter gave way and he and the Keswick staff member disappeared into the blackness.

  “I’ll be damned,” Eaves muttered. He pushed Magill and Carling through the opening while maintaining withering fire to cover their escape. When everyone else had gone through the opening, he fired off a final blast, then turned and dove toward the hole. But just as he was about to enter the opening, a bullet struck his left arm, spinning him around and away from the portal with blood spattering the wall behind him. He groaned and fell to the floor. Immediately, Tara dashed out, dragged Eaves through the opening and Carter and the Keswick shoved the heavy wall back into place. Numerous bullets slammed into the wall, but it was thick enough to absorb their impact. Carter dropped an old-fashioned bar across the doorway, effectively locking out the others.

  “Come on,” he shouted, “we’ve got to get out of here. Follow me!”

  By this time Eaves had regained his balance and in spite of his wounded arm, leaned down to help Magill to his feet.

  “Not this time, Travis,” said Carter quickly. He gently moved him aside so he could help Magill stand. Sean’s right foot hurt more than his left, but he grimaced and walked as fast as he could, holding onto Carter for support. Blood trickled down his face from the head wound, but there was no time to deal with that now. Meanwhile, Tara had ripped the sleeve off her uniform and wrapped it around Eaves wounded arm to staunch the bleeding.

  “Which way do we go?” she asked.

  The Keswick replied, “Down this corridor and into the left passageway. It’ll take us down into a subterranean hallway that leads to a boat landing on the Palace Lake.”

  “He’s telling us the truth,” said Carter.

  “How do you know that?” asked Eaves.

  “While you were talking with the other Alliance fighters, I made friends with some of the palace staff. I guess they liked me, because two of the housekeepers brought me into the crown room and showed me the secret passage. They said if we ever needed to get out, this was the way to go.”

  “It sounds like they had a pretty good idea that something was going to happen,” said Carling, anger evident in her voice. “They were probably involved with the murder of the Royal Family.” She was trembling with rage.

  “I’m afraid it’s an old story,” said Magill. “It goes clear back to the ancient days of Earth, when palace coups dethroned hereditary monarchies.”

  “Yes,” Tara said, “but in those days the monarchs were tyrannical. This family has provided stability to Keswick for more than 200 years, letting everyone share in the profits from the mines. They didn’t hurt anyone and look how they ended up!”

  She was so angry she was crying, which made her even more furious. She strode ahead down the corridor so fast that Magill couldn’t keep up, though he tried. Finally, she heard him gasping from the pain and stopped, turned to look at him. His face was flushed from the exertion. Eaves was ashen colored, obviously losing blood.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “We need to slow down. Everyone stop and let me listen.” Since she was the senior officer, she assumed command. The corridor fell silent and they strained to hear if anyone was following. There was no sound except for dripping water. “Okay, let’s take a five minute break.”

  Magill and Eaves slumped to the floor, trying to catch their breath. They were both too tired to talk.

  “How much farther?” Tara asked the Keswick. “And, what is your name and how is it that you were with Lieutenant Carter?”

  “They call me Paval, madam and the Royal family asked me to assure your safety, as well as the Kalenden Lieutenants.” Tara eyed him suspiciously, but didn’t choose to follow-up. “How much farther?”

  “Not far. There’s an underground grotto the Royal Family used when they wished to sneak onto the lake to seek a reprieve from official duties. The lake ties into the main river and may offer a means of escape. We will meet friends there.”

  “Perhaps we can work our way upstream to our fighter,” said Carter, “although it doesn’t have room for four.”

  He looked dejected. Tactical thinking wasn’t his strong point and they now had few options.

  “We’ll take it one step at a time,” said Tara. “Right now we need to get Lieutenant Eaves into the daylight so I can look at his arm. The bandage is soaked through and I may have to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.”

  Carter lifted Magill and Tara helped Eaves back to his feet. Slowly they started working their way down the corridor. Magill turned to Carter and asked hesitantly, “How do you know the household staff wasn’t setting you up? Maybe we’re walking into a trap.”

  “I don’t know, but I trust them. Besides, if we were still in that room we’d already be dead. I don’t see how anyone could make it out alive.. You can be sure that the rebels didn’t want any witnesses.”

  The tunnel walls had taken on a different color. “I think there’s daylight ahead,” Tara called out. Then, as they rounded the next bend, she suddenly stopped. There were voices ahead.

  Carter listened intently and said, quietly, “It’s my friends. What should I do?” He and Tara
whispered furtively for a few moments. It looked to Magill that she was arguing against Carter revealing himself and them, but he eventually won the discussion. Carter helped Magill sit on the floor and Tara eased Eaves down. There was just enough light for her to remove the dressing and look at his arm. Meanwhile, Carter and Paval slipped quietly around the corner and approached the Keswicks.

  War’s certainly a lot different than I dreamed of, Magill thought. Eaves let out a low groan as Tara poured a white powder into his wound. Magill saw Eaves blood foam around the edge of the wound. Then she scrubbed furiously, which must have been agony for Eaves. She’s a tough one. Even when she knows she’s hurting you, she keeps going to see the job’s done right. He thought back on all his daydreams about being in combat and how he’d valiantly lead the charge that turned the tide of battle. In reality, war was seeing friends turned into nuclear powder or a horribly disfigured corpse and parents with their children turned into a bloody mess by people sworn to protect them. And I certainly haven’t heroically led anyone anywhere. Instead, he’d been a burden to everybody. So much for daydreams!

  Tara spoke some soothing words to Eaves and, watching, Magill thought, At least I got a chance to meet her. I could have lived a lifetime without ever meeting anyone like her. I’m grateful this war gave me that.

  Voices approached them. Instinctively Magill pressed against the wall, hoping to become invisible. Then he recognized Jason Carter’s voice and was relieved to hear he was still alive.

  “They’re ahead,” said Carter as he came into view, followed by an elderly man and woman, plus two Palace Guards pointing their weapons. Carter stepped past Magill to introduce them to Tara.

  “Captain Carling, please meet John and Linda LeMons. They were personal attendants to the king and queen. They’re the ones who showed me how to save our lives, but now they have some urgent questions.” Tara rose and deeply bowed.

  “Thank you for your kindness,” she said formally, “we owe you much. How can we possibly repay you.”

  Mr. LeMons spoke quietly, “You must speak candidly and tell us the full truth, or our hospitality and your lives may end in this corridor.”