Lori listened to the radio, the calls, the relays. She heard Major Morales say, “We need something heavy, need to punch through that stone wall in the center building, it’s a thick one, it’s too high for us, and it’s hot.”
“En route,” she heard the accented voice of Lt. Hernandez, and almost immediately, lines of tracers appeared, as the front of the building began to shatter and disintegrate. The shape of the human lighter dropped into view, with the front spewing metal, heavy bullets from twin .50 caliber guns in an armored turret, tracers flashing downward at coordinates marking targets hardly seen in the midst of the smoke and the debris flying all over. Two more heavily armed air cars accompanied it, both firing constantly. Lori switched to the pickup from the lighter, saw the targeting device, and watched the machine guns reducing the thick wall around gun slits to crumbling dust. One air car rose and began sending energy spheres into the widened openings, blowing the walls out in chunks, as the machine guns blasted new areas.
“Stand by, rail gun firing, now,” a bigboy voice said.
Lori switched views in time to see a bright sphere flash in, crash into the stone building, and absolutely flatten it, with a horrendous inward and upward explosion that brought instant silence to the battle site, while the walls fell in pieces, the roof rising in a multitude of ragged pieces, then falling, and a great fireball and a cloud of gray dust rising and spreading. The retrieval team kept firing, the lighter and its escorts circling just over the battle, twin .50s moving on to other targets, as chunks of debris rained down all over, the smoky plaza now covered in splinters of stone from one side to the other.
Morale’s armored lighter circled, a smattering of fire from the ground aimed at it, which it ignored. As it passed a side street, a rocket grenade scorched upward, hit the right rear quarter, blowing off a piece of plasteel, and shaking the lighter. It kept on, as another air car, unseen from above, sent a half a dozen energy charges into the street, which flashed and rocked and soon burned brightly, adding more dark smoke to that already obscuring half the plaza.
Some guns began firing again, but were quickly silenced. The screen showed just a smattering of targets in orange now, here and there, most of the buildings wrecked, many on fire, or smoldering, and bodies all over, draped out windows, lying on the ground, or scattered in now wide open rooms and hallways of the wreckage that once was the city center. Soldiers, or people, at least, streamed and ran away from the backs of buildings. Fires burned all over in the interior of the buildings, not large yet, but growing steadily.
Nothing moved for long minutes. The damaged air car rose upward, wobbling, and flew off upward and away, trailing a thin stream of smoke, and followed by two more air cars, that zoomed in to escort it.
A small lighter appeared, slowed and descended, stopped at the bodies, and the rear door cycled open. Two illi-illi hurried out, bent to pick up the first body, and Lori saw the shot from a low window that hit one of them, passing through with a spurt of yellowish fluid. Instant retaliation, concentrated laser and energy fire that reduced the building to rubble, flaming wreckage, in a moment. The illi-illi helped lift the body upward, and into the lighter. They returned for the second body, to more light fire, and more retaliation, that went on and on, the air cars, the tank, even the twin .50s shooting at anything that looked the least suspicious, or threatening.
With the second body safely retrieved, a Kobi and a Pokoniry, both in heavy body armor, stepped out, and began washing down the stone, spraying the steps, removing the blood stains with foaming, hot water. They worked calmly and meticulously, scanning the ground from time to time, and then returning to wash places here and there. Two more people appeared, scanning the area for parts and bits of AG equipment from the blown away drone and small sled, but after locating the power module and the AG field generator, they didn’t find much else worth picking up. The air cars shadowed and protected both parties. The wash team finally wound up on the plaza level, where the stains were now faint and dried, and well covered by debris. With a final rinse up the steps again, they rolled up the hoses, both teams returned to the lighter, and the door closed. Slowly, very slowly, the retrieval lighter rose above the rooftops, and sped upward and away.
Apparatus that looked like fire engines had been arriving on the far side of the burning buildings for a few minutes now, and the Major told everyone to hold fire on them. Hoses began to spray the back of the buildings, though the fronts, facing the plaza, burned most fiercely. Seeing no danger, the firemen rushed into the plaza, started deploying hoses and an aerial truck, but soon retreated, driven back by the intense radiant heat. On the far side, they poured water in thin streams, trying to douse the flames, to little apparent effect.
They’ll never control that fire, Lori thought, watching the flames build.
The heavy lighters slowly rose now, leaving the five air cars only. They too rose upward, and slid away, flying through heavy, billowing smoke, circling the plaza, looking down at the burning buildings, and departed.
The fight was over, the bodies retrieved.
Lori looked at the clock. A little over twelve minutes had passed, the last couple in the actual retrieval and washing down of the stepped area. She shifted Eric to her other breast, and watched the scene.
Growing fires now roared up the front of almost all the buildings, and flared through the roofs of others, the smoke trailing upward hundreds of meters, and drifting off to the east. Embers and debris rained from the sky downwind, and already other buildings started burning, some a hundred meters away.
“Shall we withdraw the cambots?” a voice asked her.
“No. Leave it on site. Keep broadcasting the scene. I want the whole world to know what happens when you mess with the sky people.” And her own people, too.
One of the air car pilots called, saying they whole town was going up would burn to the ground if nothing was done. The fires were spreading to the sides now, not just downwind. A quarter of the town was engulfed already, and the whole nearby population was in flight.
Asked what he suggested, the pilot offered to try slinging a solid cargo carrier beneath a lighter, scoop water out of the river, and drop it on the fires
Major Morales asked Lori what to do. “Should we let it burn?” she said. “That’s what we promised them.”
“Yes, we did, but the display we put on should impress them of our power. Letting the city burn to the ground may be over-kill.”
“Will the pilot’s idea work, dropping water, I mean?”
“Has before. Might be worth a try.”
She said, “I have no objection, as long as our people are not attacked when they try something humanitarian like that. If they are, get them out of there at once, and let it burn. And make sure you broadcast this, too.”
They watched a remote as the first lighter, accompanied by a half a dozen armed air cars, ferried the fat bulb of water beneath it toward the burning city. A smattering of small arms fire greeted it, poking holes in the material, releasing thin streams of water, but the group held return fire. The lighter flew low over the head of the fire front, and dropped two ends of the container, releasing a huge gush of water. Immediately, the flames subsided, as white steam rose amidst the dark smoke. The lighter pulled up, retrieved the lines, and returned to the river, for another scoop. This time, no one on the ground shot at them when they returned, and they dropped the water without interference.
“We have a few more lighters, could use them, too,” Morales said, pointing to the screen.
“Go ahead,” Lori said, watching. “Same rules.”
Three more lighters arrived in a short time, and an almost continuous water relay began, like some huge, aerial bucket brigade, with results seen immediately, too. The wind-driven side of the fire front was soon reduced to scattered blazes here and there that arriving ground squads began attacking. The aerial deluge shifted to the other front, and soon had that slowed and steaming. Within a half hour or so, the worst of the flames were g
one, thought smoke still poured upward and drifted away in a dark pall. The Major recalled the lighters soon after, since the water drops might now hit people working the remaining fires on the ground. But much of the remaining areas of the town did not catch fire and burn.
The TV coverage continued from the cambots high overhead, and anyone on the planet who cared, could watch the declining drama below.
Lori left the com center long before the air drops stopped on the burning town.
“Where are you going?” Hunter asked her, rising from his console.
She took a breath, her face serious. “Over to the Izada,”she said. “The wounded illi-illi will go there. I want to see it, before...” her voice trailed off, and her eyes locked on Hunter’s.
“Want me to come, too?”
“If you want. I’ll get the baby to Tari.”
Eagle One quickly ferried them to the illi-illi ship. The small lighter lay inside the main cargo dock, and Lori had to wait when she arrived. But the crew blew out another one, a cloud of atmosphere billowing out into space in a rush, as a smaller docking bay opened for her. As soon as she drifted inside, the door slammed closed, and cold air greeted them when the canopy opened on her air car.
“Where?” she said to the several crew who met her just inside the hull. The humans took their helmets off, but kept their P-suits on, the cooling unit at maximum. Still, the ship felt hot.
The illi-illi hurried away, Hunter and Lori right behind them. The ship seemed quiet, hot and quiet, no one moving, illi-illi people watching her as they approached the main bay. Just inside, in a small room, a medical team surrounded an illi-illi lying on a AG sled. The people parted for Lori, and she slowly squatted next to the wounded being. Glancing up at the Anawoka doctor behind the sled, she saw it move its head from side to side.
Lori reached for one of the hard hands of the wounded illi-illi, took it and held it. The hand trembled a little. A dark face slowly swiveled toward her, and a squeaky chirping began. In a moment, the translating machine said, “Great Lady, I am sorry to have failed you...”
Lori saw the chevrons of rank, and said, “Eight instar, you have not failed me. Your courage impressed me. I am sorry you have suffered so.”
Another limb twitched. “Ah, it is nothing...” the words cut off in the middle, as it shook again. It continued, “Did we do well?”
“You did. You did what needed to be done. You have displayed the great courage of the sky people. And the illi-illi. You have returned our fallen comrades, now they may return home to rest.”
“And as I...” Her voice faded.
Lori said, “Your bravery in being first on the ground once again shows all the courage of your people. I am grateful you of the illi-illi were there.”
The illi-illi moved, seemed like it tried to rise, but hands held it down. The medics worked on it, patching the shattered exo-skeleton, but Lori saw the labored breathing, and the fluids seeping from the trachea. She kept hold of the hand.
“I did not disappoint you?”
“No, you impressed me. You impressed us all. You did well.”
“That is good...” and the shaking began again.
Lori felt two tears start down her face. The illi-illi saw them, said, “Great Lady, why do you bleed water from your eyes? I have saddened you?”
“No, I am sad for the pain you suffer now.”
“Ah, it is nothing. Bleed not for me, for I...” The voice appendages fluttered, hung still. Lori felt the grip on her fingers ease, lessen, and the limb relax. The fluid stopped seeping from the breathing ports. The trachea spasmed once, and lay still.
She held the hand still, slowly weeping. The frozen tableau around her watched. A low chirping began, soft, mournful sounds, the other illi-illi keening at the loss of one of their own.
Hunter gave her a few moments, then moved to her, and slowly eased her back and away. Two illi-illi brought a white shroud, and carefully covered the body. Lori dabbed at her eyes, and waited as the sled rose a little, and began moving away, out of the room, and out of sight.
She turned to the Anawoka on the medical team, and said, “Anyone else hurt?”
“Several. Bruises mostly, some bumps and scrapes from rattling around in the air cars. Nothing serious.” It stood before her, and caressed her left shoulder, a sign of great affection.
“Can we do anything else here, for these...” and she gestured at the other illi-illi standing nearby.
“Great Lady, you have already done everything. There is nothing more you need to do here.” And with a final caress, it bowed, and stepped back.
Lori turned, unsure of what to do, and a member of the ship’s crew, recognized by the small insignia on the side of its shoulder, approached. It bowed, too, and said, “Captain Iolos would greet you, if it pleases you, Lady Lorelei.”
Still sniffling, she nodded, said, “Yes, it does, where...?”
He motioned ahead, said, “This way.”
Hunter followed her, with a few others, up one level, to a very plush, by illi-illi standards, meeting room. A large screen showed the planet below. The scene included the small town, dark smoke still rising in numerous places, to coalesce into a thin plume that drifted eastward.
Several illi-illi stood facing the door, and bowed to them as they entered. One, the captain, stepped forward, to introduce her to the others. He guided them to a pile of cushions, and immediately, a coffee service arrived, carried by a nervous sixth instar.
Captain Iolos thanked her for comforting the fallen soldier, saying she was so anxious to go on the trip, he could not deny her that honor. “She very much wanted to impress the others, and in doing so, left the ship too early. And so fell in battle on this hostile world.”
“Your people showed great courage in the battle below, and impressed me and all the others. I thank you, and am sorry for the loss of one so brave.”
He looked at her. “Will others be called to do the same?”
“I hope not. I did not come so far to fight a war with a new people, no matter how great the things to trade for. But it is up to you, and the others, the other captains. It is up to you to determine if you will stay, and try to trade, or be gone from this system.” She looked at him as she sipped the coffee. The illi-illi sat there, unmoving, inscrutable, as always, the solid body betraying nothing.
Finally it said, “Yes, we must now decide what it is we will do.”
They watched the scene from below, as the smoke plume slowly faded, talk quiet and unfocused, Lori unsure of the exact protocol expected, yet knew the illi-illi would accept anything she did as correct. Finished with the coffee, she stood to leave, and offered a hand to the captain, and his entourage, and again expressed sympathy for their loss. They escorted her back to the docking bay, and watched as she slowly flew off.
Sighing, she said to Hunter, “Well, I hope I didn’t embarrass them too much.”
“Lori,” he said, “You may be assured that is something you did not do.”
She nodded. “OK, let’s go see Morales when we get back and see what he has to say.”
Moving slowly back toward her ship, she looked at the huge globe dominating the sky below her, but couldn’t find the battle place.
Chapter 20 - Rescue of Borrelia
Borrelia knew he was a dead man.
He stood in a small, sparsely furnished, clinically clean room deep in the center of the palace of the prince. He’d never been here before, never seen it, but had heard rumors of such a place. A table held some food items, and a container with cans of drink, water mostly. Soft cushions were piled in the middle of the open space.
The “Room of No Return,” was one name, and “Disappointment Room,” was another. Either might fit, he thought, sitting on his haunches, watching the door through which he’d entered, his bowels grumbling. Behind him, two armed “Escorts” stood silent, frozen, watching him. They’d guided him here, saying T’ming would see him soon. He’d looked out the two tall windows, to see an imm
ense inner courtyard, green with trees, plantings, and winding walkways, even a pond or two, all very peaceful and serene. No one moved out there, probably the private retreat of the prince. And he waited.
“Computers predict he’ll be killed immediately,” one of the micro-bot monitors told Lori on her phone, as she looked at the screen with the picture from the small room to which their latest subject of interest had been taken. “The room is connected to hidden corridors, and appears to be easy to clean and maintain. No other meeting or public rooms are nearby.”
“Still, he looks pretty cool for someone about to die.”
“Well, he may not know it, or has accepted his fate.”
Lori studied the figure some more.
“What would you like us to do?” the tech asked her.
“Monitor for now. Maybe a rescue mission? I’m not so sure he’s worth it. Still, might be interesting to talk to this guy again,” she said idly. “He seems to be in the inner circle, such as it is. We have any air cars in the vicinity?”
“Yes, two, combat ready, both armed. Piloted by illi-illi and bigboys.”
“Alert them as to a possible rescue or pickup mission. Get them close. Weapons on the micro-bots inside?”
“Power for one laser shot, each. Need more?”
She sighed. “Maybe. Call me when something starts to happen...”
“Stay on the line, here’s the big guy himself.”
In the room, the prince strode in with two body guards, self-important, as always feigning haste. Borrelia stood to meet him, but the prince dispelled all formalities, saying, “Did we do a number on those damn flying things, or what? Shot one down, and drove all the rest away. If not for the incompetence of the garrison commander, I’d have them all. If I find him, I’ll have him shot. As I will that fire brigade chief that let the aliens help put out the fires. Cowardly idiots.”
T-47 Book II (Saxon Saga 6) Page 36