Gray Panthers: Dixie (18 page)

Arizona Space Ship Grub, in orbit around the Jacka home world

13 November 2128

Arriving at the Jacka home world, the Grub was immediately challenged by half a dozen small shuttle-size warships. Colonel Blade’s acknowledgment of their challenges was satisfactory enough for them to proceed on their patrols and ignore the Grub.

“Brave warriors to challenge a ship thirty times their own size,” Dan commented.

“Their options are limited. They could not run from their own planet, if challenged.”

“How will we set up a meeting with the council?”

“They know we are here and will have the full council to receive us. They most likely think you are a client needing either warriors for your protection or an army. They will invite us soon. Unemployment is bad.”

“Dan, we’re receiving a welcome from the planet. They want to know our intentions.”

“Thanks Grub, let them know we are requesting a meeting of the council as soon as possible.”

“We’ve been given landing coordinates. The council will meet with you in three hours.”

The shuttle ride to the planet gave Dan ideas. He noticed that all of the villages—few seemed big enough to be called a city—were near forests and jungles. Long tracts of shoreline showed there was never any construction so close to the water.

“Sharp, have your people ever fished?”

“No, our people feared the oceans and even refused to name them.”

“Do your people eat fish?”

“The people like to eat fish.” Blade was uncomfortable talking about the oceans and wanted to talk about anything else.

“There’s another opportunity. I can respect wanting to stay away from the water, but imagine if the council allowed another species to go out and fish. Then the council would get part of the profit from the fishermen.”

“I think if it would provide more food for the people and profit for the council, the council would like that.”

“I think once they see how much the fishermen make, others might want to try it also.”

Blade was puzzled. “I do not understand you, Dan. You want our people to be the fleet and army of the League of Planets, yet you have plans for us to build and farm and fish?”

“Not everyone can be a warrior. For those who are too old or crippled, these are jobs they can get to support their families. If a warrior is injured, is it not better to have a new job than to depend on pity? I know no warrior who wants pity or charity.”

“There’s the shuttleport. The council chambers are close by.”

Dan was impressed with the cleanliness and layout of the buildings. He had feared it would be like when the Jacka were his prisoners and had marked their areas by urinating.

The exterior of the council chambers was a combination of concrete and wood. The inside area looked like a clearing in the forest. Each clan had an equal amount of space in a circle around a central fire pit. The clans were attired in civil war-style uniforms, with each clan having its own color.

“You may speak now.”

Unable to tell who had spoken, Dan walked to the fire pit to give his pitch. “I return to you your warrior, Colonel Blade. I once knew Colonel Blade as my enemy. I now call him friend. I wish to call all ten clans of Jacka my friend. I offer you the opportunity to have all your people fight as one, never again needing to take pay to fight among yourselves. If you accept this offer I will increase the size of your forests and jungles, as well as your farmlands. I will have your people paid and trained to do this work. I will help the warriors who are injured in battle to have jobs so that they can support their families and not ask for charity or pity. With the new lands and better jobs, your people will grow.

“Again, the main reason I am here is to hire all of your warriors to fight as one huge fleet and army. I will provide ships taken from the Libra Alliance in battle. They have been rebuilt and improved so they are stronger and better than those of the Alliance.

“The mission I have for your people is to be the fleet and army of the League of Planets. The League will pay you to protect them, and you will no longer be mercenaries, but protectors of the League.”

“The League has told you they will do this?” the speaker wearing the colors of the gray clan asked suspiciously.

“The League of Planets has no choice in the matter. I have no respect for them. They allowed the Libra Alliance to form and let them run unchecked as the Alliance took over their small neighbors.

“This is what I will offer the League. They will buy my ships and weapons and give them to the Jacka to defend the League. No planet in the League will have fear of its neighbor because all will be protected by the Jacka.

“I will also offer to them an alternative. I will hire the Jacka as my personal army and fleet. I will give you the ships and weapons as partial payment. You will destroy the Libra Alliance and then conquer every planet in the League. Those planets will stay under the Jacka and be taxed to pay the warriors, who will administer the entire League until the sun dies. That is my proposition to this chamber.” Dan bowed to the crowd.

“You have the ships and weapons already?” a purple-suited Jacka asked.

“When I have trained the warriors, they will be ready.”

“How do you plan to increase our lands? They are deserts.”

“We have done it on our planet. I will sell your people the tools to do as we did and train them to use the equipment. Colonel Blade demanded of me that any equipment I sell must have warranties. I will honor that demand. I will also provide new farming equipment and new foods so your people will never go hungry.”

“You could just hire us as mercenaries. Why do all of these other things? Do you think we are like weak children that need charity or protection?”

“My main wish is to have a strong friend that will be between me and any enemy. I believe a warrior will fight better if he is not worried about being wounded and knows his family is taken care of while he is gone. I will charge for everything I provide, so I will also make a profit.”

“We will discuss this in chambers. Colonel Blade will join the council for the discussion. We will notify you when we have made a decision.”

A representative came to Dan and showed him to a guesthouse.

Arizona Space Ship Beater, in Earth space

13 November 2128

“Well, our crew seems to have survived liberty. I think they were all in serious need of it,” Poland said as he navigated behind the ship that was escorting them to the wormhole.

“The crew does seem more relaxed,” Johnson agreed. “Commander Poland, I want you to coordinate all of Ensign Short Blade’s training. I will then evaluate the results and make the final decision, if that sounds good to you.”

“That sounds fine, Captain. Should we let him know now?”

“Yes, I’ll make the announcement to the crew.” Over the ship’s communication system, Johnson addressed everyone on board. “This is the captain. It is my pleasure to announce that Chief Short Blade has been frocked to the position of ensign. Be sure to congratulate the ensign when you see him. Ensign Short Blade, please report to the bridge.”

Short Blade couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. How would the other chiefs act toward him, now that he’d been promoted? They deserved it more than he did. He headed for the flight deck, feeling both joyous and nervous. On his way there, he saw Jimmy and Guns in the passageway. Both chiefs saluted in their best parade ground manner as Short Blade stood in amazement.

“Sir, it is traditional to return the salute when it is given,” Guns said with a grin.

Short Blade returned the salute as the chiefs patted him on the back and congratulated him.

“You are not mad that I am now an officer?” Short Blade asked, confused.

“You’re our comrade. How could we not be happy for you? With what you’ve learned from us, you should make a good officer,” Jimmy replied.

Short Blade continued toward the flight deck, stunned by his comrades’ words and actions.

“Sir, Ensign Short Blade reporting as ordered.”

“Ensign Short Blade, congratulations. Commander Poland shall be responsible for your training. If he believes you have completed the training successfully, and I concur, the rank will be permanent. Since you are only frocked to the rank for now, you are not making the pay yet.” Johnson wanted to laugh at Short Blade’s unbridled excitement.

“Ensign Short Blade, I’ll be evaluating you on your ship handling, navigation, weapons, and ship’s systems. I’ll also give you some books to read on your terminal. Because of your experience, we are not going to evaluate your knowledge of systems maintenance. We’ll see if you have what it takes to be a good officer,” Poland said before shaking his paw.

“Ensign Short Blade, you’ll be scheduled for routine duties on the flight deck starting tomorrow. Be sure to have the appropriate rank device on your uniform at that time. That is all,” Johnson said. After Short Blade left the flight deck, the men broke into laughter at his enthusiasm.

“Captain, we’ve reached the wormhole. It’s invisible to the naked eye but will be easy to navigate using spectrum analysis to follow the neutrinos in,” Lieutenant Horton said, looking expectantly at the captain.

“Inform Commander Poland when it will be the optimal time to make the course adjustment to ninety degrees,” Johnson instructed.

The darkness of space and stars disappeared as the Beater entered the Hades Wormhole. Lieutenant Horton gave the signal and Poland picked up the new course. The viewers showed only a flat, gray expanse of space that seemed to shimmer.

“Commander Poland, set speed for maximum impulse. We should be in League space in twenty-four hours.”

GP forward command post, planet Dixie

14 November 2128

“Recommendations, ladies and gentlemen, for taking the city without killing the civilian population?” Black asked those at the table.

“General Black, I think we should go in as light infantry,” Colonel Moody suggested. “We can use drones for close air support to take out the enemy positions leading up to the city. When we get to the city, we target the enemy batteries one at a time with minimal laser setting, to avoid collateral damage.”

Black shook his head. “The hole in your plan, Colonel, is that the batteries being used from the city are man-portables. Once we fire our first shot from the ships in orbit, they’ll take cover.”

“Then we go in on foot and rely on our faeries to target the batteries when they open fire. Attack those positions with drones.”

“I don’t like a broad front attack, but we don’t have any real choice. Do we have any more intel on enemy strengths?” Black rubbed his forehead as he waited for an answer.

“I estimate the enemy at between three and five hundred troops. Not only are they armed with captured lasers and crew-served weapons, but they are also equipped with captured thermal imagers.” The briefer wiped the sweat from his forehead as he sat back down.

“So we may as well blow a whistle and go over the top,” Black growled. “Okay. Here is what we will do. Have the ships’ lasers fire into the city at their minimum power setting to avoid collateral damage. At the same time, we take out those outside the city with our drones. When we send in the troops, we’ll use the faeries not only to identify targets but also to attack the defenders and distract them. We attack at sunrise, so we can have the sun at our back and blind the enemy. Use the shuttles for distraction and support fire. We are not going to lose any more by using them as close air support.

Major Timmins from Dixie Command heard about the casualties and assembled two volunteer infantry companies, each consisting of a hundred and fifty men and women, All are either militia or regular army, and each member had been equipped from the New Mississippi armory. We will divide them evenly between the army and the panthers. Any questions, ladies and gentlemen? No? Good. Try to take care of your people. Tomorrow will be ugly.”
Damn you, Dan Daniels, you brought me back to a meat grinder
.

Scotty sat on a rock, stoking a small fire. He kept seeing shuttles being destroyed as he imagined himself in one going down or blowing up. The image of being trapped in one on fire made him shudder as he noticed traffic heading toward the GP camp.

Outside New Richmond, planet Dixie

14 November 2128

The shuttle reeked from the bodies that were starting to bloat. McGuire knew something had to be done before the shuttle became their tomb. She found an undamaged beamer and set the level on two in the hope of carving out a makeshift door. Using the outline of the crushed hatch, she aimed the beamer.

The wall began to turn red, then white, then molten. A line four-feet long had been sliced through the hatch, and the occupants tried not to breathe the toxic air. McGuire resumed her work, cutting more lines, and when she finished she was relieved to see the metal piece fall out of the shuttle instead of in. The four survivors sat quietly in the dark, knowing they now were not as safe. A slight breeze cleared out some of the stench in the shuttle.

“The metal around the hatch should be cool enough now. I want to see what the neighborhood looks like. Be sure to keep someone looking out the hatch in case you get visitors.” McGuire instructed as she donned her optics. She then grabbed the beamer and silently slipped out. The first thing she noticed were the huge gouges in the ground from where the shuttle had made impact and then rolled. Looking at the shuttle made her think of a crumpled piece of paper.

The area around the crash site was an orchard with neatly spaced trees. Ten feet away there was a particularly deep gouge with trees that had collapsed over part of it. The spot was ideal.

“Time to move, kids. We got a spot barely ten feet away. It’s in move-in condition. I’m going to walk each of you to it, so grab your gear. I don’t ever want to come back in here.” McGuire pulled her first trooper with the broken leg through the hatch and let him crab-walk backward to the hole so he wouldn’t have to try to stand. He managed, though he was weighted down with the gear of two of the dead Gray Panthers, on top of his own. The next trooper was already out of the shuttle by the time McGuire returned, He, too, was saddled with as much as he could carry while crab-walking backward with a broken leg. The last man just shrugged painfully, since he couldn’t carry much with a broken shoulder. McGuire walked him to their new home and saw the others were already carving it into a fighting position.

“That’s a good job you started there, guys. Which way is it to the enemy?” Both men almost blushed. They couldn’t answer the question, yet they had started to fortify their hole.

“We were on the attack when we were shot down,” McGuire continued. “Odds are they are coming from the same direction the shuttle is pointed at. After I get everything from the shuttle that isn’t nailed down, I’m going to bury one of the extra beamers in front of the shuttle with a snare wire. If someone tries to use the shuttle for cover, we can blow them to hell with the beamer on setting three. Once I have it done, be sure not to touch the wire.”

When the survivors were safely in their hole, the night started to come alive. Nocturnal creatures that ate the fruit from the orchard began to emerge, and so did their predators. Nothing seemed to make any effort to be quiet, so sleeping wasn’t an option.

“Screw this,” McGuire said wearily. “I’m going to do a circuit to see what we have around us for neighbors. When I get back, I’ll say ‘banana.’ You will reply with ‘apple.’ That way you’ll know it’s me, and I’ll know the hole isn’t under new management.”

Thirty steps ahead of the shuttle the debris from another wreck was strewn across a couple hundred feet. Field gear and body parts were everywhere. Movement ahead made McGuire drop to the ground. An alien had picked up part of a leg from a trooper and was sitting in the grass with it. Magnifying her optics, she could see the small sword in its paws as it carved small chunks of flesh from the bone and stored them in a knapsack. When it finished, it flung the bag on its shoulder, took a look around, and began walking into the orchard.

McGuire fought the urge to puke as she raised her beamer, sighting in on the Red Coat but then changing her mind. It would be good to know where the enemy was located.

“Gray Panthers are not in season today. You’re going to pay,” she said under her breath as she started to follow the alien. The next second she found herself flat on the ground, her face in the torso of a dead trooper.

“When the hell am I going to wake up from this nightmare?” she muttered. She used the dead trooper’s water container to wash his blood and entrails from her face, gagging in the process. She examined the trooper’s beamer and saw that it was still serviceable. Then she got up and tried to pick up the alien’s trail.

“There you are, you bastard,” she said as she caught sight of the creature. A few minutes later, she almost lost the alien again when it dropped into a hole. She could hear voices coming from the hole, so she took the extra beamer and switched it to setting three, the dead man’s setting. Then she pulled the trigger, knowing the weapon would explode in thirty seconds. At five seconds she grabbed the barrel and tossed it into the hole as she dove to the ground. A brilliant white flash emanated from the hole up into the sky, and a small shock wave escaped upward. Surprisingly, there was no sound of an explosion.

“I think it’s time to go home,” she said to herself, feeling almost good as she started back to the hole.