by Dietmar Wehr
As they waited in the shuttle bay for the ship to finish its descent and begin hovering, Strider got the opportunity to take a careful look at a Havenite shuttle. His AF had craft that performed the same function, but they weren’t as large or as versatile. Savannah actually carried half a dozen shuttles, four of which were unarmed and could carry a considerable amount of cargo or up to 25 passengers each for short trips. The other two were armed and armored to a limited extent. They had an auto-cannon in a nose turret, and the wings, which were larger than they really needed to be as far as flying was concerned, had hard points that could be used to carry missiles. Jaeger noticed him looking at the wing hard points and came over.
“Are you expecting trouble from the natives?” asked Strider.
Jaeger shook his head. “Expecting? No, but I don’t want to take any chances. They may not have an industrial tech level, but if they still have gunpowder technology, they could damage the unarmored version with something as simple as a musket ball. And before you ask, no, our shuttle will not be carrying missiles, but the auto-cannon will be loaded. The rest of my team is ready, and the ship is just about ready to hover. Let’s get aboard and get strapped in. Shuttles don’t have artificial gravity. I hope you don’t get air sick easily, Captain.”
Strider laughed. “As long as we don’t fly through a hurricane, I should be okay.”
Jaeger’s team turned out to consist of one of the senior non-commissioned officers and four crewmen, whose duties included being part-time space marines. They carried handguns, and the Chief also carried a short-barreled, automatic rifle. As Strider got on board, Jaeger handed him a gun belt and pistol.
“Just in case,” said Jaeger as he pointed to the seat that he wanted Strider to use. After strapping himself in, Strider took out the pistol and looked at it carefully. It was similar to what New Caledon forces carried, with a magazine in the handle and a safety switch. He made sure the safety was set to ‘on’, then figured out how to eject the magazine, which held eight bullets. Having made sure the gun was empty, he held it at arm’s length to get the feel of the weight and the grip. His basic training had included firing hand guns, but it had been years since the last time he had done so. The Chief was watching him examine the gun and looked relieved when Strider put the magazine back in and holstered the weapon. Jaeger had watched too but didn’t look concerned at all.
A few minutes later, the shuttle pilot got the okay to leave the bay. At the front of the main cabin was a small video screen that lit up to show the view from the shuttle’s nose camera. The shuttle was still high enough that Strider could see almost the entire city. Or rather both cities, the old one and the new. The old one was what was left from before the Collapse. What had once been metal and glass skyscrapers were now just grotesque rusty metal spires poking up from the piles of rubble. The new city was right next to it, and the contrast couldn’t have been any starker. Wood buildings, the tallest of which were three stories, were linked by narrow roads, only a few of which were covered with bricks. The rest looked like simple dirt roads. He could see people on horseback or in horse-drawn wagons and carriages. There was also a walled structure in the center of the new city. The walls appeared to have been constructed with stone.
“That looks like a palace or government building,” said Jaeger, as he activated the mic inside his uniform collar. “We’ll land in the clearing inside the walled structure, Lieutenant, if there’s enough open space.” The pilot’s acknowledgement could be heard through the open cockpit door. He brought the shuttle around in a wide circle at low speed and let it drop lower as it approached the stone wall.
Suddenly, a dozen or more men, each holding something shiny and long, appeared behind the top of the wall, as if they had just stood up from a crouching position.
“Are they aiming at us?” asked Strider.
Before anyone could answer, he saw puffs of smoke come from the end of what were clearly some sort of primitive weapon, and he jumped in surprise when he heard something hit the shuttle.
“They’re not only aiming at us, they’re shooting at us too, the stupid bastards!” growled Jaeger. With a curse, he unbuckled himself and ran to the cockpit. Strider hesitated for only a second before doing the same.
“Bring us around so that we’re behind those fuckers!” said Jaeger.
As the shuttle swung around, Strider heard Jaeger report to Corso.
“They fired muskets at us, Commander, or something close to it. Do I have permission to fire back?” Strider couldn’t hear what Corso was saying. Jaeger must have been wearing tiny receivers in his ears.
“Yes, sir…yes, sir…I understand, Commander.”
“The auto’s hot and ready to fire, XO,” said the co-pilot. It was obvious to Strider that he really wanted to fire the auto-cannon at the men who now were frantically trying to reload their muskets as they fearfully watched the shuttle hover on the wrong side of the wall!
“The Commander wants us to give the locals a demonstration of our firepower. What ammo type is the cannon set to fire now?”
“Ah, AP rounds, which at this range and no body armor at all will mean the rounds won’t even slow down as they pass through those assholes!” The co-pilot was becoming increasingly eager to fire the auto-cannon.
“Calm down, Lieutenant. Assholes they definitely are, but they’re not going to die today. Switch the ammo to HE. The Commander has a different target in mind. Swing the gun around until it’s pointing at that water tower tank.”
“Switching to HE. The gun’s coming around to the new target.” The co-pilot didn’t try to hide his disappointment at not getting the massacre he wanted.
Jaeger leaned over the co-pilot’s shoulder to make sure the auto-cannon was pointed at the water tower tank. “Let ‘er rip,” he said. The gun fired before he had even finished his command. Through the cockpit’s side windscreen, Strider was able to see the water tower explode into thousands of fragments.
“Good! Now swing the cannon around so that it’s pointing at the men who fired on us, but do NOT fire. Repeat my order, Lieutenant.”
“Aim but do NOT fire. I got it, XO. Looks like they got it too. They’re dropping their muskets.”
“The demo seems to have worked, Commander,” said Jaeger. After listening for a couple of seconds, Jaeger patted the pilot on the shoulder. “Okay, Pierre, let’s get on the ground.” Jaeger turned to the co-pilot. “I think they’ll hold their fire now, but just in case they don’t, we don’t fire back unless I explicitly order it. Understood?”
“Ah, yeah, I guess so, but what if they fire first and kill you?”
Jaeger’s expression looked like he didn’t know whether to be amused or pissed off. “Well, in that case, you contact the Commander and ask for instructions before you do anything. Any other disrespectfully-expressed questions?”
“No, sir.”
“Glad to hear it.”
As the shuttle gently touched down in the open area between the wall and the main building, Strider followed Jaeger back into the main cabin where the Chief and his four men were already standing near the door. Jaeger nodded to the Chief.
“Okay, Chief. Open up, and let’s take a look.” The Chief activated the door mechanism, and the door swung out and upwards. Strider noticed that Jaeger, the Chief and his men were careful not to stand in front of the opening in case of another musket ball barrage.
After carefully glancing outside, the Chief looked at Jaeger and smiled. “Lots of people standing in a circle, but nobody’s pointing anything at us. Let me and boys go first, sir.”
Jaeger nodded, then followed them out, and Strider followed him. He noticed two things right away. The first was the smell of open sewers. The second was the look of fear in the faces of just about every local who was watching them.
Jaeger stepped forward and spoke in a loud voice. “Who’s in charge here?”
No one said anything, but after a few seconds, Strider saw some movement in the background, and the
circle parted to allow a somewhat better dressed man to come through. “Are you in charge?” asked Jaeger.
“I rule this kingdom. We don’t have anything worth taking. You already took all our gold the last time you came here.”
“We’re not here to steal from you. The people who did that are our enemies. If you promise that your troops won’t shoot at us, I’ll promise that my men won’t shoot at any of you.”
The King looked startled for a couple of seconds and then seemed to relax. He turned to one of his retinue and said, “Tell the Guard Captain not to fire on our visitors.” He turned back to Jaeger. “Will you join me inside? We can talk and have some wine.”
“Talk, yes,” said Jaeger in a normal voice. In a lower tone, Strider heard him add, “Wine, maybe.”
As the King turned to head back the way he’d come, Jaeger looked at the Chief. “Chief, you and the men guard the shuttle. Captain Strider and I will go with the King.” When the Chief looked like he was going to protest being left behind, Jaeger said, “We’ll both be armed, and if the King intends to ambush us, he won’t leave the shuttle alone. We’ll be fine, Chief. Shall we go, Captain?”
The two of them quickly caught up with the King and his party and soon found themselves inside a poorly-lit and only marginally less fetid structure. After passing through a veritable maze of corridors, they entered a fairly large room that did have a dozen or so candles lit. The King headed for a large chair that had to be his throne. He sat down in it with as much dignity as he could. Since there were no other chairs, Strider and Jaeger ended up standing side by side in front of the King. The King ordered wine. A servant brought a tray with three goblets. Strider was surprised that the King didn’t take one first. He gestured for the servant to offer wine to the two visitors first. Jaeger reluctantly took one and Strider took another.
Once the King had his, he raised the goblet and said, “A toast to our new friends and to the death of old enemies.” Strider took a small sip and, with some difficulty, managed not to show his distaste. The wine was awful. He found out later that Jaeger had only pretended to drink his.
“I am King Druble. How can my kingdom and I help you?”
“My name is Jaeger, and this is my good friend and comrade in arms, Strider. We come from a planet that is at war with the raiders who prey on helpless planets like this one. May I ask Your Highness how long ago the raiders attacked your kingdom?”
“They were here nine winters ago. They took all our gold and jewelry, and killed many of my soldiers. They also raided the other so-called kingdoms. Life has been hard ever since. Your flying craft has marvellous weapons. If you could help me conquer those other so-called kingdoms, I could rule this planet on your behalf.”
Strider looked over at Jaeger to gauge his reaction and saw the barest hint of a smile. King Druble clearly didn’t know the meaning of the word subtle. Jaeger took his time answering.
“The King I serve may be interested in your offer. I cannot speak for him here and now. I will convey your offer to him upon my return home. I—or others from my King—may return. In that event, I would ask your Highness to order your men to hold their fire until it is clear if visitors are friend or foe. If your men fire first, the return fire may not be aimed at a water tower.” The king’s face blanched visibly, indicating that he understood the implied message. “Because we have learned what we came here to learn, we’ll be leaving now.”
Strider reached over and touched Jaeger’s arm before he could continue. “Your Highness,” said Strider. “If I may ask, when the raiders were here nine winters ago, did you or your people notice if they wore the image of an animal on their shoulders?” He pointed to his own left shoulder where the Star Wolves had their wolf patch.
“No, I saw the raiders at close range, and none of them wore anything resembling an animal on the shoulder or anywhere else. What I did see was the image of a skeleton head impaled on an upright sword. Must you leave so quickly? Will you not stay for a meal and perhaps sample my harem afterwards?”
“Your offer is most…generous,” said Jaeger carefully, “however, my King expects us back as soon as possible. I thank Your Highness for the wine,”—Jaeger handed his goblet back to the servant who was still standing nearby— “and bid Your Highness good-bye.”
The King’s expression was a mixture of disappointment and annoyance, but he said nothing as Jaeger and Strider left the room. Somehow, Jaeger found his way through the maze to the entrance where the Chief was clearly relieved to see him. Once they were back inside the shuttle with the door closed, Jaeger told the pilot to head back to the ship.
“Aren’t you going to report what happened to the Commander,” asked Strider.
Jaeger grinned. “Already have. He heard the whole thing through my mic.”
As soon as the shuttle was back inside Savannah, the ship gained altitude and accelerated in preparation for the next jump. Corso was waiting in the shuttle bay as Strider and Jaeger exited the shuttle.
“You handled that just right, Karl,” said Corso. “We have one more datapoint for raider activity to add to the tracking database now. Maybe we’ll be able to add another one when we get to New Avalon.”
“I think we learned something else too, Commander,” said Strider.
“You meant about the raiders not wearing the wolf-head shoulder patches?”
“Yes. Can I suggest that the question of shoulder patches should be asked on every planet that your Navy will visit?”
“I’ll definitely recommend that in my report, and Karl, you’ll ask that question when we get to New Avalon.”
“Absolutely, sir. I really hope the next stop will be at a higher level than this one. I hope you didn’t actually drink that wine, Captain.”
Strider was surprised. “I did, just a sip. You didn’t?”
“God, no! First of all, just because they called it wine, it doesn’t mean it was made from grapes that originated on Earth. It could have been made from who knows what. Secondly, the hygiene in that place is enough to make a person want to throw up. You’ll be lucky if you don’t spend the next day or two puking your guts out or shitting yourself silly. That’s happened to me, and I don’t want a repeat.”
Corso looked amused. “I can well imagine what it was like down there. Tarawa has certainly been a disappointment. Let’s hope New Avalon will be different.”
Chapter Eleven
New Avalon was different. Savannah was able to pick up very faint and rudimentary radio signals as soon as they were in range of the planet. There were no voice or video transmissions, but they were clearly artificial. The visual scan of the planet showed large cities covered with clouds of smoke, an extensive rail and road network, and large metal ships plying the oceans. Strider guessed that the New Avalonians were still using coal as a fuel source and had not yet re-discovered electronics, jet engines or atomic power.
Corso ordered the com technician to attempt audio communication, but there was no reply to his efforts. After two days of observation, Corso picked one of the larger cities situated on the coast of the largest landmass and ordered Savannah to hover over the city. The ship’s external cameras were able to see the panicked reaction among the people on the streets. Everyone was trying to run or drive away in their primitive ground vehicles.
Seeing their fearful reaction, Strider felt sure they must have experienced a Star Wolf raid. He was just about to comment on that when he suddenly felt the ship vibrate and heard an unusual sound.
“What the hell was that?” demanded Corso. The level of Bridge chatter just about doubled as all the officers and technicians sent queries to other parts of the ship to see if there was a technical problem of some kind. The ship vibrated again, and the noise was louder this time. Strider stepped over to where Jaeger was standing.
“Could they be firing heavy guns at the ship?” he asked. Jaeger hesitated for less than a second before reacting. “Shift the cameras to the harbor!”
The image on the ma
in display shifted to the harbor just in time to see a warship fire its big guns. Seconds later the ship vibrated again.
“That’s the answer. Well done, Captain. Our collapsed matter armor is protecting us, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to do anything about that ship. Let’s get Savannah out of range of those guns while we ponder our next move, Karl.”
“Yes, sir!”
Savannah rose to an altitude of 50 miles and hovered there. By that time, Corso had made up his mind on his next move.
“If we go back down, that warship will open fire on us again. I could destroy that ship with a missile, but the loss of life would be terrible. And there might even be civilian casualties if the missile sets off the ship’s magazine where those shells it’s firing at us are stored. The resulting explosion could kill hundreds. Therefore, we’re not going to sink that ship, BUT we can and will knock out its ability to fire at us. Karl, have one of the assault shuttles armed with both HE and KE missiles. It will dive on that ship from above, use its laser-targeting system to highlight that big gun turret and fire a KE missile. Did that ship have more than one turret?”