The colonel opened a comm channel. “Major, open the weapons lockers and issue a plasma rifle to every man who can carry one. And place the gunners for those railguns on high alert. Our Domer force has abandoned us.”
“Yes, sir!” The major could be heard yelling at his subordinates just before the comm closed.
A comm channel came in to the colonel. “Sir, we have four wormholes opening. New Earth ships are coming through. We count sixteen so far.”
Harris asked, “Why would DDF abandon us?”
The colonel took a deep breath and let it out. “They know we stole that freighter. And now they know we’re responsible for tampering with the Earther well, as well as convincing the pacifists to move. My guess is they’ve pulled all support from Eden because they don’t want war. We’re about to be attacked by the full empire. You might want to think about getting back to your ship.”
Harris opened a comm to Tawn. “Get everyone back to the Bangor immediately. We’re about to be attacked by the Earthers.”
Tawn replied, “Our defenses here should be ample for holding them off. They don’t have anything that will get through that dome.”
Harris shook his head. “Sixteen New Earth warships just jumped into Eden space. We probably only have ten minutes to get out of here.”
Tawn nodded. “Will meet you there.”
Harris hustled into the hall, heading toward the docking bay. Farker kept pace as Harris’ run turned into a full sprint.
Tawn, Trish, Gandy, and Sharvie were waiting at the ship. “Up. In. Go!”
Harris strapped himself in as he powered up the Bangor’s drive. As the armored ship taxied toward the open air of Eden, the first of a half-dozen plasma rounds fell from the sky. The Earther ships were beginning to drop through the atmosphere.
“Best you all strap in hard. This could get rough!”
Tawn powered up the railgun circuits. “Guns are online if needed.”
Harris turned the ship toward the attackers. The throttle was pushed full. The Bangor raced upward as a dozen plasma rounds came from above. A hard left maneuver dodged the incoming. The rounds that followed would not miss.
“Hang on!” Harris yelled.
The hull reverberated and shook violently as four charges impacted and dispersed. Random moves kept the number from the barrage that followed at five.
Three Banshees and another Zwicker popped into view on the nav display.
Gandy held up a fist. “We have help!”
Tawn pressed the trigger for the railgun. A steady hum was followed by forty rounds per minute exiting the end of the rails. Two of the attacking ships took damage. The next volley from the Earthers saw eight simultaneous hits on the Bangor.
Tawn said, “Can’t take much more! Another hit like that and we’re losing inhibitor boxes!”
Harris turned the control stick hard to port, dodging the next set from the destroyers.
A comm was opened: “Colonel, order your fighters off. We have to leave. I’m sending them coordinates for a rendezvous point. If we continue, it’s suicide.”
The colonel replied: “We’re as prepared as we can be. Keep safe. We may need your coordinated help at some point, but that time is not now. The dome is holding and we’ve yet to fire our rail cannons.”
Another volley of plasma rounds struck the hull of the Bangor as she sped away. The other fighters followed, with one taking major damage before reaching a safe distance.
“This is Lieutenant Haversham. I’m losing speed. Heading for that plateau.”
Harris replied, “Get ready to ditch and run. We’re picking you up. Everyone else, proceed to the assigned coordinates.”
Harris timed his landing perfectly. A cloud of sand and dust spread outward as the downed pilot dove through an open hatch. As the Bangor began to lift away, Tawn unleashed a hail of tungsten rounds, shattering the fighter’s hardened hull and pulverizing the remaining pieces.
Harris glanced over his shoulder. “Strap in on one of the benches. We have two of those destroyers heading for us.”
The lieutenant parked himself on the closest open seat beside Gandy, latching a belt strap and pulling it tight. “Thanks for the pick-up.”
Harris yelled, “Hang on!”
Again the Bangor’s hull reverberated and the ship rocked and bounced as the attacking ships sent a continuous stream of plasma their way.
Another pilot’s voice came over the comm. “Help is here, Mr. Gruberg. Get the lieutenant out of here. We’ll get them off your tail.”
Tungsten rounds from the railguns of two Banshees and a Zwicker caved in the forward decks of the nearest destroyer. As the Earther ship headed for the desert floor in smoke and flames, the second ship turned away. Two rounds hit it center-ship, sending streams of debris out the opposite side as the tungsten rounds ripped through the ship’s decks. The defending ships turned back toward Harris and the others.
Tawn came over the comm.: “Nice work! Follow us home!”
As the small group of Fireburg escorts made their way into free space, another dozen wormholes opened where the other destroyers had first come through. Twenty-four New Earth warships, including a flagship cruiser, took position in orbit over the Fireburg colony.
Harris shook his head as he let out a long breath. “No way the colonel can hold that off.”
Tawn said, “The dome is holding. And they aren’t chancing those rail cannons. The other destroyers are keeping their distance.”
“Won’t matter. They only have food stocks to last about three weeks. All the Earthers have to do is wait them out. The colonel will have to negotiate a surrender, and everyone there will have to be ferried back to Domicile. It’s looking like we just spent all that time building the Earthers a premium mine.”
Harris clenched his fist in anger.
Tawn asked, “What’s creeping around in your head?”
“Baxter Rumford. She just got everything she ever wanted. Once we’re gone she’ll control the mining on that entire planet.”
Tawn winced. “Just as bad, this will do in Mr. Morgan. None of his associates who invested in this will get their money back. And I have no doubt there will be a political penalty to pay as well.”
Harris sighed. “They had better not come down too hard. He’s a primary military supplier. They’re gonna need his help when the Great War returns.”
Sharvie asked, “You really think that’s coming?”
Harris nodded. “Will take a couple years, but the Earthers, with all this titanium, will be back with a vengeance. Meanwhile our military is being dismantled. We couldn’t be in a worse situation.”
Tawn crossed her arms as she leaned back in her chair. “We do have a way to prevent it, but we might kill as many people as we save.”
“How’s that?”
“We shut down that bunker on Midelon. You take away wormholes and nobody will be fighting anybody. Would take the Earthers four hundred years to reach Domicile. Why bother? Problem is, we strand everyone in the truce worlds and outer colonies where they are. A lot of them depend on trade shipments to stay alive. Without the wormholes, life on many of those planets becomes very primitive.”
“Even so, if it means we prevent Domicile from being enslaved, we can’t take it off the table.”
Sharvie looked at Gandy. “What are they talking about?”
“If the bunker on Midelon is attacked or destroyed, we lose the ability to travel by wormhole. That facility and one other generate what’s called a boson field. It permeates the space around us and allows the wormhole generators in our ships to work. If the field gets shut down, there won’t be any more space travel except on standard drives.”
Sharvie frowned. “We don’t want that.”
Trish said, “It would mean our new home would be wherever we were when that happened. If that’s Midelon, be prepared to never see another face besides the ones you’re looking at right now.”
Harris pointed at his chin. “She’d be lucky to
see this face every day for the rest of her life.”
“That face?” said Tawn. “Luckier than what? Being trampled by a wild bogler?”
Tawn turned to face the others. “Look, we’re alive, we’re free. So long as we’re able, we’ll do whatever it takes to protect our homeworld. If that means sacrificing ourselves, well, I think we’ve all already signed up for that with just being here.
“Don’t worry about it unless that time comes. Like Harris says, we probably have a couple years for the Earthers to build a fleet before they make a move. In the meantime, we’ll see if there’s any way to slow them down.”
Chapter 20
_______________________
The Bangor joined the other three ships at the rendezvous point.
Harris opened a comm: “None of us expected to be here right now and we don’t have all the plans. So we’re gonna need to have everyone provide input. If you have any ideas about anything, I’d like to hear what they are.”
One of the pilots replied, “I could use some food.”
Tawn shook her head. “Great. We’ve got two Harris’ in our group.”
Harris glanced around the ship. “Has been a while. Not like we’re turning back immediately to fight those ships. We might all think better on a full belly.”
Tawn scowled. “You’re serious?”
Harris asked, “Anyone else hungry?”
Gandy slowly raised his hand. “Sorry, Miss Freely, but we haven’t eaten since before leaving Domicile.”
Harris pulled up a nav map of the surrounding space. “At six light years we have a planet that’s just outside the habitable zone in its system. I say we jump there, park the other ships and take a ride to Midelon.”
Tawn shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to take anybody else out there.”
Harris replied, “Look, they won’t know where we are. We have food there. And we can take all the time we need for planning. Might even be able to ask the wizard inside the bunker what he thinks.”
Tawn rolled her eyes. “It’s an AI. You want an AI planning out our comeback?”
Harris shrugged. “At least it’s something. You have a better plan? Spew it out.”
Tawn glanced around with a disgusted look on her face before mumbling, “I got nothing.”
“What? What’d you say?”
“I got nothing to spew. Let’s go and get it over with.”
Coordinates were sent to the others. The two Banshees and the Zwicker were parked in what was decided to be a well hidden location on an icy planet. The three pilots joined the others on the Bangor. The nav display was hidden from view as the ship jumped to Midelon space. A short run had the team settling on the grassy field just outside the bunker.
Harris stood. “For those of you who are new, this is our private hideaway. You don’t need to know where it is and please don’t ask because we won’t tell. It’s better that you don’t know. As you exit you’ll see a building to your left. That’s our supply house. We have it stocked with MREs and other sustainables. You’ll find four bunks in there and we have another two here. Make use of any of them, but please respect that others are likely to use them as well.
“We’ll head over there to eat, after which you’re free to roam about. We’re on an island, and you’ll want to stay away from the shoreline. We found out the hard way there are sudden tidal surges that will overtake you in seconds if you go down by the water. Other than that, enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
“Oh, and Tawn and I might be going in and out of a bunker door just outside. Don’t try to follow us in, and whatever you do, don’t make any attempt to break in or destroy it. What’s inside there has important purpose for all of us. I won’t say what it is. Just know that it does.”
Tawn shook her head as they walked. “Still not sure this was the best of ideas.”
Harris huffed. “What would you have had us do, then?”
“Maybe jump back to the Retreat?”
Harris thought for a moment. “Yeah. I guess that wouldn’t have been bad either. Why didn’t you suggest it?”
“Didn’t think of it.”
Harris chuckled. “Can’t think on an empty stomach?”
Tawn scowled. “More like when I’m frustrated.”
Harris stopped. “Sounds like you need a refresher on your psychological training. Not supposed to let stuff get to you enough to cloud your judgment.”
Tawn half smiled. “You do that with food.”
Harris laughed as he continued to walk. “Yeah, but that’s physiological, not psycho. You need to get your logicals straightened out.”
“How about I club you on the head with my balled fist?”
“And how would that solve anything?”
Tawn opened the door to the supply house. “Would get rid of my frustration.”
Harris hesitated before walking through in front of her. “Yeah, I guess that would.”
Twenty minutes was taken for lunch before the group got down to business. Suggestions were made about heading to the Retreat or back to Domicile. An alternate was a trip back to Eden to spy.
After several hours of talk, Harris raised a hand. “Stir the pot with all we’ve talked about. Tawn and I will be gone for a bit. If you feel the need for a nap or to get out and walk, then do so.”
Harris looked down. “Farker? Want to follow us in?”
The robotic pet returned three farks.
Tawn sat at the table. The hologram image of Alexander Gaerten flashed into existence.
“Welcome, Tawn, Harris.”
A short discussion ensued, and the current situation was explained.
Harris said, “So we’re looking for a way to reverse what’s happened.”
The image replied, “Time cannot be turned back, Harris. We can only move forward.”
“I know that. What we’re looking for is suggestions about how to move forward. How do we get the Earthers to leave?”
“Perhaps a compromise is in order? Divide the planet equally and allow each to govern their own half.”
Harris shook his head. “Won’t work. We can’t allow them access to the titanium. That’s our whole issue. They get that resource and it leads to the restart of the Great War.”
“Perhaps a different compromise is in order? Domicile controls eight outer world colonies. New Earth controls six. The truce worlds comprise sixteen such planetary systems. Cede control of some of those truce worlds in an attempt to placate their expansionist desires. That action may not fully satisfy those desires, but it may buy you time to offer another solution.”
Harris frowned. “Problem with that scenario is we—that being Tawn and me—don’t control those worlds. The politicians back on Domicile do, and we don’t hold any sway with them. If anything, any idea coming from us would be a negative.”
Tawn reiterated, “The politicians back home don’t care for us. They think our meddling is the cause of the tension out here, which I guess it is, but that’s beside the point. We don’t have anyone there we can approach.”
“You previously said Bannis Morgan has connections. Perhaps those could be made use of?”
“Maybe,” said Harris. “Although about now I think he may be toxic to his politician friends as well. Don’t you have any suggestions where we could use technology to change the situation? Could the space around Eden be excluded from the boson field? Would be nice if it took them a couple hundred years to get their titanium back to New Earth.”
The image frowned. “The boson field is either on or off. We do not control where it permeates other than the distance from this facility. In order to deny boson access to Eden, it would also be denied to Domicile and new Earth.”
Tawn crossed her arms. “Too bad we can’t just negate the field around an area. Not from here, but from a ship or a building there.”
The image was silent for several seconds. “That may be a possibility. When this facility was first constructed, it was found during the testing phas
e that certain wavelengths of gamma radiation directly interfered with the wormhole generator functionality. The tests proved only temporary and were shown to only have minimal effect once the full strength boson field was online and projecting.”
Harris asked, “You saying we may have a way to disrupt a wormhole generator?”
“It may be possible, yes. Tests will have to be performed that are beyond the capability of this facility.”
“Well, we’re right here and willing to do whatever testing is needed. Just tell us what we need to do and we’ll get it done.”
Tawn nodded. “Would be great to have an anti-boson generator that we could put on the Bangor. That might be just the thing needed to keep them from transporting titanium.”
Harris said, “Nice job, Tawn.”
Tawn nodded.
The image of Alexander Gaerten frowned. “You may want to temper your enthusiasm until at least the minimum of testing has been conducted. It’s possible we may not be able to produce the quantity of radiation required to overcome the strong boson field.”
“Don’t be so negative,” said Harris. “Just tell us what we need to do.”
A list of test instruments and devices appeared on the hologram display. “I’m transferring this list to each of your comms. The items requested are not available here on Midelon. You will have to seek them out on Domicile.”
Tawn replied, “We can leave right now if it helps. Will we require any special skills to assemble anything?”
“I believe you to be capable of following instructions.”
Harris turned toward the door with a wave. “Let’s get on this. It’ll give us a chance to talk with Mr. Morgan. And we’ll stop by Eden on the way to assess the situation.”
A short while later, the Bangor slowed as it approached the desert planet.
Tawn looked over the console. “Good, you’re using the stealth mode.”
“I get the feeling we’ll be using it a lot. Let’s see… the dome looks intact and the Earther ships aren’t firing on it anymore.”
Tawn said, “Hey, check this out. A zoomed-in image showed the burned-out hulls of two Earther warships. Those are new. The colonel must have opened up with the rail cannons.”
ARMS Harris' Revenge Page 19