The Battle for the Ringed Planet

by Richard Edmond Johnson

  “Looks like the Dragons are catching hell.” Clive remarked, a little nervousness in his voice. One of the contrails in the distance began to trail flames and looped high in the sky before peeling downward in a ball of fire. No chutes were seen.

  “Ours or theirs, fleet?” Nick asked grimly.

  “Hawkeye.” Torian replied without emotion, he knew the sluggish movements by heart. The Fleet needed eyes and ears over the battleground because of countermeasures interfering with their surveillance. Hawkeyes attracted Solvairs like frenzied sharks to blood.

  “You said you got a couple of Solvairs, right Torian?” Andy turned to the tall flight specialist who was scanning the officer’s line up.

  “Yeah. Green pilots. They didn’t know that you never get on the tail of a Hawkeye. We got guns facing front and back.”

  “How did that go, then?” Shorter Nick spoke up with his thick accent, and they all watched the tall lanky flight specialist.

  “Well, Hawkeyes are bigger, faster, but not as maneuverable. Solvairs can turn inside us easily, so when we see ‘em we dive and max out our thrusters to get away. We got two external pods for the tunnel drive, sometimes we dump the used up one and ignite it. Makes for a pretty show.”

  In the officer’s line up he suddenly caught a glimpse of tied up blonde hair standing next to a black woman about the same height. There were a few other blonde-haired women, all with their hair in a tight bun, so he continued to scan down the line.

  “Go on.” Clive watched the line slowly move.

  “So, my pilot, Tristan, he sees these two rebels practicing formation around a big moon and we’re about to tunnel out. He’s crazy and wants to buzz them, so that’s what we do.” Torian laughed, “And they go for it.” Then he stopped, catching a blonde haired girl turning and checking her Con. It wasn’t Siiri, so he sighed.

  Nick nudged him, “What did you do then?”

  “Oh, yeah, the first one came up right behind firing. We have shields and they don’t, so we can take a hit or two. He knocked them out but I got off a couple of bursts. Our guns are slower, but bigger, and he blew right up, didn’t have a chance.” Torian watched the first blonde girl speaking casually to a black female officer, but she did not turn so he could not see her face.

  “No kidding!” Clive and Andy reacted together.

  “The other guy was tougher. We dumped our spent tunnel pod, but he saw that one coming.” The officer’s line was almost all inside and there were only a couple of more blonde headed women. He could not go up and check because it would mean trouble, since it was the officer’s area.

  Continuing to recount to fight, he turned back to the sappers, “So we had to take him to the deck of the moon, and fast before the rest of his squadron caught up. We did a deep dive, out running him, and then shot for a mountain range. Tristan was an expert and I swear flew centimeters from the surface, kicking up dust. Every time he got a lock, Tristan would duck around a mountain or rocky formation to throw him off. Then we popped out from behind this old volcano and suddenly he was right on our tail. I think he was more surprised than we were, and to this day, I don’t how I reacted so fast, but I got his starboard engine and he flew right into the side of that volcano. Then we punched out before the others came.”

  Clive slapped him in the back, “Wow, that’s some adventure!”

  A few officers came up behind while Siiri anxiously searched the other line as Kat stepped inside the door. One by one, marine soldier after soldier, some tall and handsome, like Torian, and others black, brown, and tan skinned, all with cropped hair under military style caps. All of a sudden, there he was, joking and laughing, standing amongst some very large built men.

  Andy pointed to the officer’s line, “Is that her, then?”

  Nick frowned, “Who?”

  “The scatter blonde?”

  “Oh yeah …” Nick watched the girl, “Nice looking, but stuck in officer’s country, too bad.”

  Torian glanced where Andy motioned and spied the blonde girl with azurite eyes watching him. She appeared even more lovely with her hair done up.

  Beaming, catching his sparkling chestnut eyes, she was so happy to see him. Leaving the officer’s line and Kat behind who was checking the flat panel menu, Siiri strode across, almost running, to the enlisted line towards Torian.

  “She’s, ah … coming this way …” Nick commented, puzzled.

  “Yeah, how about that.” Torian shot her a wide smile.

  With strands of ash blonde hair fraying, she walked faster calling out, “Torian!”

  His three engineer friends, along with a dozen other enlisted marines, turned their heads slowly eying the wiry young man, raising their eyebrows. He shrugged at them and then met the blonde girl who embraced him tightly and affectionately. Then she reached up, standing on her tippy toes, and wrapped her arms snugly around his neck. To everyone surprise, she kissed him passionately. Most everyone in the line was stunned, especially Torian who was pleasantly caught off guard.

  When they slowly parted she whispered, “I was so worried about you and that patrol, Torian, I missed you!”

  Grinning, he held her waist while she pulled him closer; “Are they treating you all right?” he spoke softly watching her pretty eyes.

  “They ask a lot of questions ... and there is this real bitch for my escort!”

  Andy coughed and Torian turned, “Oh, I’m sorry, these are my new friends.”

  Siiri smiled and waved.

  Andy Nick and Clive all coughed again a little louder and pointed at the fuming form of First Lieutenant Kat Martine storming towards the happy couple.

  The enlisted ranks all came to attention, except Torian who still held Siiri, as Kat barked at the pair, “What do you think you’re doing?” She glared right at Torian.

  “Did I do something wrong?” Siiri glared at the black woman.

  “Yes you did, now get back to the officer’s side.”

  The blue-eyed girl peered up at him with a questioning look, and he motioned, “You better go or she’ll flog me.”

  She whispered back, “Oops.”

  Torian winked at her and then Kat scowled, pointing, and the girl began to walk slowly back to the officer’s side, “And you!” she took out her Con, “Where’s my salute!”

  Snapping to attention Torian saluted, and she flicked up a virtual screen on her Con, “You’re on charge! Fraternization!”

  “It was worth it.”

  “Shut up!”

  “Does that mean no more shoring up tunnels, ma’am?”

  Kat growled, “If I see you anywhere near the female officer’s quarters, I’m going to shoot you!” Then she turned and strode away.

  There was a dazed silence from his friends as Torian waved at Siiri before she went inside the mess building, then they all began at once.

  “Where did you find her?”

  “Can she be cloned?”

  “Does she have a sister?”

  Holding up his hands, “I found her when I crash landed. She was in bad shape so I helped her, and we’ve been together.”

  Nick quipped, “So, you rescued her from her virginity?”

  “I did not. That was our first kiss.”

  Slapping Torian on the back, Andy chuckled, “And what a kiss!”

  Chapter 21: Dust Offs

  In the mess hall, Siiri sat on the other side where the tables and chairs were more spread out. Their eyes met and she gave Torian a small wave trying not to draw attention as he waved back.

  Kat cut a piece of ham, “Stopping encouraging him.”

  “I can wave at the man I like.”

  “No. That’s fraternization.”

  “You people are strange.”

  “Look, this is a combat theatre, and there are 10 men for every woman here, we have rules to stop raging hormones from getting out of control; no kissing, no holding hands, and no midnight rendezvous’, that goes for men and women, women and women, and men and men.”

 
“I’m not part of your marines.”

  “Right now you are. The rule applies to civilians like embedded reporters and contractors. Even married couples can’t touch each other. So behave!”

  “Well, what about you then? Do you have a boyfriend?”

  “Not now.”

  “Do you like boys?” Siiri remembered May’s preference for girls.

  “Of course I like boys … men. I have no time right now for a relationship.”

  “Well, then, when?”

  “After this and we’re at the home base I’ll hook up with someone, an officer.”

  “Hook up? What do you mean?”

  “A temporary arrangement until the next deployment.”

  “But what about love?”

  Chuckling, Kat finished her lunch, “You need a reality check, there’s no time for love here.” Then she pointed, “And I wouldn’t go falling for that Space Jockey, I read his file, he’s trouble, a slacker. His tour is up in a few days and he’ll go home and forget all about you with all the loose skirts on his home world.”

  “He’s not like that.”

  “Sure he’s not,” she swallowed some milk. “Forget him and remember what I told you!”

  Siiri grumbled staring at her plate and then over to Torian’s table; he looked like he was enjoying the conversation with his newfound engineer friends and she wished she was there. At least he stole glances her way making her fell a little better. Would he really forget about her?

  Then a captain entered the mess hall striding over to the enlisted side with a grim expression, “Listen up gentlemen, the Dragons are getting hit bad. We have Dust Off’s incoming with wounded; we’ll need stretcher bearers and help.”

  No one said a word as the marines busily picked up their plates and put them in the dirty dish racks, gathering their things and rushing out the door.

  “What’s going on?” Siiri peered at Kat and then followed Torian with her eyes as he strode out the door with the engineers.

  “Sounds like heavy casualties, we’d better get underground. When they lift the shields for the Spacemasters sometimes the enemy shells us.”

  “But where is Torian going?”

  “Nevermind him, let’s go!”

  Pulling his cap over his longer than regulation hair Torian glanced up in the sky, a dozen bright stars raced between the high cirrus clouds with bright flashes. In addition, numerous contrails streaked the blue like some kids animated drawing program.

  “Oh wow … fleet … I bet you’re glad to be down here.” Clive shaded his eyes with his hand.

  “No, I got a bad feeling …”

  Andy turned to the flight specialist, “What are they doing in space?”

  “Trying to secure orbit.” Torian replied. A brilliant light flashed and made the blue sky red.

  “That was a battle cruiser …” Clive stared in awe.

  Then Nick pointed, “Dust Offs!” Two lumbering Spacemasters with huge red crosses on their box shaped fuselages came in from the North West where a battle between the Dragon marines and one of the Imperium’s crack legions was raging. The group of engineers and Torian began to sprint to the landing pad.

  The huge vessel began to descend flaring up thrusters blowing dust around the landing pad. Nearby was the medical infirmary and across was the engineer garage. Medics with Red Cross armbands rushed up to the Spacemaster as the door gunners jumped down pulling out blood soaked stretchers. Marines queued up hauling the wounded freeing up the medics so that they could administer IV’s, painkillers and compresses, patching up bloody wounds. The stench of burned flesh was prevalent, a nauseating odor, and with cries of pain from the grotesquely injured soldiers the whole scene became unbearable to witness.

  With four to a stretcher, Torian took a corner and grimaced at the Dragon Marine while the medic worked furiously keeping the man’s intestines from spilling over. After depositing the wounded soldier beside rows of others, the flight specialist dashed to the Spacemaster and climbed up the ramp with others. He almost lost his footing on the blood pooled on the floor of the spacecraft, lifting in unison, another stretcher with a woman who looked like May staring up with wide eyes. A geyser of bright red blood shot out of the stump where her leg was missing.

  “Hold up!” A medic with boyish features, grown up awfully fast, pulled out a belt like tourniquet and wrapped it around the tanned skinned woman’s upper leg, and handed Torian a pain killer. He did not need to ask instructions and placed the tube against her neck.

  “They do wonders with titanium limbs these days …” he tried to comfort her but she just stared distantly. The medic wrote the time on her forehead in blood so that the doc would know when she had the potent painkiller.

  When the Dust Off, a Spacemaster acting like an air ambulance, was empty of wounded the door gunners jumped back in and it lifted off while another full of wounded hovered and then began to land.

  Someone pointed and shouted, “Solvairs!”

  “Crap!” Torian eyed the treetops, as three fighters appeared chased by two Starhawks. Two of the black and red fighters broke off heading towards the landing pad. The empty Dust Off, trapped, could not land because the Spacemaster laden with wounded was in the way, and it was unable to escape the speed of the Solvairs. The desperate Starhawk pilots fired out of range closing fast to try to stop the enemy fighters. Too late! Plasma bolts slammed into the empty Spacemaster sending it careening and then spinning with smoke pouring out of the engines on top near the cockpit. More plasma bolts ignited the tubular thrusters on the sides and flames licked the vessel as it began to drop. The Dust Off loaded with wounded marines maneuvered out of the way of the stricken sister vessel, but not without taking hits from the Solvairs and nose-diving out of control.

  Torian wasted no time sprinting towards the trenches dug between the engineer garage and the quartermaster’s storehouse. Clive pumped his legs next to him and they both spotted a frozen Callie watching the overloaded Spacemaster swaying out of control on fire towards the medical building as the door gunners jumped ten meters to the ground breaking legs and ankles.

  “Callie!” Torian yelled and the dark haired engineer turned to him with panicked grey eyes, “Run!” He urged.

  The empty Dust Off, now engulfed in fire, slammed into the landing pad erupting into a ball of flames shooting high into the sky. A Solvair arced downward into the tree line in flames as a Starhawk took it out. Like a linebacker, Torian clutched Callie and rushed her towards the trench where other marines were diving. Another huge explosion rocked the entire base as the Dust Off full of wounded soldiers smashed into the medical building and the blast sent Torian flying to the ground with Callie in his arms. She was shrieking hysterically, and he was not far from doing the same, but with super human determination he clenched his teeth and hauled the female marine up and pushed her to the trench. Clive was right behind and gave a hand and all three of them landed on top of other marines huddled for the safety of the ground.

  Another Solvair flew over strafing marines running from the explosions, some in flames despite their fireproof fatigues. Clive and the flight specialist covered Callie and squeezed close feeling the heat of the fireballs.

  --

  Underneath, in the intelligence room dirt poured through the spaces in the metal ceiling as the room rocked again. Siiri held on to the table wide eyed and glared at Neil in alarm.

  “What is going on?” She demanded for the third time while the virtual screens on the intelligence officer’s table flickered.

  “Just stay calm.” He exhaled sharply and Siiri knew something was going badly as the man moved his fingers rapidly through the holo images.

  “Kat!” He yelled and the coffee skinned officer strode in, “Seal the door.”

  “Yes sir …” She hesitated, unsure if she was to stay in the room or leave.

  “Get on top; they’ll need every body they can find up there.” The lieutenant nodded and glanced quickly at Siiri, as if to say good-bye, th
en she was gone and the door shut tight.

  Then the major drew his pistol and laid it on his table and Siiri did not like the look in his eyes at all, “Neil?” She stepped around the table to face him, “What’s going on?”

  “Here, then, look.” He flicked on a virtual screen, “See? That’s the fleet.” She saw a line of blue space vessels with large gun turrets firing at a phalanx of grey and black starships. Fighters buzzed all around the two lines of battle cruisers.

  “I see, they’re battling …”

  “And here …” He showed her on the screen the forest to the west of the city, with multiple plumes of smoke and wrecked armored vehicles, “Those are the Dragons, they’ve been overrun.” Siiri worried about May.

  A series of explosions rocked the base and Neil brought up another screen showing two burning skeletons of Spacemasters and two buildings ablaze, “That is up on top. They hit us hard.”

  “Torian is up there!” Siiri gasped.

  Angrily he growled, “Nevermind him. Now listen, the Dragons are retreating, the Imperium legion is in pursuit. They’re also shelling us. We still have fighter cover, but not for long, they have to protect the cruisers.”

  “It’s not safe here.” She swallowed.

  “We still have an infantry battalion, the Warlords, and the perimeter is intact.” Then he studied his virtual screens, “The rebels have about the same number as we do, but we would have the advantage, if …” He stood in front of the girl and clutched her shoulders, “…we could take the city! I know you know.”

  The blonde haired girl glanced away.

  --

  Secondary explosions continued to rock the compound and despite the shields sealing them from the Solvairs, artillery rounds splattered white-hot plasma over the invisible umbrella. Torian poked his head up beside Callie’s short brown hair and wide grey eyes as they watched flames licking the roofs of the engineer building and the medical facility.