Belinea

by Andrew Mack

  “Captain Leahy, SS. You are the head physician here, correct?”

  Walker responded politely. “Yes, Captain.”

  Leahy continued. “And all the wounded from the Garrison at Mining Sector 14, as well as any other wounded AuFa and Majavkee soldiers, they are all kept here, correct?”

  Walker again politely responded, “Yes, Captain, we have eight soldiers we are still caring for.”

  Leahy nodded. “Excellent Captain. Lord Argo has ordered me to evacuate the wounded to Admiral Holland’s Command Destroyer. The medical wing there is just as good as here, and they will be prepped for a likely ticket home, I believe.”

  Walker looked confused. “They patients are perfectly fine here. And the Majavkee Security Soldiers would likely be coming right back here anyway after they are done being treated.”

  Leahy stared at the Doctor for a moment. “A moment in private, Doctor?”

  The assistant walked away, leaving the two alone. Leahy got a little closer. “Doctor, we are about to have a major attack. We are going to need as many hospital resources as we can get. And that starts with moving these wounded ahead of time to the Command Destroyer up there (pointing to the sky) in space. Got it?”

  Walker nodded. “I understand now, Captain, my apologies.”

  Leahy now continued. There will be a Green Medical Transfer Shuttle waiting for you at 08:30 tomorrow, where they will be picking up further supplies at Processing Center Six. Affirmative, Captain.”

  Captain Walker hesitantly asked, “Green, Captain? Not the usual white?”

  Leahy just looked at him and said, “Not the usual transport Doctor.”

  Belinea 4.14

  Avola, Bosa Province

  Valmay Headquarter Base

  Inside the hangar bay of the base, two hundred plus soldiers stood, laser-focused on their two commanding officers elevated on a stage. Behind Octavious and Kaya was a detailed map of Processing Center Six, an eight-story square building with four, twenty-meter wide, one hundred meter long, elevated extension bridges. At the end of each bridge were two spokes that went out an additional forty meters at a forty-five-degree angle. On top of the main building were four large landing areas surrounding a fifty-meter high control tower that overlooked the entire facility.

  Kaya was still yelling. “The AuFa will use C-112’s to transport the Vait to the Command Destroyer above. These are the massive transports that barely fit through the tunnels. We believe there will be eight total, two at each end of the extended bridges. The four landing areas on top of the main building will likely have at least two, perhaps four, AuFa F-81 Sirator fighters, plus four T220 Tolsar Tower Cannon’s located on each corner (Kaya pointing at the map). The main assault, led by General Killian, will be responsible for these other four transports, on this side, with Commander Rendon and myself on the other side. Commander Rendon will recover the C-112 Transports and lead them out with the F-81’s as cover. Count on an AuFa attack group joining the fray from Flannigard within 8-10 minutes after we arrive, if we are lucky. Questions?”

  Commander Rendon asked, “And if the entire Flannigard squadron is already there?”

  Octavious, standing on the other side of Kaya, answered. “Each of your crafts, Rotor V-11 Valkyrie’s, and the artillery soldiers all have SPB’s. Use them, go infrared, and get out as fast as possible.”

  Kaya then looked around and said, “Anything else?”

  There was a silence in the room. Octavious could sense there was opposition, perhaps doubt among the soldiers.

  Ocatvious then broke the tension. “And we will all fly away riding dragons that shit rainbows afterwards….”

  There was a collective laugh in the room. Even Kaya managed a small smile. Octavious waited for the laughter to die down. “Brothers and sisters, I know what you are thinking. Soldiers are going to die today. The odds are against us. The Processing Center could have a Batallion waiting for us. How do we have enough men to steal all the transports? Are we coming back to a base that is burning in the ashes? All of those things are potentially true.”

  There was now a hush in the room and everyone had stopped smiling. Octavious continued, “But never have we had a better opportunity, they do not know we are coming. Any transport ship of Vait we steal brings us closer to getting what we want, justice to the Majavkee Lords, and our planet back. “

  There was some scuttle in the room now. Men were lightly cheering, some clapping. “We will bleed a thousand deaths to see our children survive, to ignite the candle of freedom. Do not forget the Valmay and all the brothers and sisters that have died before us. This is our day.”

  As the soldiers adjourned, they chanted, “Valmay!”

  Kaya and Octavious walked off stage. They were immediately greeted by Rendon.

  Rendon spoke calmly. “With all due respect, sir, are we sure that giving up our base justifies the risk we are taking?”

  Octavious paused for a moment before continuing. “Nervous about the risk Rendon?”

  Rendon replied quickly, “Nervous that even if we succeed, we may not have a base to return to.”

  Octavious looked at Kaya first. She had already given her issues with this plan, but Octavious knew this would be the only way. Octavious looked back at Rendon before continuing. “ I have moved all of our resources to Bisi, our last fall back point. If Argo somehow finds this place, it will be months before he finds Bisi. Use the caves if need be. Otherwise, get as many ships as you can. The energy will guide you home.”

  Octavious grabbed the shoulder of Rendon, who, in turn, grabbed his. They both nodded, and Rendon walked away.

  Octavious turned to Kaya. They took a long look at each other. Octavious then said just above a whisper, “If I die today, never forget how proud I am of the soldier that you have become.”

  Kaya looked back at him and put her hand on his shoulder. “We are not going to die today, my brother. Destiny will not let us.”

  Octavious grabbed her shoulder and repeated, “The energy will guide you home.”

  The two then hugged, followed by a final look before running to their ships.

  Belinea 4.15

  Avola, Lowell Province, Sector 9 Mining Center

  The final loading was going into the transport ship. Two armed Majavkee security guards were watching the forklifts transport the Vait onto the back. An AuFa pilot was waiting at the end of the cargo ship. He turned to the AuFa officer next to him and asked, “Is this the last of it?”

  The officer looked at him and said, “One more ship. It’s running behind.”

  Rendon and Kaya were in the cockpit, behind two pilots. Along with ten soldiers in the cargo bay, everyone was dressed like a miner. The female pilot said, “Sector Nine, this is cargo vessel 2-1. We have a Vait load to add. On final approach bearing 1-8-0, copy.”

  A pause was given before a voice came back on. “Cargo vessel 2-1, copy that. You are late. Please send over your verification code and the weight of your Vait Cargo.”

  Kaya and Rendon looked at each other. Rendon whispered, “Time to see if your cousin’s code is gonna work, otherwise, we might have to implement plan B.”

  Kaya just looked at him, confused. Rendon pulled his mining outfit to the side and touched the ring on his side hip. Kaya just looked at him and said, “Plan B isn’t ideal.”

  Rendon added, “If you got a plan C, I am all ears.”

  A voice over the intercom was heard again. “Cargo Vessel 2-1, verification confirmed. Please proceed to loading dock Two and directly onto Transport Ship TS-2.”

  At the command center at Sector 9 Mining Center, a dispatch officer yelled to the commanding AuFa officer, “Lieutenant, I have something.”

  The Lieutenant walked over and said, “Yes, Sargent.”

  The Sargent continued. “That cargo vessel just used the code that the SS and Lord Argo warned us of.”<
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  The Lieutenant asked, “You let them proceed, correct?”

  The Sargent nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  The Lieutenant quickly replied “Get me Captain Leahy of the SS.”

  Belinea 4.16

  Avola, Processing Center Six

  08:45 AM

  Lord Argo was looking out the Command Tower window, as Captain Leahy walked up behind him. Leahy said nothing, only acknowledging his presence with a slight nod. Argo looked at him and said, “Are we ready downstairs?”

  Leahy nodded. “Yes. We got a verification code from Mining Sector Nine, so they are inbound on a Transport ship. The Medical Transport just landed and is prepared for boarding.”

  Argo nodded and returned to looking out the window. “Good. Let’s see if they took the bait.”

  Leahy continued. “Do not kill the messenger, my Lord, but Admiral Holland asked if you would like to join him and the Majavkee Lords on the Command Destroyer above to watch, ensuring that you are out of harm’s way.”

  Argo looked at Leahy with a scowl. Argo went back to looking out the window before he said, “Leahy, I would rather die a death by a thousand cuts.”

  Leahy half-smiled. “The Admiral would also like to reiterate that he is available to prep the alternative plan if this first one should not work out.”

  Argo gave Leahy another scowl before responding “Now you really are testing my patience. I see none of the AuFa officers have any faith this will work.”

  Leahy responded, “It’s a big carrot, my Lord. Octavious is going to bite.”

  Argo crossed his arms and continued to look out the window. There was a long pause before Argo asked. “Is Lieutenant Walla recovered?”

  Leahy continued to look out the window as well. “Lieutenant Walva, sir?”

  Argo quickly replied, “Walva, Walla, you know who I mean.”

  With the smile gone, Leahy responded, “He will be fine despite the deformity.”

  Argo looked at Leahy and raised an eyebrow. Leahy continued. “It’s better if you see it yourself, my Lord.”

  Argo returned to looking out the window. A voice from behind the control panel yelled. “Lord Argo, our sensors are picking up incoming craft. Bearing 2-7-0, from the east, sir. I believe it is the Cargo Transport from Sector Nine.”

  Argo said, “Hail them and confirm.”

  The Communication officer said, “Confirmed sir. Directing Cargo Transport to Gate 3-06.”

  Onboard the cargo vessel, Kaya and Rendon kept looking out the window. Kaya said, “Rendon, I see no fighters on the facility, and all the Tower Cannon’s have tarps on them.”

  The Valmay soldier next to them said, “It is still morning, and they had a sandstorm last night. Patrols have not started.”

  Kaya and Rendon just looked at each other with an expression of ‘could we be this lucky?’.

  As the disguised Majavkee cargo vessel touched down next to the elevated bridge, Kaya and her team put on their mining masks. They began to unload the Vait off the vessel as some of the Majavkee security soldiers shouted, “Let’s go! You are late, move it! Move it!”

  They funneled the shipment of Vait on forklifts, down the long elevated bridge towards the massive C-112 Transport Ships. As they got to the fork of the bridge, half went right with Rendon, and the other half went left with Kaya. They drove the forklifts up the ramp through the belly of the ship. Once through the doors, a loading officer instructed them to dump the cargo a few meters down. Kaya and two other soldiers jumped off before they did, going undetected through the rest of the cargo. They made their way to the cockpit, where one pilot turned around and said, “Hey, who the fuck are you?”

  Kaya, before slicing her throat with her saber, said, “Doom.”

  Argo was still in the Command Tower when the communications officer said, “Lord Argo, picking up incoming aircraft, bearing 0-4-5. Low altitude, about five minutes out.”

  Argo quickly shouted back, “How many aircraft?”

  The officer responded, “Hard to say sir, tight formation. At least thirty.”

  Argo yelled at the communications officer. “Hail the incoming craft, ask for identification. No one on the ground fires until I say so, understand?”

  Argo then turned to Leahy and said, “Notify Admiral Holland, send out Attack Wings Three, Four, and Five. Then, go downstairs and let the animal out of the cage.”

  Captain Leahy nodded and said, “Yes, sir.”

  Cortes was piloting her Assault Ship with Octavious in the co-pilot seat when she heard the radio transmission. “Incoming aircraft, This is AuFa Command Tower, please identify.”

  Cortes responded, “This is medical transport M-878. We are being chased by…..”

  Octavious hit a couple of spots on his screen, sending a jamming frequency to the airwaves.

  The communications officer said to Argo, “They are jamming the frequency, sir.”

  Argo replied, “Keep trying to hail them…”

  Over the intercom,, Cortes heard a voice breaking apart. “M-878, please verify. What is chasing you, copy?”

  Ten soldiers in the Assault Ship mounted the Rotor V-11 Valkyries, which were an armed four-bladed personal attack rover, similar to a TC. In a Valkyrie, the pilot sat tilted back at the same level as the four horizontal rotor blades that rotated and pivoted to steer the craft. The upper soldier sat behind and higher, responsible for shooting the T-11 Cannon that could spin a full 360 degrees. Two small thin engines sat behind and underneath the shooter, with a rack of four air-to-ground missiles in between. With the Valmay soldiers listening, Cortes said “Two minutes.”

  Kaya left a Valmay pilot behind to navigate the transport ship. She ran back to the cargo bay, where three of her soldiers had secured the area. Remounting the forklift, she looked at them and said, “On me...let’s go.”

  With the three soldiers hanging on the side, Kaya drove the forklift down the ramp and onto the landing pads. She navigated over to the second extended bridge where another transport was. Speaking into her intercom, she said, “Rendon….”

  Rendon touched his screen and said, “Tower Command, Transport Ship Six does not have the space to take on this extra Vait cargo. Attempting to see if Transport Ship Four does.”

  There was no response. Rendon did not care. He fired up the engines on the Transport for pre-launch. Kaya drove the forklift up the ramp of the next transport, ignoring the two security guards at the bottom. When she got to the top, two more Majavkee Security soldiers were waiting, as one said, “What are you doing, this ship is full!”

  Kaya had all three soldiers, still in mining gear, now helping the crate off the forklift. Kaya yelled at the Majavkee security soldiers. “Find room for this crate.”

  The two security guards walked past the crate and up to Kaya, both with their rifles drawn. “No miner tells us what to do. Who gave you the authority to leave this here?”

  A Valmay soldier popped out of the crate with a rifle drawn and said, “I did.”

  The two security guards turned around, but not in time, as they were both shot dead.

  Kaya reached into the crate and grabbed her rifle with the scope. She slung it around her shoulder and said to the soldier next to her, “You, take the cockpit. Don’t leave until we take that last transport.”

  Cortes yelled, “Fifteen seconds!”

  Octavious jumped out of his seat and ran toward the back of the Assault Ship. As they were about to land, Cortes fired the cannon on their attack ship at the Tower Cannon covered with a tarp. Octavious and the other soldiers jumped to the ground. He pointed at the Valkyries, telling the attack rovers where to go.

  From the Command Tower, Argo could see the explosion from the Tower Cannon below. He looked back at the Communication Officer and yelled, “Open fire all ground forces. Launch Attack groups One, Two, and Six.”

 
Within seconds, over a hundred AuFa fighters and bombers took off, heading toward the processing center. The RAS was a robot attack soldier, five meters high with a 20MM Cannon attached to its side. As the ground bay doors opened up at the processing center, hundreds of Majavkee security soldiers and RAS’s began firing on the Valmay. On top of the extended bridge, another tarp was pulled off, revealing a tower cannon that began firing on Octavious. Despite the Valkyries providing cover, some of his soldiers were instantly killed before Octavious could find them cover behind a divider wall.

  Meanwhile, Leahy had made it downstairs to the holding cell where they kept Donovan. He removed his handcuffs and said, “It is time. Get your friends and get to Octavious so that you can end this. Remember, the green ship. You have my word. Riches beyond your dreams.”

  Leahy gave him a key card. Donovan smiled and ran off down the corridor, making a quick left, then right. He unlocked a door using the key card and found a cell holding ten members of his mining group. Donovan said, “Come on, we are getting out of here.”

  As they continued down the corridor, they opened a door that led them to a hangar bay. From inside, they could see the entire battle going on outside through the open ground bay doors. The miners began grabbing rifles from a storage area off to the side. As Donovan surveyed the scene, he could see Octavious and his soldiers pinned down behind the divider wall on the other side of the landing pads. Donovan yelled, “We need to get to Octavious!”

  A miner grabbed him and said, “Going out there will only get us killed!”

  Behind the wall, Octavious grabbed his intercom and said, “Fighters, someone take out that damn Tower Cannon on the extended bridge! It’s got us pinned down.”

  Kaya heard Octavious on the intercom and ran down the ramp of the transport to see the Tower Cannon Octavious was talking about. She got on her intercom and said, “Voldo, Manning, anyone, I need a Valkyrie over at transport Four now!”