The Privateer 2: AN HONEST LIVING

by Zellmann, William

  "I'm sending six men after those three latecomers," Zant said. "I expect they've turned around and are heading south at top speed. But their top speed can't match a mountain man's." he paused. "I've told them I'll pay a bonus in steel for any of the three brought in alive. Maybe someone will be smart enough to surrender."

  Cale sighed. "I hope so. But I'd rather stick to fighting pirates. Soldiers are just doing a job."

  "Yeah," Zant said sourly, "murdering kings and busting up things. Try thinking about the people and things this 25 won't destroy, now."

  They decided that Zant would stay with his mountain men, while Cale took Explorer to Valhalla to report to King Rajo. He had a feeling the king would not be happy with the outcome, but Cale took comfort in the knowledge that the soldiers had been offered a chance to surrender.

  King Rajo was angry, but not at Cale and Zant. He insisted on being flown to the canyon to see for himself the remains of the raiding party.

  The king was accustomed to the aftermath of battle on Jumbo. He walked among the stripped corpses, examining a wound here, assessing a position there. He seemed surprised only to see several women among the raiders. He even had one of the mountain men take him to the rim of the canyon.

  "A true killing ground," the king said later. "Yet you gave them an opportunity to honorably surrender?"

  Cale nodded. "We did, your Majesty. I, myself, sent the message."

  The king nodded. "Then they chose to die. Brave men." He frowned. "and women," he added uncertainly.

  "But hardly honorable, your Majesty," Zant put in. "They were sneaking into your domain to commit murder – the murder of your Majesty."

  "True," replied the king. "It is obvious this General person has no honor, and if not for his military strength, would be little more than a bandit."

  Cale frowned. "That's not exactly true, your Majesty." He paused. It is often not wise to contradict a king. "The General considers himself an honorable man, and in fact, takes pride in the fact that he devoted his life to protecting his home planet.

  "But he has a different concept of war than the kings of Jumbo. His attitude toward war is much like that of the nomads. To fight all-out, and without limit. To him, there is no 'honorable' war, and there is no 'dishonorable' war. There are only those that are won or lost. He will mourn the men that died today, but he did not order them to surrender and save their lives, though he had the opportunity. Instead he will honor their memories for dying in the line of duty.

  "I have talked with him, your Majesty. He even believes that what he is doing is in the best interests of Jumbo. He knows that it is cruel now, but believes that in a century, Jumbo will consider him a hero."

  The king's eyes narrowed. "You have talked with him? You have spoken with our enemy?"

  Cale could sense danger in the king's tone. "Yes, your Majesty, when I first returned, I talked with him through our long-distance talker. I tried to urge him to stop his efforts to conquer Jumbo."

  "And what did he say?" Suspicion was heavy in the king's tone.

  "That he was doing this to speed the development of civilization on Jumbo, and that I should join him. When I refused and told him to stop, he called me an idealist and said he would administer a dose of reality."

  "And you have not talked with him since?"

  "No, your Majesty. I had no reason. It was obvious that we would never agree." He paused. "Your Majesty, do not doubt that we have chosen our side in this war. If we can defeat the General, our people in Nirvana can go back to their peaceful farming in the Cursed Lands and once again enter into peaceful trade. They can make a mighty contribution to the development of Jumbo."

  The king's face cleared, but then settled into an irritated frown. "Yes. Your people. Our family and that of the Wizard Hiraf have for many years tried to guide the development of Jumbo. We knew that it could take centuries, but We were patient. It is difficult to overcome superstition, and it must be done very slowly if chaos is to be avoided. Your star weapons, long-distance talkers, and other wonders directly challenge those superstitions. I fear your people will have no peace, even if this General is defeated."

  "We understand, your Majesty, and it is our biggest worry, after the General. The mages are able to cause panic and raise terrified mobs, and we knew we must someday confront them. The colony has a number of weapons that can break up a mob, yet hurt no one. The General, of course, has upset the colony's careful plans. We are in hopes that by spreading new weapons technology that can be copied by Jumbo craftsmen, the people of Jumbo will come to see that there is no magic in them, merely careful craftsmanship."

  The king shook his head. "We have talked of this with Sire Tonio. A blacksmith cannot reproduce one of your crossbows, or even one of your arrows."

  Cale nodded. "That is true, your Majesty. Sire Tonio feels that his task is to create on Jumbo what we call an 'industrial revolution', to instill in the craftsmen a desire to make the machines to make the machines needed to make the weapons, and I'm sure he can explain much better than I. But even now, somewhere in Valhalla, one of your blacksmiths is examining our arrows, and wondering how such could be made. He will talk with others, and perhaps even to sire Tonio.

  "This is what sire Tonio hopes for. That blacksmith will find that he cannot make the ferroceramic for the arrowhead, but he may be inspired to see if he can make his arrowheads more like ours than the other blacksmiths'.

  "We have brought thousands of arrowheads, but even if your Majesty's soldiers tried to recover every one they fired, some will be lost, and there will be no more. The colony does not possess the ability to make them, nor do they have the desire. They are, after all, farmers.

  "But your Majesty's soldiers will have seen the difference a sharper arrowhead will make. They will seek out the blacksmiths who can produce the sharpest. Wizard Hiraf can leak out to the blacksmiths the secret of mixing metals.

  "And even your Majesty's bowyers can produce the compound bows. Sire Tonio has sent them samples to examine. Some will not want to change, but those will find fewer and fewer buyers for their bows as archers learn of the benefits of the compound design. The bowyers will know there is no magic in the design, and they will try to convince their customers of such.

  "My point is, your Majesty, that Your Majesty can still lead the development of Jumbo, and if we can defeat the General and rescue good King Karel, we will urge him to maintain close ties with you, and work with you in promoting development on Jumbo. I am not certain that the pace of your Majesty's program of development was the wisest, but accept that your Majesty knows your own culture best. But with engines of progress at both ends of the inhabited strip, Jumbo can only benefit."

  King Rajo's suspicion was allayed, but it was obvious that he felt that events were overtaking him.

  A bearded, filthy Zant arrived four days later. He blended so well with the people of Valhalla that Cale almost didn't recognize him. Cale offered him the use of Cheetah's 'fresher, and Zant gratefully accepted

  The final three soldiers had been killed. He shook his head. "We offered them a chance to surrender, and they killed one of our men. They were all dead in seconds.

  "One thing about it," he continued, "We got back before the Gathering ended, and by the time everybody got done bragging, we got twenty more volunteers. So, I think we'll have snipers whenever you need them. I don't think we have to worry much about infiltrators coming through the mountains. And I think I've got some trappers for my 'dirty tricks' department."

  Cale and Zant took Explorer the 250 Kiloms to the river port training facility, where Tonio reminded Cale of a juggler with a dozen balls in the air at once.

  He greeted them with hands on hips. "So you finally decided to stop running around the planet and help me get something done!" He said in an irritated tone.

  Cale smiled. "Well, we managed to stay busy. How can we help?"

  Within an hour, they were embroiled in trying to turn peasant farmers into soldiers.

 
To a large extent, this consisted of trying to convince them that the weapons they were being given were not filled with evil magic.

  "The mages are starting to see us as a threat," Tonio told them. "A lot of the peasants we're getting from the minor kingdoms are being told that we are evil wizards, and that Hiraf's power is all that keeps us under control. Starting rumors can be a very effective technique."

  Hiraf's entire family had been sent to the river port at Tonio's suggestion, to assure arriving recruits that Hiraf had banished the evil spirits in their weapons, and that they were on guard to make certain they did not return. Tonio's efforts included having the peasants disassemble and reassemble their crossbows and other weapons frequently to show they contained no evil spirits. It was a stopgap, and everyone, including the king, knew it. More and more of the arriving recruits were terrified, and it was making the already short training difficult.

  Finally, Cale took Hiraf himself on rounds of the minor kingdoms' capitals. He talked with the court mages and reminded them that Ochoa-Mariden did not believe in magic, and if he won, would launch a campaign to destroy the mages.

  Apparently Hiraf's appeal was successful; arriving recruits were still nervous and frightened, but they were no longer terrified.

  Normally on Jumbo, peasant levies received no training at all. They were typically given a long, heavy spear with which to defend against dino-mounted cavalry. Those who could claim prior experience might be given a crossbow, if they didn't have their own. For the rest, a motley assortment of weapons and tools including axes and pitchforks had to serve until they could grab something better from a fallen enemy.

  So, once they got over their fear of their own weapons, many of the peasants became fascinated by them. The crossbows were a big hit among those who had served before. Now they could bring down even an armored dino, if necessary, and immediately have another shot to dispatch its rider. These were the hardest to train. They knew what happened in war; First the volleys of arrows, followed by the charge of dino cavalry, and the clash of the armies. It was very hard to convince them that there were other ways of making war. Finally Zant and Cale designed a training field, and they and a few trusted snipers took positions within it. Here the land was not level and cleared; there were ruined cottages, and hills, and valleys, and trees. The veterans were sent in groups into the training field, with the star men and their snipers awaiting them.

  On their first run-throughs, none of the veterans got more than a few yards into the field before a wax ball containing bright yellow paint splashed them, and they were declared 'dead', shouted at by their trainers, and given extra training duties.

  By their fourth or fifth run, the veterans were beginning to get the idea. Most of them ran into the field crouched over, and dropped to their bellies while they tried to locate their attackers. It was a very stupid veteran, indeed, that needed more than ten runs on the field. And, of course, it was the veterans to whom the first-timers looked for guidance. Tonio was impressed, but Cale was a bit worried.

  They were training the peasant levies in this new style of war, but could do little with the cavalry, who were all nobility and courtiers. At every opportunity, he lectured the king about getting the cavalry off their mounts, and predicting that if he did not, he would have no nobility or courtiers left after the first charge; and that would mean few who could serve as leaders or officers. He didn't mention that the king typically went into battle on dinoback.

  Finally, he had Tess run a Santiagan training vid for the king. The opening sequences, with the artillery and armored vehicles, impressed the king mightily. But when the vid focused on the infantry, the king was derisive. "They sneak onto the field! They are indeed cowards!"

  Cale shook his head. "It is a different type of fighting, with different weapons. They have the lasers that kill with light from far away. They have rifles even more powerful than ours, though they use up powerpacks quickly. Imagine that is your troops they are facing. Those men you see hiding behind cover would not be afraid of their brave charge. They would simply lie there and kill. They would wipe out your cavalry in minutes."

  "That is why we're counting so heavily on the pneumatic crossbows," he continued. "The infantry can lie on their bellies like these do," he gestured toward the screen, "and shoot at the enemy. They will be the attackers. They must rise and run forward to press their attack home. Our people can remain under cover unless the enemy's charge actually carries them to our lines.

  "The General has few of the heavier weapons. We will be planning how to disable them or to destroy them, and we are counting on our snipers to pick off anyone who tries to use them."

  Cale wasn't certain the king was convinced, but he left Cheetah frowning in thought.

  Chapter 15

  Cale sought out Zant. "When I was talking to the king," he said, "I realized that we have to do something about those crew-served weapons the General brought along."

  Zant shrugged. "Get those silly cavalry off their dinos and the crew-served weapons won't be a problem,"

  Cale shook his head. "That's not enough. Zant, think about it. We don't have battle-hardened veterans; we have peasant levies who are scared of their own weapons. You tell me that will happen the first time that big company-level disruptor fires."

  Zant frowned. "You've got a point. They'd scatter like quail, and be slaughtered." He straightened. "All right, let's see," he pulled up the Din-Class's lading list from Santiago. "He has the one disruptor, two heavy infantry lasers, and that armed flitter." He looked up at Cale. "We need to do something about that flitter, too."

  Cale nodded. "Do you think some of your 'dirty tricks' crew could work with some snipers from the south?"

  Zant shrugged. "Sheol, I don't know. I don't think they even know what explosives are. They're just mountain trappers." Suddenly he grinned. "But you drop me off in those foothills with some toys, and I'll have 'em ready in a week. I hope."

  Cale grinned. "Me too. Fervently."

  They filled Cale's trading cart with demo packs and assorted nasties, and Explorer lifted off for the mountains. Zant began calling his "dirty tricks" team via the ultracoms they'd been given.

  "Land at the Gathering site," Zant said. "Then, I guess you'd better get back. I hear the king's thinking about sending some of his cavalry to try our training field."

  Cale grinned wolfishly. "I hope so. Those dinos are fast. It would be fun to see how far they get."

  Zant was right. When he got back to the training camp, Tonio told him that a cavalry unit was on its way from Valhalla. Apparently Cale's training vid had impressed the king. He had challenged his nobility to choose their best two dozen and send them to the river port. Cale and Tonio were charged with finding twenty of their best men to face the cavalry on the training ground. On the appointed day, Cale was to pick up the king, so he could observe the test.

  Cale's grin was wide. "Well, if the king will be here, I guess I won't be on the field. We have our four snipers. Can you come up with some crossbowmen?"

  Tonio nodded. "Easily. I have twenty I've been using as trainers." He smiled. "Perhaps we'll see how good they really are."

  It was five days before the cavalry reached the river port. Starships aside, travel on Jumbo was still a long, slow, and rather uncommon thing.

  All was in readiness. A man simply called 'Captain' commanded the cavalry detachment. It seemed that military ranks on Jumbo were somewhat simplified. There were Sergeants, there were Captains, there were Great Captains, and there were kings. If you weren't one of those, you were a common soldier. Of course, in the cavalry, this was somewhat complicated by the social rank of the individual, but even so, the cavalrymen were sworn to obey the Captain.

  The Captain wanted to begin immediately, but Cale finally prevailed upon him and his men to watch a demonstration of the weapons they would face. "Besides," he said, "I must still fetch the king."

  There was an angry muttering when they realized that both the crossbow bolts and
the rifle bullets could penetrate the armor of their mounts as well as their own.

  The Captain's face was red, his hand on his sword hilt. "You give such weapons to commoners?" he demanded.

  Cale nodded soberly. "Yes, at the direction of the king," he replied quietly. "And these weapons are less powerful than those your enemy carries."

  He demonstrated a laser, which terrified them. "This is one of the most common weapons your enemy uses," he explained. "They also use a rifle that is much more powerful than our own."

  The Captain's anger faded to thoughtfulness. "It is good that we learn what we face. We will proceed."

  Cale flew to Valhalla to retrieve a very excited king. Still, his enthusiasm was tempered by obvious worry. King Rajo remembered that vid, and he was very afraid he would be witnessing the end of the cavalry charge to glory.

  The Captain aligned his men abreast some twenty meters outside the training field. A shout, and the line thundered toward the field, again demonstrating the dinos' uncanny speed.

  Cale stood with the king to one side. "Ha!" King Rajo shouted as the dinos launched into motion. "A brave spectacle, is it not?"

  Cale knew what was coming, and his mood was somber. "Brave indeed, your Majesty."

  The line of cavalry crossed the entrance line of the training field, and the dinos' speed did little to help. In seconds, the brave charge disintegrated into a confused, milling mass of men and dinos. All wore at least one splash of yellow.

  The king turned to Cale with a hurt, distressed look. Cale shook his head. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. I truly am. There is no braver spectacle than cavalry charging abreast. But in this war, it is simply suicide."