“Not a lot immediately. I can send down a couple of hundred combat robots, but that’s about it. I can also send down some fighters to see what they can do, but they’ll have to stay away from your walls or risk breaching them by accident.”
“We’ll take what’s on offer and be very grateful. Do you know what happened to the Keerah in these parts?”
“No, but it’s on our list of things to find out. I suspect the Keerah planet you normally deal with has been overrun already. There is a war raging.”
“War? First we’ve heard of it. Then again, not many ships come here. And none recently. How big is this war?”
“The Trixone attacked across ten thousand light years, all at once. The Ralnor are not doing too badly with our help, but the Keerah won’t even sign a non-aggression pact with us, and haven’t asked for help. We’re not even sure how badly they’re doing.”
The, whatever he was, seemed stunned.
“I don’t know or care what a Ralnor is, but ten thousand light years is unimaginable. As far as we know, Keerah space was a few hundred light years across.”
“They own a third of the core of this galaxy. But so each do the Ralnor and Trixone.”
“They have a bigger problem than they think,” interrupted Jane.
“How so?”
“I’m counting nearly twenty thousand Trixone on the planet. Every city is being attacked on every continent.”
I looked from her back to the not-Lufafluf.
“I can launch fighters and larger ships now if you want. They can take care of any troop transports on the ground, can do a lot of damage to the plants away from your cities, but it won’t relieve them quickly. And like as not they’ll do a lot of collateral damage. Up to you. Just say the word.”
“You have the word laddie. Send them down. Damage we can fix.”
I joined the all squadrons channel.
“Scramble. Jane will give you vectors down to the planet below. Take out the transports first, and concentrate on large concentrations of Trixone. Set your turrets to fire on plants which walk about. There is a setting there, I’ve used it. Let your point defense turrets do most of the work. And stay away from the city walls, and any buildings not in cities. I want a minimum of collateral damage. I’m sending down our combat droids, so avoid any area where they’re operating as well. Get mowing.”
I dropped out of the channel, but could hear the CO’s giving launch orders.
“Don’t you mean ‘get moving’?” asked Rockmonster.
“No, he didn’t,” laughed Jane. She looked at me. “Monty will be docking in a few minutes. I’ve got things up here. You should go down and meet our new friends.”
We turned back to the screen.
“Friends indeed,” he said. “I’ll be happy to receive you captain.”
“Keep this channel open, so we can find you. Before I come down to you though, I’m going to call for help. I have no idea what can be sent, but if anything can be, we’ll get it fairly quickly. Oh, we don’t have any suitable small craft to come down on, so we’ll need…”
“We’ll be fine,” interrupted Shenaid. “An open space where we can bring a large ship down near the ground will be fine.”
I shot a glance at her, and she looked serious.
“No problems laddie. We’ll see you soon.”
He vanished from the screen, which also vanished.
I started a vid.
“Imperator. We’ve come across a planet being attacked by twenty thousand Trixone. The locals are something like the Lufaflufs but with a feline head. They have walls, but are hard pressed, and were expecting Keerah to come and save them. We need troops. As many as you can spare, and as fast as you can get them here. It wouldn’t hurt to send us a ship full of combat droids as well. The locals want our help, but we have almost nothing to give them except fighter support. Anything you can spare, please.”
I paused a second, thinking.
“We have two captured Trixone battleships here, and a troop transport. If you have droids or troops, but no ships, I have two hulks plus Blossom and Unassailable all joined up together, and a mostly intact trooper. Send me a hole, and I’ll send them to you. Ecclestone out.”
Yes, I had done the how to do a vid to your boss section of the course. I can’t say I’d received a good mark though. Then again, serve him right for putting me in charge.
I nodded to Jane and she sent it. I looked at Rockmonster.
“No.”
“You’ll need an aide down there.”
“She has a point,” said Jane, smiling.
“Do you know how to be an aide?”
“Just finished that bit in the course notes.”
That figured.
Twenty Four
Jane took Monty down to about fifty meters off the ground.
Some of the buildings around us were higher than that, but a good deal of them were smoking ruins. Below us was a public park, relatively intact.
Shenaid, Rockmonster, and I appeared on the grass below, a few meters away from a small group of the locals. Shenaid was in her usual all white, while Rockmonster and I were in full uniform, including medal ribbons.
The ship rapidly ascended a short way, high enough to miss any remaining tall buildings, moved out to the wall surrounding the city, came down as low as Jane dared, and started dropping combat droids. I could see using Monty’s cams if I wanted to, and using the sight for a moment, I saw the first of them land on the wall where there was a gap in the defenders.
They were hero landing.
The locals reacted badly to their appearance, given as they were significantly taller than the locals and looked threatening, but each one jumped off the wall into the plants below before the locals could do the wrong thing. On their backs were the newest guns, and each one pulled it off its back, and began mowing down plants around it. Cheers began from above them.
The one I’d been talking to on the ship was looking at us as if wanting to say ‘You’re very tall’, and thinking better of it. Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a flight of Excaliburs, which roared across the city and dropped to the deck just beyond the walls, rolling over to flying on their sides so all their point defense could fire downwards.
“Thank you for coming Captain. My name is Galen Harpnosh, leader of planet Napenga. Do you have teleport technology?”
“We wish. No, please meet Mage Shenaid from the planet Karn.”
“Mage?”
“Magician,” she said.
“You mean a conjurer?”
“If you like,” she agreed, although I could see she didn’t like the word.
“They are almost a myth here now. History says we had some in the past, but there hasn’t been one born in at least five generations now. We don’t know why.” He looked at Shenaid. “You wouldn’t be interested in a wee dalliance by any chance?”
I expected her to be shocked, but instead she laughed really hard.
“Me? No. I’m something of a hermit. But you never know if we spread the word through the magical community.”
He bowed to her seriously, even though I was pretty sure she was joking.
“And those monsters I saw appear on the walls. Robots you said?”
“We call them combat droids.”
“Shall we go see them in action?”
“If you wish. Where are you the most hard pressed?”
“At our main gates.”
He pointed towards them, and I could see an area of battlements over that way. Apparently so could Shenaid. In the blink of an eye the whole party was standing on the wall above the gates, where the plants were just a waving forest down there, and one which was progressively scaling the walls.
“Jane?”
A hollo popped up with her face on it, shocking the locals.
“Chris?”
“Can you send me down my combat suit on a grav sled?”
“On its way.”
“Thanks.”
We stood there watching the defenders. They were all wearing what looked like leather all over, including full head masks, with only eye slits in them.
“I thought you said you hadn't heard of the Trixone?” I asked Galen.
“We haven’t. You want to know why the leather outfits?”
“Yes. They look quite effective at keeping the stingers away from skin.”
“They are. The leather is our hunting togs. The hoods we improvised after the first ship load wiped out an outlying settlement of one of the cities on another continent. By the time they landed more, the whole planet was expecting them, and after several disastrous attempts to hold them off, we worked out what we needed to. The plants can still get us though. They grab hold, and pull clothing until something comes off, and then sting you. You’re not planning to go down there like that are you?”
I chuckled.
“Not like this no. Observe.”
A grav sled controlled by a small cargo droid landed not far along the wall from us. On it was a combat suit, back turned to me.
“I’ll be back,” I said jauntily, walked over to the suit, stepped in the back, and closed it up.
The systems were already on, and I linked my PC to the suit, taking control of it from Jane. Both hands were holding the latest anti-plant guns. I turned, stepped off the sled, and walked over to Shenaid, the locals backing away from me wherever they could.
“Can you put me down on the ground please?” I asked her.
I probably could have jumped, but the wall was sufficiently high for me to doubt the wisdom of it. And there was the dignity factor. Landing on my head or falling flat on my face wasn’t going to look good for the locals.
She didn’t reply, but in an instant I was somewhere else. In front of me was where the gates should have been, but they were largely hidden by moving foliage. The defenders above were shooting down on them, but for every plant which was dislodged, another one climbed up.
I hadn't used these guns before, so I had no idea what they’d do to either the gates or the walls. In the pause it took me to decide where to point them, the plants realized I was in the middle of them, and came at me from all directions. Inside the suit, I grinned.
“Alright plantfuckers,” bellowed out through the external speakers I’d left on. “Let’s be having you.”
And I pulled both triggers without aiming.
Two pathways appeared in front of the guns, with the plants there shredded. I moved the guns in opposite directions until they were pointed out to both sides, and began to turn on the spot. In a single turn, I’d blasted a clear area for ten meters in all directions.
The plants pressed forward again, but I turned and hosed the entire area between me and the bottom of the gates. The ones on the gates continued to climb, being picked off by defenders, but no new ones replaced them. I wasn’t game to shoot at the gates in case I damaged them.
With the way clear, I turned to face away from the gates, began firing again, and slowly backed up until my back was against solid. I hosed across the advancing hedges.
A flash of white appeared to my left, and I adjusted aim away from it. The combat suit was giving me good all round vision, so the white was identified as Shenaid, still dressed in flowing white robes, but with her face completely covered, meaning she was in protection suit mode, but designed in her own clothing. Jane’s work I assumed.
She immediately started flinging fireballs into the middle distance, over the tops of the ones I was shooting at.
Time passed. Plants shredded. Fire raged.
“Chris?”
“Jane?”
“A rift opened up here just now. Homer and Bonko’s Club came through, and Unassailable took Blossom and the battleships back, with the transport. Any instructions for General Hobbs?”
“A general came with them?”
“Obviously. Team six is on Homer, and Bonko’s carrying two SAS teams, with the general.”
“That’s all?”
She chuckled.
“Hell no. Both ships are packed with troops and combat droids. Hobbs wants to know if you have orders for them.”
“How many stars?”
“Two.”
“And he’s asking for orders?”
“This is your command. He’s being polite. What do I tell him?”
“The combat droids around the walls are keeping the plant climbers to a minimum now, so suggest using the droids as wall perimeter, while the teams take positions in front of the gates, or any weak spot or break through area. I don’t know how many cities are under attack, but work it out for him, and drop what you can where they are of most use to the locals.”
“Will do. Team six will be with you shortly.”
The channel closed.
“Dianne.”
“Sir?”
“Let the locals know we have two cruisers worth of troops incoming. If they know anywhere which is in real trouble and needs relief, let Jane know so she can pass it up to them. They should also warn their own people help is coming down.”
“On it.”
“Company coming,” I said to Shenaid. “Might be an idea if neither of us shot them as they come down.”
She laughed.
Twenty Five
“Could you and your mage cease fire please Commander?”
A small shape was rapidly coming towards us. I stopped firing, and a few seconds later, Shenaid took my cue and stopped flinging fire bolts. She looked tired, and probably wouldn’t have been able to continue much longer anyway. She must have been more tired than I thought, because she immediately sat on the ground. Not that you could see the ground. It was covered in a thick blanket of shredded plant. I slotted the guns onto the back of the combat suit, and waited.
A salvage droid dropped into the gap in front of us. From it vaulted all but one of a full platoon of combat suits, who fanned out into an arc, and began using the same guns I had to make real inroads into the plants swarming the walls still. The most I’d been able to do was keep them away from the gates. From the views I been getting from cams on ships flying around the city, the combat droids hadn't been able to do much more either.
The last combat suit stepped off, and walked up to me.
“Lieutenant Colonel Sam Jackman-O’Neill. Imperium marine team six. Commander Ecclestone I presume?”
“The same. You’re a welcome sight Colonel.”
Technically we were the same rank. But my insignia were squeaky clean, and I had the feeling hers were not.
“General O’Neill’s complements Commander. Orion’s Stars couldn’t leave her post, but he sent us.”
“Stars?”
“Orion’s Belt’s sister ship. While you were training fighter pilots, we’ve been training marine and infantry units. This is our fifth planet since the war started. There’s a full battalion on its way down now, and another two battalions will be here as soon as we get ships back to Haven to pick them up. I understand you sent some?”
“Yes. Unassailable and Apricot Blossom are both damaged, but Blossom is quite capable of moving troops if they don’t need accommodations. We captured some plant ships as well, which might be useful. Or not. Hard to tell with them.”
“Every city is getting one team at their main gates, and will be doing what mine is now. It’s going to take a while, is all. As we get reinforcements, we can speed it up.”
“Who has the command?”
“I have ground command until General Hobbs arrives. He’s using a Lightning to tour the entire planet at the moment.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Are you up for some more mowing?”
“Damned right I am. Can your salvage droid take Shenaid back to the top of the wall? She can pass on the news to the locals. With the gates secure, I’d be surprised if they didn’t want to join in. Although that depends on how fatigued they are.”
She turned to the mage, who nodded, hauled herself up, and trudged wearily over to the sled. The dro
id lifted off, and took her to where she could step off next to Rockmonster. The salvage droid went up, obviously returning to its ship. I could see rapid discussion going on up there, and the gates began to open behind us.
Sam’s team were already fifty meters away, and walking slowly forward, guns firing constantly.
“Shall we?” I said.
“Let’s shall.”
She started running to catch up, and even before I started following her, not quite feeling confident of running but managing a reasonable speed, a gap was forming ahead of us, into which the two of us could slot.
We took our places, and joined the slow walk away from the walls. Behind us came battle cries. Several hundred Napengans were streaming through the gates, and were turning to follow the wall. Sam said a few words, and her team members nearest that part of the wall changed direction to allow them to take over a section of the line.
The locals were using flame throwers and rapid firing lasers, neither of which were particularly effective, but a solid group of them all firing together began getting the job done.
A half hour later, another salvage droid dropped behind us, and a man was standing on it, dressed in a marine suit. The two stars suggested this was General Hobbs.
“Commander,” he called to me. “I’ve got the situation here. You’re needed back on your ship. The salvage droid will drop me on the top of the wall, and take you up to a waiting ship for the rest of the flight.”
I looked at the Colonel next to me.
“Drop by Claymore anytime Colonel.”
“Count on it flyboy.”
I couldn’t see the grin, but it was definitely there. I walked over to the sled, and jumped up. The general said nothing, but the salvage droid took off, and headed for the wall. From higher up, I could see this side of the city at least, had been made safe.
At the top of the wall, the droid hovered close enough for the General to step off, and Rockmonster and Shenaid to step on. The droid began to ascend rapidly, and all of us grabbed hold of the people rail behind the droid. I didn’t need to, as the suit was magnetically sticking to the sled, but I felt I needed to.
Legend of Dreamwalker (The Hunter Imperium Book 5) Page 12