Gray Panthers: Dixie (37 page)

Arizona Shuttle Major Rogers, in Libra space

2 December 2128

Commander Poland was hopeful that Captain Johnson would still catch up with them. He suddenly remembered that the Abby Artillery had class 1 AIs.

“Major Rogers, have you tried to raise the artillery that Johnson was going to ride out on?”

“Sir, from all the evidence we have—and granted, most of it is circumstantial—I believe the Beater exploded while the artillery was still too close and was destroyed at that time.”

“I guess that’s going to be a mystery until the war is over and we can go back. The last set of coordinates is recorded, right?”

“I have included all information. The last copy of the ship’s log has it as well.”

“How long until we can send a message safely to the Grub, do you think?”

“Sir, at this point we are firmly in enemy territory. When we get closer to friendly territory, there might even be more of the enemy monitoring the border. I believe the best course of action at this point is stealth.”

Central Village, planet Glory

2 December 2128

Short Blade was enjoying talking with the old vets-turned-beggars. They not only gave a good description of the mood of the people, but they also believed the humans’ assistance would make Glory a planet that others would envy. One veteran shook him up as he told his story.

“My colonel never was with his men in spirit. He had a runt for a son and knew his son would end up dead early in life. So, he contracted him to a Libra ship for ten years. The colonel was a good officer, but he lost his spirit when he gave up his son.”

Short Blade looked at the beggar in his tattered old blue uniform, three limbs missing.

“Did this colonel have a name?” Short Blade choked as he asked.

“Certainly he had a name. Colonel Blade. Best commander I ever had. Few officers took care of their troops as well as he did. Even now he comes down here on occasion and looks for blue. He’ll talk with his old troops—”

Short Blade handed the ragged old vet a handful of small coins and walked away. He had learned what Dan Daniels wanted. He had learned what he needed to know, as well.

He didn’t notice that he was being followed again. One of the followers stopped and asked the beggar what he and Short Blade had talked about. The beggar’s answer, “Colonel Blade,” earned him more small coins.

The inquisitor ran to catch up with the others, who were only a short distance behind Short Blade at that point. “Excuse us, may we have a moment of your time, sir?” he called out.

Short Blade turned to see the squad of gray-clothed followers was back again. “Certainly. But I am expected back soon, so we will have to be brief.”

“We were wondering why you are going around talking about Colonel Blade.”

Short Blade looked at the agent for a moment, suppressing a laugh. He decided to play with the agent. “Sir, why would that be a problem?”

“We work for the colonel and don’t want anything to happen to him.”

“Does that include his son?”

“Who is his son?” the agent asked, looking suspiciously at Short Blade.

“I am Short Blade, son of Colonel Blade of the Claw Clan. Now that I know you are friends of my father, let us go have a drink. I would like to hear more of my father’s accomplishments. I was away for a long time, and the colonel does not like to talk about himself.”

The attitude of the entire squad changed when they learned they were with their old commander’s son. They found a nearby drink house to celebrate.

Fire Ship Dagger, en route to planet Glory

2 December 2128

Captain Sword was pleased with the way things were working out. Soon he would be back on planet Glory, and his men, who were captains on nine of the other ships, had pledged to support him when he announced a military coup, with him as the new leader. He just needed to approach a few more ships where he knew the crews were filled with his clan. He would be the most powerful Jacka ever!

“Captain Sword, please report to the landing bay.”

“Sword is on the way.”
I wonder what’s wrong in the bay?
he thought as he turned down the passageway.

The hatchway was dogged, but the indicator showed that the bay was pressurized.
The indicator is wrong
was Sword’s last thought as he opened the hatch and was propelled through the bay and out into space.

“Captain Evans, the mutineer has been eliminated. The AIs on the rest of the fleet have also removed the mutineers from their ships,” AI Dagger reported.

“All of them appeared as accidents that won’t raise any suspicions?” Evans still feared a mutiny from the recent Jacka that had come from Dixie.

“The only ones who will be suspicious are the mutineers that are still alive. It is unlikely they will make a report that their fellow mutineers are all dead. The remaining mutineers are simple followers. They lack what it takes to motivate others to rebel.”

The last bit of information reassured Evans, and she returned to her duties as the human captain of the ship.

Arizona shuttle Major Rogers, in Libra space

3 December 2128

Commander Poland was startled awake as the Major Rogers announced, “Enemy ship inbound. They should pick us up on their sensors any second.”

“What are we up against?” Poland felt himself sweating as he waited for the answer.

“Medium-size cargo ship. Appears to be of Moise registry.”

“This is Poland. Launch your Darts and try to intimidate that cargo ship while we communicate with it. If it tries to flee, we destroy it.”

“Andrews copies. Intimidate, but do not fire.” Andrews felt discomfort as he began to move around after sitting for so long in one position in the Dart’s cramped flight deck.

“Dart Flight, scramble to that ship and get in close. Only play with it, unless I say different.” It felt great to have something to do after sitting so long. The other Darts had already dropped away from the artillery and were headed for the cargo ship.

“Unidentified ship, prepare to be boarded. Comply or be destroyed,” Poland ordered. He was surprised when the ship stopped.

“Shuttle Two, board the ship through the port hatchway. We will board from the starboard hatchway.”

Captain Young was slightly ahead of his men when the hatchway opened. Rushing inside, they saw crewmembers sitting along the passageway, their tentacles flat on the deck. The crewmembers were all gray, with six tentacles at the lowest part of their body. The remainder of their bodies was between four and five feet tall, including their head. With no neck, they had to turn their whole body in order to turn their head.

“Who is in charge here?” Young hollered out. The aliens all replied in perfect unison. “Sir, you are, sir!”

Young smiled at the answer. “Where is the captain?” he asked.

“Sir, I was the captain, sir,” one of the gray creatures informed Young as it slithered closer on its tentacles.

“What have you got in your bays?” Young asked, watching the alien carefully.

“Sir, our bays are empty, sir.”

“Then this is your lucky day. We are going to fill your bays with our ships. You are then going to hop to Glory. We will pay you a fair price for your services. We will also attach the four huge suicide bombs to your hull, and if you betray us, we will blow us all up.”

“Sir, we and the rest of our race are pacifists. We will give you no trouble, sir.”

“Beat—er, Major Rogers, can you confirm that?”

“The Moiseans are pacifists. They have been conquered by the Libra Alliance.”

“Captain, you have paying passengers. Get us to Glory as soon as possible and we will pay well.”

As the alien captain began to issue orders, his crew slithered away in all directions, leaving a slimy trail behind them.

“Sir, the bay doors will be open in five minutes. We will depart when you say, sir.”

Young radioed his troops. “Perform a quick sweep of the ship and then meet in the main bay when our ships are loaded. It all looks good, but stay sharp.”

Switching frequencies, he continued. “Young to Poland. We have passage. Begin loading when main bay hatches open.”

“Good job. Poland out.”

The immense size of the main bay hatchway astonished everyone, as first the shuttles landed and then the Darts, positioning themselves so they could launch straight out if necessary. The crews’ first impression of the ship was that it was humid and slimy. The air handlers weren’t able to remove the smell, which was best described as low tide.

“Sir, you want us to jump now, yes, sir?” the alien captain asked.

Poland nodded as he watched the crew slithering around the bridge. He was amazed by the interfaces at the control stations to accommodate the crew’s tentacles.

The jump to FTL sickened the humans, but not one of them complained. They looked forward to safety, and then hopefully home.

Fire Ship Dagger, orbiting planet Glory

3 December 2128

The council was euphoric. The planet was now surrounded by its own powerful fleet, equal in size and quality to any that existed. They felt as though they had to do something.

“We shall attack the Libra home world and let them feel our fury. We shall spill blood!” the lead house speaker thundered. “We need to fill our ships with troops to invade. The Libra are poor soldiers. Once we are on the ground, they will sue for peace or surrender.”

Dan felt like he was witnessing an accident in the making. He could feel the rumble of the train coming down the tracks. All he had to do was wait for it to derail.

“Brother warriors!”

The Jacka all stopped. Daniels had jumped into the fire circle to speak.

“The Fire Warriors are mighty and will taste blood. The Libra have been fighting in space for many years. Soon, you attack them with their own ships. Let those who took those ships away from them be at your side. We ask only to share in the revenge. The Fire Warriors can have all of the booty and prisoners.”

“Dan Daniels, you have made this possible for us. You may leave your people on our ships until after the battle. You will then remove all of your people from our ships.”

“I thank the council for its generosity. Tomorrow, blood will flow. I leave now to prepare for our celebrations!”

“Dan!” someone called out.

Scanning the area from where the voice had come, Dan saw Red Erickson being held back by council guards.

“Guards, let that man in, now!” The tone of Dan’s voice let it be known there was no option but to comply with his order. Red entered the council grounds and walked with Dan to his house.

Short Blade was already there, practicing some form of martial arts with a long stick. “Don’t stop on my behalf,” Dan said to him as he stepped inside. “That looks interesting.” Short Blade continued but moved toward the windows now that his charge was back.

“Dan, the only way these guys are going to win an even match with the Libra is if they have a miracle or find a way to cheat,” Red said in a low voice.

“They’ll have both tomorrow. We have been allowed to stay on the ships until after the battle and will do what’s necessary to win.”

“You heard about the accidents some of the ships had, I take it.”

“Happens all the time with new ships and inexperienced crews. When the Fire Warriors become one team, I think that will stop happening.”

“What role will the Bia have in the battle tomorrow, Dan?”

“Observe. Fight, if needed. Keep an eye out for the Dixians joining the party on their own side. It’s going to be a long night for the Fire Warriors, loading troops on board their ships. I’m going to have an early night. Keep your comm channels open, in case they try to depart early and ditch us.”

“Sir, you’re going also?”

“I wouldn’t miss it. The Grub is deadlier than you think.”

Survivors from the Beater, orbiting Glory

4 December 2128

Poland was surprised when the Moise ship was allowed to enter Glory’s orbit without even being challenged. The activity around the planet was impressive. Poland coordinated the transfer of all of the survivors from the cargo ship to the Grub. Only the Major Rogers remained on the cargo ship as Poland pulled out a handful of gold coins.

“Thank you for the ride, Captain. I think this will cover your expenses.”

“Sir, thank you. Sir, what is happening with all the ships here, sir?”

“The Jacka are preparing to train their new fleet. I think it will be dangerous to navigate around here for the next three weeks or so. I heard that is how long they will be practicing with their new ships. When I leave your bay you should leave immediately to avoid any trouble.”

“Sir, you are most wise. Sir, we will leave after you depart our ship, sir.” The alien captain watched as Poland’s shuttle departed. “Helmsman, get us out of here. Communications officer, report what we have seen here once we are safely back in Libra space. The human said the ships would train for three weeks. The Libra will pay well for this information. Do not tell them we delivered the humans.”