Gray Panthers: Dixie (21 page)

On the way to the shuttle, Ramirez was nonstop in his compliments for Short Blade. “Savage Barbarian. That’s our SB, all right. Captain, if SB wasn’t a navy type, I’d have sworn he was a marine. He ran into their fire without flinching. His war cry made me shiver. He drew his weapon on the run, and I swear he hit his target. One down is just what we know. You see how he put the fear of god into the last assassin.”

Short Blade sat and listened to Ramirez praise him and didn’t feel a bit embarrassed. He was a Jacka warrior, like his father and those before. He was now truly a warrior.

“Looks like you got a yourself a call sign, courtesy of your only enemy left alive. In the future when they talk of bravery, there will be tales of SB. I will never forget what I saw. You okay, Captain?” Ramirez asked, looking out the transport windows as they neared the shuttle.

“Major Rogers, how are we looking near you? Anything to worry about?” Young inquired, peering down the road as they got closer to the shuttle.

“I detected two sniper teams taking up position,” Major Rogers replied. “Internal security came through, and both teams pulled out in the last ten minutes. I sent faeries after them. The snipers hid their weapons and went to a bar. They are still there.”

“Prepare for launch. I want to talk in private with you.” Addressing Ramirez and Short Blade, Young said, “Let’s play it safe and just make for the shuttle. There might be an A-team sniper out there.” The trio jumped out of the transport and jogged toward the shuttle as the hatch opened for them.

“Major Rogers, did you find out anything from the bank with the faeries?”

“I have scanned through the AI there. There is no official support of the Libra Alliance. There is no hint of unofficial support, either. First Officer Platt reported to the military and intelligence agencies that the Gray Panthers have a new secret weapon and will soon be selling ships.

“First Teller Copper sent a message to an unofficial account. I have decoded the message: ‘Three targets out front in five.’ I also have been able to scan his prior messages. When he was on the delegation to Earth he placed a bug in Dan Daniels’s office. It was able to go through his human-based computer system and get information on Dixie, along with some weapons information—only information that was still in his temp files. The bug then destroyed itself. Total time, less than two minutes, to avoid any detection.”

“What is a common accident we can quickly have happen to Copper?” Young looked at the chronometer impatiently.

“Sir, if I may interrupt, I have an idea,” Ramirez said, looking the captain in the face.

“What’s your idea, Juan?”

“Sir, we know he’s a crooked, dirty bastard. Message him that we need him to buy something that we are not allowed to have. When he brings it here, we grab the sucker and take him with us. Find out anything else he knows, then space him.” Ramirez took a long sip of water as he smiled evilly. 

“Major Rogers, could we get away with that?”

“It would be difficult because of all the security on the streets. At the moment, he has left his office and is on his way to the fluid reclamation room. Their toilets are electromechanical devices. If an unexpected power surge were to go through the device, it could cause death and at the very least be extraordinarily painful—“

Ramirez could barely keep from hollering. “Damn, do it, Rogers. Don’t let the bastard get away!”

“Get him, Major Rogers!” Young ordered.

Copper was nervous. He had done his part to set up the humans, and the damn Rotes had failed. Now there was going to be an investigation, and he would have to explain why he had been so late in picking them up. He didn’t notice that the receptacle for fluid extraction was warm as he lowered himself onto it. The suction felt good for a few seconds, but then he was horrified as his bottom was slammed into the floor. He could feel his insides being pulled out through the device just before he passed out from shock. A minute later, Copper was an empty exoskeleton.

Rogers gave his report and analysis. “Captain Young, the spy has been executed. The entire interior of his exoskeleton has been recycled. I estimate a major reduction in potty breaks by bank employees in the near future.”

“I’m sure productivity will go up,” Young agreed. “Before we leave, can you get copies of all the media that captured our ambush?”

“I have already archived the material.”

“Okay, let’s go home, Major Rogers,” Young instructed, surveying the bay. Ramirez and Short Blade were already competing to see who could snore louder.

“Major Rogers, one more thing. I want a copy of the ambush, with the editing centered on Short Blade, from the moment of the attack until the prisoner called him a ‘savage barbarian.’ Send it to all marines, and then to Dart Flight and ship’s crew. Only message is ‘Call sign, SB.’” Young sat down to watch the snore-fest before him. Within moments, he joined in.

“Major Rogers to Beater. Request permission to land.”

“Welcome home, Major Rogers. Be sure to wake your crew before you shut down engines.”

“Copy that, Beater. Major Rogers out.”

“Prepare for landing, please. Put your seats in the upright position and stow trays, please,” Major Rogers announced, waking the trio.

“Very good, Rogers. I’m impressed with your development of a sense of humor,” Johnson said groggily.

“We are now on the deck and the landing bay is pressurized,” Major Rogers advised.

“Captain Johnson to crew. We are now heading for League of Planets space. We’re going to join the Grub at planet Swit. If we do not find the Grub, we will continue on with our original mission of raiding commerce. Estimate six hours’ travel time.”

Forward edge of the battle area near New Richmond, planet Dixie

16 November 2128

The approach to New Richmond was slow on foot. Overhead, the drones were invisible to the naked eye, waiting for targeting information. Ahead of the troops the faeries crisscrossed the land in search of the enemy.

“This is going to be a short stroll. Now just keep it moving. We want the sun behind us, to mess with their thermal viewers so they don’t see us.” A sergeant hollered to his spread out men.

The sound of heavy weapons could be heard from ahead. “Looks like the faeries are finding targets ahead of us. Let’s pick it up and put it down, dammit.” The old sergeant knew that any moment it could turn to crap, and he wanted to find good ground if they had to dig in.

The Gray Panthers twenty feet to the left were all prior marines, and they didn’t like the way the advance was progressing.

“Damn. Why don’t we invite them to come to us? We need to take advantage of the situation,” a gunner complained as he looked for targets.

“Screw this!” The sergeant bent over and sprinted toward the city. The rest of his team joined him in the charge, and so did the units to the left and right.

“Kill! Kill! Kill! It’s time for payback!” shouted a group to the side. A mix of adrenaline, fear, and anger propelled the charge even faster as the men ran through the field of shuttle debris.

Overhead, more drones were destroying targets, sometimes only yards ahead of the charge.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!” was now a battle cry and a cadence as the troops continued to take ground. An unseen bunker entrance opened up, and ten Red Coats charged into the wave of troops. The surprise was complete.

“Die, human scum!” the Red Coat leader yelled as he stuck his bayonet into the chest of a Gray Panther. The Red Coats behind him fired their projectile weapons and roared in fury at their enemy.

“There’s the fuckers! Kill! Kill! Kill!” The troopers massed their fire. Riddled by beamer fire, the Red Coats dropped in unison, leaving behind a single dead trooper.

The city wall was soon before the men and the drones started to drop from the sky. The weapons on the walls returned fire, even as they were being decimated.

A Gray Panther made it to the city wall and looked for targets. The heavy weapons that had carved up the shuttles couldn’t depress far enough to aim at the troops.

“Cover me!” the Gray Panther shouted. He ran to the wall with a can of spray paint and drew a huge circle, then ran back to rejoin his unit. Gray Panthers began to concentrate their fire on the circle as parts of the wall disappeared.

The troops began to rush the breach as the paint-toting trooper ran along the wall drawing circles so that more breaches could be created.

“General Black, the walls have been breached. Our troops are in the city going house to house. The Red Coats are not contesting our advance in the city. Local civilians are infected. Suggest US units and Dixie units have their sticks.” The major was interrupted from his communication as a Red Coat sniper fired at him.

The projectile zinged by his ear as he felt the breeze from it. “Damn!” The major sprinted toward the other side of the street for cover as the Red Coat sniper leaned out of a window to get another shot.

A ‘splat’ could be heard as another Gray Panther fired his beamer and blew the sniper’s head apart. Bits of skull and brains rained down on the major as he turned to his savior and flipped him the bird. He wiped the gore off his head and shoulders.

The sun was high in the sky when the order was given to hold in place. Only random firefights were being encountered. The Dixians wanted to evacuate the civilians before the troops became heavily engaged with the Red Coats and couldn’t break off contact.

Sam and the scouts drove their vehicles into the city with a special mission. Since the wobblers were attracted to them, they were to serve as pied pipers and then drive out of the city with the wobblers in tow.

“Once more into the breach,” Sam shouted. “Everyone cover up. I don’t want anyone bitten or scratched. Keep an eye out for Red Coats. Now let’s do this! I don’t want to be here in the dark trolling for wobblers.” Her driver slowed down as the other drivers headed down different streets, trolling for wobblers.

“I will be so happy when things get back to normal,” Sam said, looking back at the young scout in the back who was diligently manning the laser from the pintle mount. She smiled at the serious look on his face.

“Okay, Mary. Let’s slow it down some more. We want company on this trip.” It wasn’t long until a pair of wobblers tumbled out of a doorway and almost touched the side of the vehicle. Sam tried to suppress a shudder.

Her next glance behind the vehicle made Sam shudder hard. Wobblers filled the street, from one side to the other, for almost a hundred feet back.

“Mary, take the next right and then right again. We got our limit. Let’s keep it slow till we get them out of the city.” The scout vehicle turned right and took fire from a pair of Red Coats sitting on the roof of a townhouse, not even bothering to take cover.

“These are all yours, Petey.” Sam pointed out the Red Coats as Petey swung the laser around. Part of the roof vaporized under the Red Coats and they fell through the hole before Petey could adjust his aim.

“That’s okay, Petey. Just take a breath and then aim next time. Slow it down a little, Mary. We don’t want to lose our wobblers.” Sam wondered how she was managing to look calm, with all the adrenaline that was coursing through her. A Red Coat came out of the front door of the townhouse that was now missing part of its roof and aimed his projectile weapon at the vehicle just as it turned right again, putting a building between them.

“That Red Coat’s having a bad day!” Sam said with a laugh. Her driver and gunner had missed it all.

Ahead of the vehicle a crowd of wobblers blocked the street, leaving no way around. The open vehicle slowed and the stink covered them like a cloud. Petey grew nervous as the wobblers following them began to close in and reach for him.

“Let’s do something,” he said, his voice a little shaky. “These guys back here are ready to climb in with me!” Sam smiled at him as she passed out fire extinguishers from a bag by her feet.

“Make ’em last. I don’t know if we’ll find any more of these.” As she sprayed a white cloud into the wobblers, one continued to move toward her. Reversing the extinguisher, she punched it into the face of the wobbler as Mary was finally able to speed up a little. They could feel the crunch of a wobbler’s foot under one of the tires as they left a cloud of fire retardant floating in the air.

Planet Swit, League of Planets space

16 November 2128

“Well, Colonel, here comes the real battle. I should have a fleet of warships in orbit and a company of marines with us. Are you ready to go down and make an impression?” Dan asked.

“Let’s go forth and make history. It’s time my people take their rightful place in the League instead of grabbing for scraps,” Blade declared.

“Swit Spaceport, this is Earth One requesting permission to land.”

“Earth One, state the purpose of your visit to Swit.”

“I am here to save the League of Planets and Swit from an invasion. That’s all I can say over an open transmission. Please notify either the Swit government or representatives of the League of my presence.”

“Permission to land at Swit Spaceport 1 is granted. Please follow the in-flight guide. Deviation will result in your being shot down.” Dan watched as a brightly lit shuttle appeared for them to follow.

“Looks like we’re off to a good start. They’re not shooting at us yet,” Dan said. Blade chuckled as he watched Dan maneuver the shuttle and smiled back at his remark.

The parking pad for the shuttle was at the end of the row farthest from the terminal. Three-wheeled vehicles approached the shuttle and took up positions around it. The gunners pointed their weapons into the sky but could easily bring them to bear if need be.

Dan opened the shuttle, curious to see what the air would smell like. The smell of fuels mixed with the mugginess of the humid air greeted him.

A Switian approached the shuttle wearing full protective gear. It had two short arms and legs and was in a bright blue suit that covered its short, rotund body. Dan guessed it must be five feet tall. The helmet looked like it covered a head the size of a human’s. The creature first scanned Dan and then Colonel Blade.

“The aliens do not have any contagious diseases,” it reported. “If possible, please get specimens for zoological research.” The medical inspector then entered a transport and was gone, leaving Dan and Blade to watch the security vehicle drivers who were watching them.

A new vehicle hovered over to the shuttle and landed on the ground a yard away. Two short, wide aliens from the vehicle got out and addressed Dan. “We are here to take you to the foreign office to speak with First Coordinator Viz. He will decide your status.”

Dan nodded his head as he took in what was standing before him. Both aliens were under four feet tall and were about six feet across. Their bright yellow skin had a soft, gelatinous look to it that Dan decided must be caused by fat deposits, and their almond-shaped eyes were like black quartz. Their ears were huge for the size of their head, reminiscent of an elephant’s. Their nose looked like a small human child.

“Please, lead on.” Dan said. Pointing toward the security vehicles that followed closely, he asked, “Don’t you trust us?”

“Humans have been blamed for numerous ships disappearing as part of their war of aggression on the peace-loving peoples of the Libra Alliance,” one of the fat little aliens replied. It seemed unhappy.

“The same peace-loving people that are slowly taking over every member of the League of Planets and have attacked Earth without provocation?” Dan asked. He was reminded of propaganda from North Korea in the old days and decided that they must be similar.

The remainder of the ride was quiet. They parked in front of a hangar and went inside, where a desk and chairs were set up in the center of a huge bay. The escorts motioned for Dan and Blade to go toward the center, and then got back into their vehicle and left. Two security vehicles remained with a direct view of the desk.

“Welcome to Swit. I am First Coordinator Viz. You are the human pirate that has come to surrender for your crimes. The fact that you have come forward and surrendered to us will make things go much better for you.” The fat little creature wore a purple one-piece suit, and Dan wanted to laugh at the way it looked against the creature’s bright yellow skin.

“First Coordinator Viz, I am Dan Daniels, representative of Earth. I have brought Colonel Blade from Jacka as a representative of his home world. As you know, one of the main things the Jacka are known for is their honesty. Do you acknowledge this?”

“Yes, I will acknowledge this.” The little alien seemed confused as to where the discussion was going.

“First Coordinator Viz, on Earth we have seen and heard how the Libra Alliance has made a point of taking whatever it wants from the members of the League of Planets, and has done so with impunity. It goes against what we call fair play in our world.

“We are going to provide an army and a fleet to ensure that the Libra leave the League alone. We are also going to see that all of the planets captured are returned to their governments. Once again, the League of Planets will be able to go back to promoting trade among your own and helping each other when there are troubles. Does this sound good to you, First Coordinator Viz?” Dan sat back as the little alien looked at Blade, who nodded it was true.

“That is wonderful. We have been misinformed about the humans by the Libra Alliance propaganda. What do the humans want in trade for their generosity?” The little alien couldn’t hide his apprehension while he waited for an answer.

“We humans will provide a fleet of twenty-six warships with trained crews. We will also coordinate an army of over a million soldiers. The League will provide the soldiers’ pay, as well as their equipment. The League will also purchase the ships and provide for their upkeep. The army and fleet will remain in perpetual service to the League.”

“Why would we want an army and a fleet without a war? That would be expensive and foolish.” A smug look came over First Coordinator Viz’s face, as if he had just explained something simple to an idiot.

“First Coordinator Viz, the universe is a dangerous place, with many mean creatures unlike those of the League. This makes you a target. You need an army and a fleet to protect the League.” Dan realized then that the Switians probably had a deal with the Libra.

“First Coordinator Viz, the forces I mentioned will be staffed by the Jacka. If you do not hire them as the League’s permanent protectors, I will use them to annihilate the Libra home world. I will then recapture all planets that capitulated to the Libra Alliance. After that, I will take every damn member planet of the League!

“I hope you are listening to me. After I take over your League, I will ensure that my occupation force on each planet collects enough in taxes to cover the cost of their occupation. Your entire League will be nothing better than slaves. Do I have your attention yet?”

“Your threats do not worry me,” Viz replied. “There are two Alliance patrol ships on their way here to take you into custody. We will not be your slaves today.” Dan looked at the little alien and laughed out loud at his audacity.

“When I don’t return, my people will come. Our talks here have been monitored and sent to my ship. The transcripts have already been forwarded to Earth. I have given orders that when they learn of this, they are to find every member of your family and either kill or capture them to be put into slavery. All males will be gelded, so they will not be able to reproduce. You will be gelded and allowed to live a long life. My agents on your planet will ensure that you are never more than a beggar. They will monitor you the rest of your life to make sure you are healthy and do not die an early death.” Dan enjoyed the perplexed expression on the little alien’s face as he looked at Colonel Blade for verification.

“You are lucky,” Blade told him. “Dan Daniels is considered a hard man by many, myself included. I’m sure he will have the same fate for your leadership, as well. You will be the first. The fleet and army will still come. They could have been your protectors. Instead, they will be your masters.”

The little alien took in everything and looked like he had tears in his eyes when he motioned for the guards to come. The guards that came out of the vehicles were not Switians, but Rotes. They took Dan and the colonel to a small office attached to the inside of the hangar and locked them in without searching them.

“Grub, can you hear me?” Dan worried when he didn’t hear back immediately.

“Yes, Dan, I’ve been monitoring the situation. I have the weapons and ability to destroy one patrol ship easily, but not both if they arrive together, which is the usual method of patrol ships. We will be out of luck.”

“Grub, instruct Master Sergeant Thornburg to load two shuttles with the two squads of Gray Panthers and come on down to pick me up. Stealth is good, but speed is imperative. We don’t want to tangle with two patrol ships.”

“Master Sergeant Thornburg, there is a mission for you. You must depart immediately. Dan Daniels is being held prisoner, and two Libra ships could be here at any time. The data has been transferred to your wrist comp.”

Thornburg reviewed the data and called his troops together.

“We are going to do this like a snatch and grab. When we are almost at the spaceport, the shuttle that is there will launch as a distraction. We will then use our suits and try to go in unseen. Sergeant Loving will remain concealed on the parking ramp with his squad to provide support fire if things go bad and to cover our extraction. The shuttles will both strafe the parking ramps as a distraction until we pick up Daniels and the colonel. One shuttle will then pick up everyone on the ground while the other continues to strafe anyone who tries to interfere. Shuttle will drop in ten minutes, so saddle up.”

Thornburg was nervous about leading an ad hoc mission with minimal intel and no preparation. The saving grace was that everything was at the spaceport, out in the open.

The shuttle was crowded, carrying both squads instead of just one. The air was filled with an emotional stew of anger, anxiety, fear, and frustration as the shuttle neared the spaceport. Thornburg had the AI ignore the spaceport when it challenged the shuttle during approach.

“Activate your suits. Everything on the ground is a target except for the package we are bringing home alive. No heroics, just in and out,” Thornburg told the troops.

The hatch opened and both squads poured out. One squad ran to the cover of parked spaceships as the other squad ran to extract Dan and the colonel. Enemy fire was immediate.

Unknown to the Gray Panthers, the Rotes had natural thermal vision. Their suits would be useless. Rotes were waiting in the scaffolding along the walls and ceiling.

“Ambush! Take cover! Find your targets and clean house. Loving, have your squad start firing through the walls and ceiling over here. We need to keep their heads down,” Thornburg shouted. The men could hear spaceships being blown up outside the hangar. The two shuttles ensured that no ships took off and none came near the spaceport.

First Coordinator Viz was cowering with his boss, President Zaz, in the president’s office. They were amazed at the ferocity of the attack on the spaceport.

“Viz, you have made a mistake that will bring down our world and what is left of the League of Planets,” Zaz said, slamming his fist onto his desk in rage.

“I followed your orders, Mr. President. I will not go down alone.” The pair continued to watch the spaceport burn, astonished that two mere shuttles could cause so much damage. Before long, the two shuttles were joined by eight ugly black fighters.

“Dart Flight, Dart One, let’s scrap this place. Fly low and fast. We want to intimidate the hell out of the locals. See who can rack up the most sonic booms,” Andrews instructed, gaining altitude so he could station his fighter to be a one-ship defensive umbrella as the others proceeded to destroy the parked spaceships.

“President Zaz, this is Admiral Johnson of the battleship Beater. You have one galactic minute to cease firing on our people and let them withdraw. Otherwise, I have eight nuclear-armed bombers that will start bombing a different part of your city until only the spaceport remains. If Dan Daniels is killed, I will do the same thing here as I did when I destroyed the Gas Giant Rewards and all the civilians and military personnel there. I am starting my timer now, and at the end of one minute the first nuclear bomb will fall.”

Zaz listened in terror as he watched the black ships leave the spaceport and head for his city. “I capitulate. My people will stop firing,” he replied. He picked up another device to communicate with the spaceport. “Cease all firing. We will let the prisoners and the attackers leave. Stop shooting now.” Exhausted, he began to tremble and then openly cried.

“They stopped shooting. Hold fire. Get Daniels and the colonel, and let’s get the hell out of here while we can,” Thornburg commanded. He watched two Gray Panthers run for the small building, the rest ready to provide cover fire.

“Nice of you guys to drop by,” Dan told the two rescuers. “Now let’s go home!” Dan and Colonel Blade ran with their escorts, and the rest of the squad joined in at the back as the group ran by them. The shuttles landed and the teams filed in. They were back in the air in less than a minute.

“Good job, everyone,” Dan told the troops, looking angry even as he smiled at being free.

“Sir, Admiral Johnson and the battleship Beater came to your rescue.” Dan’s initial shock at Grub’s statement turned to laughter. The nervous chuckles that began to ripple throughout the shuttle turned into full laughter as the men realized they were safe.

“Battleship Beater, D2.”

“D2, go ahead.”