by K. Aten
She was promised a promotion for putting up with the hellish southern continent for four long rotos. Perhaps what worried her the most was that she would only have one dae with her replacement before heading north. To have so little time to brief an incoming commanding officer was not protocol. Castellan looked up from the neatly printed page and addressed her sergeant. “Instruct First Lieutenant Cando to ready her troops plus thirty automatons and load them on haulers. We’ll make better time getting through the city that way.” The man hesitated. “What are you waiting for?”
He chewed his droopy mustache. “How many haulers, ser?”
Lt. Commander Tosh sighed. “Ten platoons of five men each should be simple enough maths, Beng!” She waited a sec taking in his confused face. “Twenty bodies per truck. You will need four trucks. Now move!” She had no idea how the man made it to sergeant but it happened before she came along or it wouldn’t have happened at all.
Still the man hesitated. “But what about you, ser?”
All patience lost, Castellan stood and waved him off as she holstered the pistol she had set on her desk. “I’ll be there before you, now go!” Besides the pistol, she grabbed a few shell magazines and a couple extra illeostones, then walked over to the far wall. Her company sword gleamed, its razor edge drawing her eye along its length. She snatched the blade from the wall and shoved it into the nearby sheath, then took off out the door. The chance that she’d need the blade were pretty low but one never knew what could happen in a battle against Atlanteen-sent creatures of the deep.
As predicted, her cycle pulled into the cleared lot at the top of the beach well ahead of the haulers. There were no people left down below even though it was a beautiful dae for swimming. Despite the danger of the water, many couldn’t seem to stay away from the ocean’s refreshing effects in the hot climate. As a result, many cities and municipalities had built seawalls to keep the deepwater denizens out of their swimming areas and away from the beaches.
Defense Corp soldiers were the primary protectors of land and infrastructure, while the men and women of the Security Corp focused on Psierians and society. However, something like a public beach fell into a bit of a gray area where it came to protection. Safeguarding of the beach itself didn’t fall under the regard of either Corp. Instead the city relied upon the seawall and the few Salvo Corp members assigned monitor the people and water. Preservists were highly trained in search and rescue, and also had basic medican knowledge. They were stationed in tall lookouts to facilitate visibility, but the standout red uniforms were missing when Tosh arrived at the scene.
The sheer size and number of the armicrustes took her aback. Rarely did anyone see more than a few in a lifetime. To see so many of the moto-sized armored crustaceans at one time was daunting. They had yet to begin making their way up the stairs and off the beach, instead wreaking havoc on all that had been left below. Wooden lookout towers were pulled down, blankets, baskets, and umbrellas were all destroyed by the rampaging monsters.
Tosh heard the haulers pull up behind her and knew her soldiers and automatons had arrived. She was about to turn around and start giving them orders when she heard a scream down on the beach. The lt. commander brought her hand up to block the glaring light of the two suns and scanned the distance. Movement near the headland at the far end of sand caught her eye. She quickly pulled out her spyglass and focused on the spot. There was a woman and a small child halfway up the rocks. Three armicrustes were less than two yords away. “Sheddech!” She collapsed the spyglass and took off running along the lot, toward the point where the woman was attempting to climb the rocks. It was the only way to get to her. Going by the beach would be suicide. Castellan hoped that at least a few enterprising soldiers would follow when they realized where she was headed.
When she reached the woman’s location, Castellan looked down the rocks toward her to assess the situation once again. One giant pincer was reaching for the little girl and the officer had no choice but to utilize her channel. The pistol would do no good against their armor plating unless she were close enough to aim for something sensitive. Using telepathy, she spoke to both the woman and the child at once. “Be calm, I am coming down to save you. Do not scream because that will draw more of the beasts.”
They both looked up at her fearfully but each nodded. It was the woman’s voice who answered. “We understand. Please hurry!” Unfortunately for them, their previous screaming only served to draw more of the creatures to their location.
Lt. Commander Tosh was not just good at commanding other soldiers, she was one of the best soldiers herself. And she was powerful. She paused and stared down at the creature closest to the trapped civilians. It was a stretch but she was able to lift the massive crustacean with her telekinesis and fling it backward down the rocks, taking out two along the way. While her power was great, she only had a couple moves like that in her. It was more tiring than she expected and she knew she’d have to change tactics sooner rather than later. Using the hard channels was easier when one was close so she needed to eliminate some of the distance between them.
Concentrating again, she utilized her levitation channel and moved above the ground toward the woman and child. She alit atop the largest boulder below the pair and faced off against the next approaching armicrustes. Castellan pulled her pistol and looked for a weakness she could utilize. The creatures weren’t fast moving on the crawl, but they were tireless and could climb just about anywhere. In the front center were eyestalks and mandibles and that was where she aimed. The sound of the pistol going off wasn’t loud but the shrieking of the armicruste was shocking to her ears. In pain and blinded, the creature took two steps back until it went over the ledge behind it. It managed to take one more on the way down.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the soldiers and automatons line up above the beach and begin firing down on the armicrustes with heavy caliber rifles and sling grenades. She had a brief absurd thought that the beach was going to be a mess and wondered if the crustaceans were edible before the next sea-bug was coming up the rocks toward her.
“Ser!” Castellan looked over her shoulder to the top of the rock wall she had come down. First lieutenant Koryne Cando was standing there with a dozen other soldiers and three automatons. She had a high-cal rifle at the ready but wasn’t taking aim yet. “We can’t fire until you and the civs are out of the way, the angle is bad. You want me to send the ’tons down for them?”
Tosh shook her head regretfully. “No, they can’t navigate the rocks, it’s too treacherous. Are any of you high channel telekinetic or apport?” The woman shook her head. It was the slight stiffening of her facial features and Castellan’s own high-rated intuition that had her duck at the same time a large pincer swung over her head. She spun around and took aim again but the creature’s reaction was surprisingly fast. The pincer came back around and knocked the pistol from her grip. Her hand stung but it wasn’t incapacitated so she drew her sword and hacked at the nearest joint. She nearly lost her balance when the joint separated easily to the speed and sharpness of her blade.
The armicruste gave a shriek and she ducked another swing of the massive claws. When the claw switched and came forward to catch her in its pincer, she swung the sword again and took out the other front facing leg. The loss of support on the rocks was too much and the sea-bug fell backward down the break wall. Her relief was short-lived because another came crawling over the rock ledge. Castellan was forced to use her telekinesis to lift that one away and she immediately felt the drain of it. Lifting more than three-thousand punds of monster, even for so short a time, was exhausting. More were coming to take its place so she started picking up stones that were twice her body weight to fling down on to them. The massive rocks made loud cracking sounds as they slammed against the armicrustes exoskeletons.
Even though a Psi’s energy was constantly replenishing itself, there was no way it could keep up with the demand Castellan was putting on her channel. She had only been skirmi
shing with the giant creatures for ten meens but sweat dripped from her brow and exhaustion tugged at her. Her head started to throb so she had to think of another plan. Lt. Commander Tosh was heartened by the fact that she wasn’t the only one inflicting damage by the sound of shrieking along the beach and the muffled whumps of the grenades.
Castellan knew she had to get the civs out of the line of fire so she took a chance with her remaining reserve of power. Taking advantage of the space she’d cleared she used her levitation channel to lift herself from the rock and moved up to the woman and child. First she turned her back to the child. “Climb onto my back and hold me tight around the neck. Tight as you can!” Once the girl was situated she instructed the mother.
“Try to do the same thing from the front. Lock your legs around me if you can.” The next armicruste was less than a yord away when Castellan was sure the two civs were secure. Levitating the three of them at once didn’t use nearly the amount of power as lifting and flipping a tun and a half of armored crustacean, but it required a lot more concentration. Just as she got ready to lift them the woman in her arms yelled.
“Look out!”
Castellan didn’t even have to think about it. She pulled from her dwindling channel reserves again and flung another large rock behind her, then boosted all three of them straight up in the air. Taking them so high above the rocks was more difficult because of the pull of grav and the distance from the ground. As soon as they were out of the way, the soldiers and automatons started firing down on the armicrustes. When she set them all safely on the ground behind the determined line of fighters, her knees buckled slightly but she held steady until both her passengers were standing on their own.
She could tell she had given herself channel strain with that last boost, based on the throbbing in her head and near-fainting spell, but everyone was safe. Castellan wiped the sweat off her brow and drew in a deep breath before addressing the two civs she had saved. “Are either of you injured?”
The mother shook her head. “No, just scared. My name is Endie and I can’t thank you enough for what you did.”
Lt. Commander Tosh felt a tug on her shirttail where it had come untucked. She looked down to meet the dark orange eyes of the little girl. “Thank you, ser! You’re brave like my papan.”
Castellan looked at the little girl and couldn’t help smiling at the gap in her teeth. The girl reminded Castellan of her sib’s daughter. “It was my pleasure, little one. And who is your papan?”
Endie answered. “Private Second Class Markis Kavin. He’s down at the big island this weke.” She was referring to Arafa, of course. The island was actually about three oors south of Ostium and soldiers were required to rotate down for an entire weke to save travel time. Since the completion of the bridge, both Psi and automaton patrols manned the walls along the narrow straight as extra protection for the new span. She knew Kavin, he was a good soldier and he spoke frequently of both his par and his little girl.
“I know Private Kavin, he speaks of you both often. He’s a good man and a brave soldier, you should be proud. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to see to my troops.” The little girl saluted Castellan and it warmed her heart. Most of the fighting was complete by the time she walked up to her lieutenant. Castellan Tosh stared down at the beach taking in the carnage and destruction, then she sighed and shook her head. “Such a waste.”
First Lieutenant Cando looked at her curiously. “Ser?”
Castellan pointed at the beach where automatons had gone down to verify that none of the armicrustes remained alive. “What do you see down there, Cando?”
The answer came back with a certainty that was found only in those that were afraid or prejudiced. “Monsters.”
“Do you know what I see?” Cando shook her head. “I see wasted life. The Atlanteens knew that it would be highly unlikely that the armicrustes would advance beyond the beach, our security is much too good for that. They needlessly wasted the lives of those creatures for what? To instill a little fear in the people of Ostium? It makes me question the motive of our nemeses of the sea. I would think that each one of these sea-bugs were probably three times our age or more. Yet the Atlanteens sent them ashore to die. It makes me sad.”
Cando’s look went from one of fear and loathing to that of introspection. “If I may speak freely, ser?” Castellan nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a soldier look upon a monster of the deep and feel regret for their death. You seem ver—almost...tenderhearted. You hold more respect for your enemies than anyone I’ve ever met.” She paused for a few secs, organizing her thoughts. “I’ve never had a senior officer like you. I think I will miss you when you’re gone.”
The lt. commander looked at her subordinate sharply, wondering if someone had been reading her mail. Cando was a fairly new transfer and had only been with her a few lunes but she was very good and highly recommended. “When I’m gone?”
“Oh, yes, ser! You’re a legend back at the Academy. People talk about your power and your deeds in the lower classes. And everyone knows that you’ve practically turned this region around and won it back from the clutches of the Atlanteens. Surely they will be promoting you soon or the generals are nothing more than a bunch of arselicks!” Shock stole over Cando’s face and she scrambled to defend her words. “Speaking candidly as you requested, ser!”
Castellan chuckled at the woman’s words, relieved and more than a little embarrassed. “Well, Cando, from your mouth to the glowing incandescence of both suns, I certainly hope you’re right!” She called out to a few of the longest-term soldiers of the region. “Anyone know if these suckers are edible? No sense letting them go to waste.”
One of the more grizzled veterans who was near to retirement called out from the beach just below. “They’re great in stew, ser!”
“Thanks, Lieutenant Tep!” She turned back to Cando. “I think this lot is good now. Will you let both the council and the base cooks know that they should send some folks down here to collect meat? Tell the hospitals too!” She paused. “And have someone grab my pistol from the rocks before you pull everyone back to base. Just leave it on the desk in my office, if you will.”
First Lieutenant Cando saluted smartly and didn’t question why the lt. commander would choose to go without her weapon when she could simple grab it with her channel. Castellan Tosh’s channels were legendary. “Ser, yes, ser!”
Castellan began to walk away then thought of something else. “Tep!”
The older man straightened from where he was securing rifles and ammunition in the back of one of the haulers. “Ser?”
“Do the locals know of a use for the exoskeletons?”
He grinned and nodded his head. “They make for good fertilizer if you grind it up. Got a coz’n in the Stock Corp and he raves about the stuff.”
“Do me a solid and call your coz’n, will you? Tell them if they haul it away they can have it, just make sure they wait until the meat is harvested first. Clear?”
“Yes, ser!”
Seeing things well in hand Castellan mounted her cycle again. Rather than head straight back to base on the southeast side of the city, she decided to continue farther up the road toward the Temple of Illeos. Even though she’d been in the area four rotos, the site of the massive structure never failed to leave her in awe. Lt. Commander Castellan Tosh was more than just a soldier, she was a thinker of high level. She loved to solve problems and puzzles in her spare time and often pondered the Divine Mystery. She’d seen many of the texts and translations, and she even bought books to read when time allowed. Even though Castellan wasn’t an interpretist in the Divinity Corp, she still took the classes when she was at the Academy and impressed her teachers with her ability to puzzle out meanings.
There was a moto lot a small distance from the temple where interpretists, visitors, and other Divinity Corp workers could park. That was where she left her cycle. She didn’t want to enter the temple proper, just walk the terraformed and plotted grounds aroun
d it. The temple itself was an enormous and imposing structure. It looked like a series of steps layered on top of each other. At least from a distance. It was only up close that it became evident that each layer was a hundred yords tall. There were actual Psierian-size steps up the center all the way to the top but they were kept blocked off for security and safety reasons.
All around the temple were canals and fountains, Psi-made waterfalls and bridges. A small channel of the Mir Ostium had been diverted to create the beautiful landscape and design around the temple. It also fed the gardens and flower beds that surrounded the structure. While the origin of the great temples were still a mystery, it had been the people of Psiere that had built and landscaped the area around their bases. Some thought the canals and bridges added serenity to the space but Castellan thought that it only emphasized the mystery of it all. It was as if the temple itself were a puzzle and instead of solving the puzzle, the modern people of the land added pieces here and there. It was both baffling and beautiful.
She walked the stone paths and bridges, enjoying the breeze and low-set double suns. It was late afternoon going on evening and the sky was starting to turn colors as they made their descent from the vastness to the land below. If Castellan were needed back at the base, they would call on the voteo, but failing that she was her own woman for the rest of the night. As she passed near the smaller entrance, she was surprised to see the imposingly black-uniformed Psi Shield guardians standing at attention outside. While they were too far away to make out which royal they were protecting, she could surmise who it was. The Royal Sovereign Connate Olivienne Dracore was a well-known adventurist and historian. Her sib, the Sub-Connate, was not even at Academy yet, and she would have known if the King or Queen were on the continent. But the Connate frequently traveled around and was known to be difficult about following protocol. At least that was the news Castellan heard amongst the military gossips. “Curious.” She mumbled to herself then began the trek back to her cycle.