by Max Jager
"Say Clath," said Matt, "We were talking to Gandric about those mesmak boxes, and according to him, they're real difficult to make, but if you're electrical needs grow, they won't be able to supply enough power."
"Well they're not hard to construct if you know what you're doing and yes, if you don't anticipate for the future you can com up short, I think I already told you that. So what was his suggestion?"
"Something called a Pyce-Valkon power-unit. Apparently they come in several sizes but the way he described them, they sound like a generator without any moving parts."
"Well I've never heard them called by that name but I think what he's talking about are neutronic generators. He is right in the fact that they are less troublesome than a mesmak box, and they have a built-in versatility that will allow you to expand your power needs, but they are also rather expensive. They will work with the thermlectrium antennas, as well as the energy projectors. Why? It that what you would rather do instead?"
Well in our case it might be the best," said Matt. "Anything that won't require a lot of maintenance would be good…For around here at least." Looking at Newtown Clath nodded.
"Well that means you're going to have to come up with the credits to purchase one of these units, or…" He didn't like the sound of Clath's "or," but he was already in the trap.
"What do you mean "or?" Clath shrugged,
"Well basically, a starship's engines are neutronic generators that have been re-configured to direct the energy they produce into propelling a spacecraft around in space. Once you make them stationary and re-direct that power into a collector and route the power through a Dirac transmitter you've essentially got one of these Pyce-Valkon power-units your friend was talking about. That's what they were using over at Mindia, however the engines are worn out and the fuel supply gone."
"So what?" Exclaimed Matt, "Disable the shuttle and use the engines in it?"
Clath laughed,
"No not at all my friend, We'll simply get ourselves another raider ship. However, before we do, I need to do some investigating. Ircisa and I are going to take a little trip, don't worry, we'll be back." With that, both he and his wife strolled off.
"Are we going to have to attack some raiders?" Asked Liam.
"God! I hope not," replied Matt, "That will get you dead real fast. Something tells me however that Clath has something up his sleeve, guess we'll just have to wait and see."
Chapter 110
Titan Stand Chapter 110
Everybody was gone; Jezang and Tucker had gone off somewhere, so it was just Matt, Liam and Walter trying to make repairs where they could. The Dyson's were here as well, but he found out right away neither was especially handy with a hammer or a pry bar. Both however were strong on getting a garden started so he put them in charge of the large vegetable garden. Surprisingly, Franklin was a wealth of information about what could grow here and what wouldn't. Since no one was sick or injured, the Dyson's, along with Franklin could usually be found preparing the garden and setting up a rudimentary irrigation system. About all you could say for Tucker was that he was keeping them supplied with meat. There seemed to be a high density of creatures he called lopa's." They were roughly the size of a medium hog with the same type of coarse hair. They wore sharp tusks and traveled in packs or four to six. Matt was pretty sure they were in the same "family" as pigs but must have gone through a different evolutionary pattern. The meat tasted more like venison, and was lean like venison, but the ribs cooked up like baby-back's and were what he considered the best part. He also instructed Tucker to save their hides as he was pretty sure they would make great leather. Surprisingly, Mrs. Dyson knew how to cure the hides becoming somewhat involved in the process.
As they worked, Matt was glad the weather was cooperating. It always seemed to get up around 80 or 85 degrees, which translated to 60 deema's. It was just the right temperature to perform physical work, not too hot or too cold, plus there always seemed to be a nice little breeze blowing. As they worked, he and Walter discussed setting up a power system for the town.
"It's great that we don't have to string any power lines," said Walter, "But I'm really not too keen on all this power just kind of flowing through the air like that. Seems to me it's kind of like living under one of those high tension lines, they say it fucks people up."
"Well I hadn't heard that," replied Matt.
"Supposedly true," said Walter who suddenly stopped and looked towards the sky. A low rumble could be heard off in the distance.
"Thunder?" Asked Liam who heard it as well.
He listened closer shaking his head,
"No, that's not thunder that's a ship. Maybe Clath is back?" They resumed their work of prying nails from the scavenged boards until Liam held up his hand.
"Listen…I hear someone shouting." Once again they listened but to no avail.
"I swear I heard someone shouting," declared Liam "Off that way," as he pointed towards the south. Everyone listened for another five minutes but nothing more was heard.
As they were resuming their work Liam asked,
"Maybe we ought to go check things out in that shuttle, I thought you told us that you thought you could fly it Matt."
"Yeah, flying it I probably could, but taking off and landing I don't really have any experience at. I was planning on having Amber show me how and get in a little practice when she gets back. I sure wish I knew where Jezang and Tucker went, she could fly it. Honestly though, I don't want to take a chance and fuck things up." Liam started to protest, but Matt shut him up.
"Look Liam, we're not taking that shuttle…" Immediately overhead came the sound of what could only be two spacecraft.
"Look!" Exclaimed Walter, "Look at 'em, two of 'em going north like hell!"
Sure enough they watched two spacecraft traveling at around twenty thousand feet traveling at a very high rate of speed.
"Can't tell who's they are," exclaimed Matt, but if they were Loridian ships they would be landing." That also ruled out Holliqua or Ilmi, clearly something was afoot.
"Think they're raiders?" Asked Walter. By now the Dyson's were approaching clearly with questions on their minds.
"Look everyone;" announced Matt, "I have no idea who was flying those ships but just to be on the safe side, let's set up in these two houses. We're right on the edge of town, and since these places are pretty well beat to hell anyway, no big deal if the raiders shoot at them. Come on, let's rig up some barricades. With Franklin's help, they constructed barricades using the roll of barbed wire brought from earth. Throwing a large piece of metal plate over an old bed frame Matt and Liam created a place to hide under with the plating hopefully protecting them from beam weapons. Meanwhile, Walter and Mr. Dyson constructed a spring operated "gate" type "booby trap."
"I read how to do it from reading one of those army TM's several years ago," explained Walter,"I sure hope we're doing this right." He also showed Liam how to dig a "punji" pit in back of the house they would be occupying, and properly camoflage it.
They worked like rented mules for two hours doing whatever they could to make it tough for the raiders as they could. Matt placed Franklin along with the Dyson's in what appeared to have been some sort of a shop across the street, with the Dyson's taking up positions in a sort of half-basement. It was lined with brick and stone making it the safest place to be. Franklin and Walter would also take a stand there as well. Eventually Tucker and Jezang showed up reporting some sort of activity to the north.
""There's something going on Matt," reported Jezang, "We also saw a lot of smoke way off to the west. We climbed a high rock formation to get a better look around. We could also see what looked like some sort of ariel fights but just who was doing all that we have no idea."
As they were finishing things up, Jezang suddenly stopped.
"Did you hear that?" She called to everyone else.
"No one had.
"What was it?" Asked Matt.
"Don't know," exclaimed Jezang, "Bu
t it sounded like some sort of machine starting up, somewhere off to the north there."
As they settled in around dusk, Matt maintained contact with Tucker and Franklin via his wrist comm, while Jezang joined him and Liam. The androids had built-in communication abilities allowing them to utilize the wrist comm's.
Maintaining a strict black-out every-one ate their meager supper's in total darkness. Matt went over the proper operation of the AK with Liam making sure he knew exactly how to load and charge the weapon, as well as how to tell which way the magazine went into the magazine chamber by strictly feel. He also re-familiarized himself with the RPD machine gun. As they spoke quietly, he detected fear in his friend's voice.
"I'm scared Matt, I really am, is it going to be like this all the time?"
"No it's not Liam, and for what it's worth, I'm scared just as bad as you are, because I think the raiders want me for some reason, but they are not going to get me. I've never told you much about how things went when I first got here, but I got thrown into some pretty dangerous shit, Jezang was there." Looking towards Jezang's position he knew she was there, but she made no comment.
"Is it going to be like this all the time?" Asked Liam. "Not if I can help it," he replied, "Believe it or not I've got friends who can help, Jezang is one of them. I think the raiders are testing us, so we have to show them we're here to stay." From time to time, he spoke to Tucker on his wrist comm asking if they had seen or heard anything.
"Franklin's on the roof and swears he heard another ship just a few klix ago but it was very faint." With nothing else left to do, he laid down to try and catch some sleep. Later, Jezang carefully awakened him.
"Matt…Matt, wake up, there's something going on," she whispered. He immediately came awake.
"Are they here?" He whispered,
"We're not sure," she replied, "Something's going on outside, looks like distant lightening but there's no thunder, come, take a look!" Crawling over to a window, he looked out side to bursts of light in the distance like far-off lightening, but like she had said, there wasn't any rumble of thunder.
By now everyone was watching the unusual light show until Matt said,
"That's not lightening; I'll bet anything that's artillery, or something very much like it." As soon as he said that, Matt immediately corrected himself. "I was wrong, that's not artillery, but the flash from plasma cannons, or proton weapons. There's a big fight going on out there." The flashing continued for another ten minutes then everything returned to darkness.
"Wow, where do you think that was?" Asked Liam. Before he could reply, Tucker called in.
"Were you watching that?" He asked,
"Yeah, what do you think it was?"
"Plasma and proton weapons," replied Tucker, "Franklin confirms it as well. He thinks it was coming from the old Neistrian settlement."
"That's funny," thought Matt, "I've never heard him mention anything about Mindia before."
"Think the raiders were attacking Mindia thinking that's where we were at?" He asked Tucker.
"I suppose that could be possible," replied the android. "If you like, Jezang and I could fly the shuttle out there and have a look."
The second surprise now hit him.
"How come you never told me you could fly?" He asked over the comm. After a few seconds of silence, Tucker replied,
"You never asked me."
"Too dangerous," came Jezang's voice from the darkness. "That shuttle is unarmed we wouldn't have anyway to fight back if they are raiders out there. Besides, if that Neistrian is out there he could also mistake us for a raider. No, I think it's best to just wait."
Things started to settle down when Tucker's voice came back over the comm.
"Matt, Jezang, I hear some sort of vehicle approaching from the west."
"What kind of vehicle?"
"Not sure, but he says it sounds like a crawler."
"Shit! What's a crawler?" He asked, Jezang was the first to respond.
"It's a large fortified vehicle that can carry a number of troops…Very dangerous, and hard to stop."
Everyone heard her reply as Matt swore under his breath.
"How are we going to fight a tank?" Exclaimed Liam, his voice now sounding of fear. Matt began to think, then he asked Jezang, "Is there anyway we can fight this tank, or crawler as you call it."
"Possibly," she slowly replied, "I need to go talk to Tucker, tell him I'm coming over."
Seconds seemed like minutes as he waited for Tucker to call back, finally,
"Matt listen up. The crawler has stopped and it sounds like people are heading this way. Jezang and I are going to try and make our way around and try to capture it. As for you and your friends I would stand by for a fight. Franklin will remain here with Walter, and the Dyson's." This was just what he didn't want to hear but the game was now in motion. He hated to loose Jezang, but he now took over her RPD, positioning himself behind two cabinets he pushed together.
The tension became electric, as they strained to listen for people approaching. Suddenly dark shapes appeared in the front windows. Calling to Liam in a low voice he said,
"Don't shoot until I do, and watch your ammo, don't run your mags dry." He could see a greenish glow coming from a device one of the darkened shapes was using.
"Checking for beam weapons," he thought, "Are they ever in for a surprise."
Suddenly the windows and door burst in, reddish-orange, and green beams striking everywhere creating small fires on the walls and floor. At that, he opened up with the RPD, while Liam began firing the AK. Hideous screams and wild firing of their beam weapons indicated their rounds were finding their mark. The noise was incredible adding to the confusion. Both he and Liam were wearing ear plugs, their enemy was not.
"I'm out of ammo Matt! Cried out Liam. Matt swore under his breath as he shouted back,
"Check that damn ammo pouch I gave you, it's on your belt!" The remaining survivors stumbled back out the door as Liam resumed his fire. By now a fire was starting to build caused from the beam weapons. Shouting again to Liam, he warned,
"Out the back Liam, before this fire gets too big…Hurry!" As they started to move, another greenish beam caught him right across the top of his helmet melting a large gouge in it as well as destroying the comm device over his left ear. The heat was incredible as he ripped the helmet off his head, while at the same time emptying his remaining ammo on the owner of the weapon that shot him.
Together he and Liam dashed out the back each trying to re-load on the run. All the shooting in the house had blocked out the action taking place across the street as he could hear Walter firing the Benelli M4, and Mr. Dyson shooting the AR. Both he and Liam took cover behind a small rock pile as they charged their weapons.
"I'm sorry Matt! Gasped Liam who sounded out of breath.
"I panicked and couldn't remember where the rest of my mag's were." Matt patted him on the shoulder,
"It's all right, Liam, I've been known to do the same thing. Just remain calm and return fire. Look! Who's that over there?" By now, the fire had grown now threatening to engulf the whole house. The whole area was now light up exposing their attackers.
Chapter 111
Titan Stand Chapter 111
Suddenly as Matt and Liam were seeking cover behind the rock pile a new sound reached their ears.
"Look Matt!" Exclaimed Liam, "Oh shit! It's a tank!" Sure enough, it was the crawler slowly approaching the edge of town now brightly lit from the burning house Matt and Liam had just fled.
"What's it doing?" Wondered Matt aloud. They watched as what were now clearly raiders waving at it and pointing towards the house Walter, Franklin, and the Dyson's were hunkered down in. The crawler continued to sit there as Matt and Liam studied it. It looked vaguely like an American M1 Abrams tank, although the tracks were much wider and the whole upper half of the vehicle seemed to be the turret. That turret had two of what he assumed were proton, or plasma cannons, with what looked like six smaller barrels
protruding from the turret just below the two main cannons. The crawler looked around eight feet high at its top-most point and very boxy looking. As he was debating on a quick departure from their location, the smaller barrels began to spit out greenish beams of light only those light beams were hitting the raiders. He watched as two tried to run but three shotgun blasts cut them down.
"Wow!" Exclaimed Liam, "Did you see that?" Suddenly his wrist comm came to life.
"Matt…Matt, are you there? It's me Jezang…Tucker and I are inside the crawler are there any more raiders out there?" Matt immediately returned her call.
"I saw two bolt from that bunch you shot but then I heard Walter's shotgun. I don't know if he got them or not."