“We could do it though,” his cousin said. “Got an antigrav disk in the gear.”
“Yeah, but only one. Spares must have been in the missing bags. One disk can’t take five people.”
“Come on, you and I both know the units are built to float two men our size in an emergency, so there’s capacity to spare.” Johnny joined him at the low wall. “You or I can ferry the others, one at a time.”
Mike broke a tiny piece of rock from the crumbling wall and tossed it into the abyss below. He glanced at Johnny after watching the fragment disappear into the mists. “If our survival comes to descending this cliff while they’re shooting at us from above, we won’t be able to make more than one trip. Everett’s the high value target of this mission, so we’d have to prioritize his survival. Send him with Shalira.”
“He may have the memory enhancement, but he ain’t got fastlink. I asked him. He needs you to call in the cavalry.” Johnny’s voice was matter-of-fact. “We can’t send him off on his own, not even to save the lady.”
Taking another look over the side, estimating how many thousands of feet it might be to the bottom of the cliff, Mike rejected the idea. “We’ve got no idea what’s at the base. I think we’re stuck here unless the situation deteriorates significantly. Then we’ll see.”
Leaving the question of the problematic descent, he walked to the uplink device, which Johnny had established in the exact center of the roof. He’d pushed aside a stack of crude Nathlemeru astronomical observation equipment and long rolls of paper-thin hides, covered in notations and charts.
Placing his blaster in its holster, Mike knelt next to the small black box. He punched in the sequence he’d memorized before the current mission—evac codes changed every time someone was sent out, to prevent the Mawreg from luring unwary military ships into an ambush.
A low-pitched hum purred across the roof, vibrating in the tiny bones in his ears. Barely visible, a violet beam pulsed skyward from the cone-shaped top of the device. “Now for the hard part, sending a detailed message in fastlink.” Acknowledging Johnny’s sympathetic grimace with a rueful smile, Mike sat cross-legged, next to the beacon. No Special Forces operator ever enjoyed hooking into fastlink. The technology took a toll on the operator, which made its use a last ditch choice. I think Command likes it that way. Mike flipped open a small compartment on the instrument's base, removing a black disk which he pressed to his skull behind the left ear. The violet glow spread to enclose him as well.
Concentrating to add his will power to the device’s broadcast and send an intelligible request via the beam, Mike’s muscles grew stiffer the longer he sat, which was his only clue how much time the process was taking. On the periphery of his awareness, Johnny was prowling, constantly checking the roof while keeping an eye on how Mike was doing.
Well, I’ve done all I can. Mike released his mental hold on the fastlink and let his hand fall away from his skull, the amplifier dropping to the roof from his nerveless fingers and bouncing across the floor. As suddenly as it had begun, the expanded violet glow contracted away from him, merging into the narrow beacon pulsing skyward, hum decreasing to its original, near subliminal frequency. With a shower of sparks and a whoosh, the beam cut off. The silence was startling.
Johnny moved fast to give Mike a steadying hand as he tried to rise. The sergeant restored the fallen fastlink enabler disk to its compartment and then the two men walked to the staircase, Mike leaning heavily on his cousin.
“Damn fastlink messes with my whole nervous system.” His words were slurred. Annoyed at his weakness, blinking in an attempt to focus his eyes, he said, “Good thing this is our last mission. I'm getting too old for all this.”
“You and me both.” Worried frown lines bracketed Johnny’s eyes as he studied Mike’s face. Eyes narrowed, he paused at the top of the staircase. “Something you want to tell me?”
Knowing he was debilitated by the drain from using his body’s resources to activate the fastlink, Mike opted to wait to share the result of his communication. “Help me get to the second level. It’s not what we hoped, but I’ll give everyone the bad news at the same time. I gotta sit before I fall.”
Johnny assisted Mike to the couch on the second level of the tower, where he slumped onto the cushions next to Shalira. Everett came halfway up the stairs at Johnny’s summons. Leaning against the cold stones to relieve the headache pounding behind his eyes, Mike took a deep breath. “Rush order on the adrenephix, cousin.”
Raising one hand to acknowledge the request, the sergeant dug his medkit out of the other kit bag, spreading it open on the floor to search for the inject Mike needed to speed his recovery.
Shalira reached for Mike’s hand with both of hers, leaning into his shoulder.
There was no use in cushioning the bad news. “The Andy isn't on station, folks.”
“What the hell!” Jaw dropping, Johnny sank back on his heels, abandoning his medical duty for the moment. “They promised us—”
“Nikolai told me he might have to pull out if there was a Mawreg incursion into the adjoining Sector while we were hiking down here,” Mike answered, free hand over his aching eyes. Rubbing his forehead for a moment, he swallowed hard, throat parched. “He couldn’t guarantee to sit parked in orbit and wait.”
“You're calm about it,” Everett said, eyes narrowed.
“I’m sorry, what does this mean?” Shalira glanced from one man to the other. “Who is Andy? And this Nikolai?”
“Not a who, a what. The Andromeda, or Andy, as we affectionately call her, is the battle cruiser that brought Johnny and me to Mahjundar. Nikolai Novikov, the captain of the ship, is an old friend of mine. He was supposed to stand by for my extraction signal. But now the ship isn’t in orbit.”
“Got a backup plan?” Everett asked.
“Working on it.” Sitting straighter, Mike hugged Shalira, kissing the top of her head. “We’re not completely abandoned. They left a small roboship on station in orbit around Mahjundar, set to send a drone to extract us on my command. Since they knew there was a remote chance we’d find survivors, the roboship and the drone are plenty big enough to take our party of five. Andromeda also left a message beacon in orbit to relay my transmission to Nikolai, wherever he is, but we have to get ourselves off the planet in the drone or wait maybe as long as thirty-six standard hours for the Space Marines to arrive.”
Face contorted in a scowl, Everett hit the unoffending wall with the butt of his blaster, chipping the paint with the force of the blow. “We can't hold out in this place, and you know it. We don't have enough blaster charges to repel a concentrated attack. The door downstairs is thick and all, but it ain’t gonna hold for a day and a half once those bastards start working on it.”
“I’m guessing you didn’t call in the drone, did you?” Johnny said, one eyebrow quirked. He stood, an inject in his hand.
Mike shook his head as his cousin walked to the couch and administered the adrenephix. Rubbing his bicep to ease the sting, he said, “Make the dose a double. We don’t have time for me to sleep off the fastlink detox.”
Johnny frowned, lips compressed into a thin line, but he complied, shooting a second dose of the meds into Mike’s arm.
“Why not call the drone?” Shalira was surprised.
“I can’t control its descent. All automated. It comes to where I am, homing in on the fastlink chip in my head and landing. Until I get inside to take command, that’s all it does. The AI running it is a low budget kinda thing, not prepared to maneuver, no guns. No one anticipated a combat situation on Mahjundar.” Mike continued with his list of the drone’s disadvantages in the current situation. “It can’t hover. I don’t think we want to put our faith in the temple roof being constructed to hold the weight of a six person shuttle. I don’t think we want to try fighting our way down the exposed side of the tower onto the roof to board, in any case.”
“We're in a good position to wait it out,” Saium said. “The only ways the enemy can ge
t to us are through the door at the bottom of the stairs or they can come across the roof, through the window on the third level. When the guards try we’ll pick them off.”
“All right,” Mike said. “Until they mount an attack, I need one man on the tower roof, one man on the third level balcony, where the stairs start, and a guard at the door on the first floor. I want to be notified the instant anyone pokes their head onto the roof, or starts an assault on the front door. The roof commands a view of the city all the way to the main gate, so keep an eye on what’s going on, any unusual movement. We know the place is pretty deserted normally.”
“I'll take the roof,” Everett said. “I was locked in the damn hut for so long, I get the shakes being inside. Let me see the sky, and I’ll be fine.”
I understand where he’s coming from. Mike nodded. “Roof’s all yours. The Nathlemeru initiate any activity of any kind, call out the news.” He surveyed his meager troops. “Who's taking the first watch on the third floor balcony?”
“Me for the balcony,” Johnny volunteered.
“You relay any word from Everett to us here on the second level, which will be my command post for now.” Mike gestured at the open kit bag. “Take our gear with you, while we’ve got some peace and quiet.”
“Right.” Johnny gave him a thumbs-up.
Mike looked at the last member of their small group. “Leaves the door for you, Saium.”
“I can handle it. I don’t mind being there by myself. There’ll be plenty of warning if the Nathlemeru try an assault.” The old man nodded. “I might be able to hear what they’re planning, if they talk loud enough.”
“I need to sleep off the effects of fastlink for an hour or two, if possible, even with a double dose of meds,” Mike explained for Shalira’s benefit as she continued to stare at him with concern. “Wake me if anything moves.”
“They might decide to do nothing, starve us out,” Saium suggested. “The delay could work in our favor while we wait for your Marines.”
Mike shook his head. “The enemy’s pride is going to force them to take direct action. After all, we've killed some of their people, including Three Feathers. They’ll want vengeance. The Nathlemeru can't afford the tremendous loss of face if they fail to attack. From what Shalira told us during the cart ride, the villagers chafe at being subject to the Nathlemeru. If the ruling class doesn’t end this standoff quickly and decisively, they might have more problems than the issue of our little band of escapees.”
His troops dispersed, leaving Mike and Shalira alone on the second level. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against the cold stones, trying to get comfortable. Adrenephix coursed through his veins, like a wave of icy water, leaving his muscles and nerves tingling as the damage from the fastlink was repaired at a molecular level. Throbbing dully, his headache receded, but not fast enough. Holding one shaking hand out for the princess to see, he said, “I hope I’m not going to be called on for any action soon, because I’m not going to be effective in a firefight. Reflexes shot to hell for a few hours.” The trembling of his outstretched fingers emphasized the problem.
Shalira brushed his hair off his forehead and stroked his cheek. “I don't know what this—this fastlink is you spoke of, but I hear the exhaustion in your voice. We need you at your best when the Nathlemeru attack. I’d be happy to rub your shoulders, work out some of the tension? Let Johnny’s medicine do its job.” She scooted to the far end of the couch and patted the space beside her.
Worn out from two nights without sleep, not to mention the toll of the fastlink, Mike didn't argue. Putting his feet on the couch, he stretched out per her command, already drowsing as she massaged his tense neck and shoulder muscles, kneading them to undo the knots. Holding back the intense desire to sleep, he asked, “How are you doing? Vision still okay?”
“I’m fine, no need to worry about me right now,” she said. “I seem to have fully regained my sight, although I can’t help but worry a little that it may fade again with no warning. And I’ve no more herbs to take, if I even need them. I wonder about all of it but I’m trying not to question a gift from the goddess.”
“We’ll hope for the best,” he agreed. “I think it’s a good sign you’ve been able to see for so many hours now, despite the stress you’ve been under. But no matter what happens, we’ll cope together, right?”
“Right.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Stop fighting now and get some sleep while you can.”
Soon, the world faded away to blackness, and he slept.
As Mike began to snore ever so slightly, Shalira leaned her head against the wall and closed her watering eyes. As she told him, her vision remained fine, clear and in color, which was reassuring. She rubbed her hand across the large gemstone of the scepter, still marveling over the find. Amused at the irony, she wondered what Mike would think if she told him that with this in her hand she was Empress of Mahjundar. If she walked down the main street in the capital city holding this ancient symbol of authority, the people would proclaim her their ruler, such was the power of this emblem. Maralika would have to step aside. The Princess of Shadows, vindicated indeed. Shalira frowned, knowing even her father would have to vacate the throne, if he still lived. “But I’ve no desire to engage in bloody wars over the throne,” she whispered, rotating the scepter so she could stare into the ruby eyes of acherindor. “If you asked me to rescue you for that reason, you’re to be disappointed. I’m going off-planet to marry Michael. Have his children. Build a new life together, completely different from anything possible here.”
The sentience or force within the stone stayed silent. Studying it, she thought maybe there was a faint glow, deep within the faceted depths, but she couldn’t be sure. Apparently she was rescuing the scepter only to safeguard it for—what? Gooseflesh rising on her arms, Shalira set the emblem beside her. Maybe I can donate it to a museum in the Sectors. But she knew she’d never part with the symbol of the ruling dynasty.
“Better come to the door.” Johnny's voice woke Mike from a pleasant dream of home, but he reoriented himself to the cold realities of Mahjundar in no time.
Drawing his blaster, he got to his feet, automatically checking to make sure Shalira was okay. “How long was I out?”
Johnny checked his wrist chrono with a sideways glance. “Three hours. They’re trying to force the door. First attempt.”
“All right, let's go survey the situation.” Mike turned to the princess, curled on the couch, quietly listening to the exchange as she stifled a yawn. He laid his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, leaning over to brush a kiss on her cheek. “I'll be right back. Keep your gun close to hand.”
Mike hastened to descend the stairs behind Johnny.
“Everett reported runners leaving the city gates and going in several directions,” his cousin said as they descended the stone stairs. “Probably warning the villages to be on the watch for us. Didn’t see any need to wake you for that piece of intel.”
Mike laid a hand on the wooden door, calculating the sturdiness of their defense. The portal vibrated under repeated blows, but didn’t budge.
“Fortunately the corridor outside is so narrow they won't be able to bring in a battering ram,” Johnny said. “The nice decorative metal sheeting on the outside will keep them from burning us out easily.”
“Saium, keep an eye on things. Let me know if there's anything new to report.” The restorative effects of some sleep and the adrenephix were deceiving him into believing he was a new man, despite the nagging pain in his rib cage telling him otherwise. Mike ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, Johnny on his heels. He walked to the couch, holding out his hand to Shalira and drawing her to her feet, hugging her for a moment.
“I want to move you to the third level now,” he told her. “I refuse to trust our luck that the door will hold until we're rescued. I want you to be out of harm's way from the start, okay?”
“Since my only contribution to our defense is not adding to your worri
es and a dubious ability with the gun you gave me, I’ll gladly go wherever you wish.” Shalira scooped up the scepter.
Mike took her by the elbow, escorting her to the third level. Johnny followed, brushing past them to go onto the balcony.
Mike got her settled on the small couch which was the only furnishing in the third level, and then sat beside her, arm around her shoulders. They exchanged a quick kiss and she laid her head on his chest. Toying with one long curl, Mike said, “Things may get pretty tense as the day goes on. The Nathlemeru aren’t dumb. They might figure out a way in here. Then we're in for a fight.”
“A fight we may not win?” she prompted as he fell silent. “Even with your offworld weapons?”
“There’s a definite chance, depending on how long it takes the rescue party to get here and how many men the Nathlemeru send against us. We don't have recharges for the blasters, which means only about fifty shots each, and we’re short on clips for the guns. No more than a hundred extra rounds for the four Mahjundan weapons. Ultimately, we’ll fall back to the tower roof for our last stand.”
“And then?”
Mike was silent.
She waited patiently.
“We hope the Space Marines arrive in time.” He tried a grin he knew wasn’t doing the job of giving her reassurance. There was no denying they were in a tight corner. Swallowing hard, he kissed her. “I swear I won’t let you fall into their bloodstained hands again. Johnny and I already agreed we aren't going to be taken alive.”
She tapped the blaster. “I know you’d make my death quick, unlike the torture the Nathlemeru would deal out. At least we’d be together in the afterlife.” Her voice faltered a little on the last word.
“The afterlife is not what I’ve been dreaming of us sharing.” Framing her face with his hands, he kissed her lips gently. “I want us to live, get married, have kids, be together for a long time.”
Mission To Mahjundar (A Sectors SF Romance) Page 25