IronStar (48 page)

“Now,” Kirrah tapped the tower
guard. The other woman softly struck the larger of the tower’s two alarm bells
with a padded stick, and four low gongs rolled into the still night air. At the
point of land just across the Upper Geera from Kirrah’s tower, Do'thablu’s men
pushed one of the laden barges into the rising water, lit a long fuse and
released the vessel into the rapid flow. Tethered by three hundred meters of
rope, the barge was guided southwest with the current until it grounded on the
east edge of the barely-submerged O’dai-held peninsula. A few tense moments
later, the burning fuse lit flares in the bottom of the barge, and a demolition
charge exploded with a tremendous flash and boom that rolled far across the
starlit plains. Fourteen thousand liters of volatile
dappa
-oil spewed
from the shattered barrels, forming a green-and-yellow fireball thirty meters across
that climbed into the still night like a monstrous flower. Under its glaring
bloom, burning oil covered the water in a spreading ring of fire.

Another thick plume of oil was
already flowing from the other three barges, as Do'thablu and his men smashed
open barrel after barrel and dumped their contents onto the rapidly flowing
water. Thrown brands quickly set the mess aflame. The turbulent crosscurrents
picked up the rapidly spreading oil and carried the flames straight into the
flooding O’dai camp. Pandemonium broke out. O’dai soldiers ran north and west
to escape the oncoming conflagration, splashing through the sodden not-grass.
Some plunged unawares off the level plain and down the submerged bank of the
flooded lake, where they floundered in the deeper water. Kirrah called down to
the man and woman from the star-throwers guild:

“Red and red!
Go!
”

“Red and red, yes, Warmaster” came
the reply. In a few seconds the fireworks tube beneath her made a
chuff
-sound,
and a brilliant red star spread and hung across the sky. Then another. When the
second flare burst, the three steamships anchored up the South Geera swung
sideways in the current, nose to stern. In a few heartbeats, ramps were laid
across and the forces massed on the east bank began crossing to the west bank,
landing directly south of the O’dai camp.
What had
been
the O’dai
camp
, Kirrah reflected with a feral grin.

The burning oil was still spreading
its tentacles, sheets of green-and-yellow flame as high as three men in places,
engulfing men and equipment as it passed. One long arm curled around the south
side of the enemy camp like an ardent lover, hundred-meter long blazing loops
of it coming loose to writhe in the currents among the panicky soldiers. Tents
and supply wagons were already ablaze, horses were running in every direction
through the ankle-deep water, and here and there men were screaming and running
like living torches set out to light the hellish scene.

“Red and white, go!” The next two
signal flares lit the scene in brief carmine daylight, and at the signal, the
three ships bridging the South Geera opened fire with their mortars, ranging on
the disorganized enemy.

So far, so good - time for the
next move
… Kirrah and Peetha scrambled down the tower’s ladder and out onto
the adjacent docks where the four remaining steamships and a number of cargo
boats loaded with men were bobbing and swaying in the turbulent currents.
Captain Og'drai was fairly dancing to be off. The two women splashed through
the shallow water rising at the shore-end of the wharf, ran down its length and
onto the deck of the
Flowerpot II
.

“Captain, you may cast off.”

“
Thank
you, Warmaster!” A
wave to the first mate started the process of getting under way. “I had to keep
letting out our mooring lines! This is the highest I have seen the lake since
that spring when I was seven, after the heavy snowfalls we had all winter.”

“And you correctly remembered the
currents, bless you. I was hoping the southwest flow would carry our oil into
their camp, but it is most gratifying to see it actually happen. Thank you for
your advice, Captain. Now let’s finish the job.”

“With
great
pleasure,
Warmaster! Forward and portside mortars! Fire at opportunity! Helmsman, give us
a tour of this victory. And
do
keep us out of the path of the flames,
Agga’dai. If you scorch my paint you will redo it yourself!” Four muffled
explosions marked the first mortar volley away. Another volley followed almost
immediately from the steamship pacing them on the port side, the one they had
insisted on christening the
‘Kirrah’s Victory’
. As the other two
steamships pacing them to starboard came into range, they too joined the
bombardment.

Archers and pikemen in cargo boats
under Lieutenant Rash’koi’s command began crossing the swollen lake. Half a
kilometer to the south, more explosions pounded the battered O’dai encampment,
and flares lifted into the sky from the three ships on the South Geera to light
up the killing zone. South of the O’dai camp, Kirrah’s night-vision gear
revealed her cavalry already spreading into disciplined skirmish lines and
cutting down the few stragglers fleeing in that direction. On her left forearm,
a small blue light began to flash.

“
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put
up” - Robert Frost, 20
^th
century A.D. poet; United States of
America, Terra

“What is
that
, Warmaster?”
Simultaneously Kirrah noticed the unit’s Attention alarm vibrating on her
forearm.

“Peetha! That’s…
that’s…
”
With unsteady fingers, she touched the tiny flashing blue light on her
wristcomp and watched data flow down its backlit screen:

received.

< Signal format SD channel 1,
assurance (99+)

< Signal type RNS standard hail.

< Signal consistent with orbital
source (range unknown)

< Signal bearing 305->308 by
025->029

<

<

intercept 81 days (1,951.813 hrs) ago, pending security override.

< Do you wish to override security status (Y or
N)?

Kirrah tapped an emphatic “Yes” on
the keypad. The wristcomp replied:

response mode.

< Warning: Hostile detection of this signal is
possible.

< Do you accept recommended mode?

Another keystroke, even more
forcefully this time, “Yes”.

< BROADCAST IN RANGE OF POSSIBLE HOSTILE
DETECTION.

< Final warning. Proceed (Y or N)?

Enough already! They’ve come two
hundred lightyears for me, and I’ve waited months for this moment! There’s
no way
I’m
gonna stand here and have them
not
see me! Do it!
Kirrah tapped the
“Yes” key, watched the screen configure itself for “Incoming Message”. Her
finger paused unaccountably over the “Accept” button, as though paralyzed.

This changes everything, doesn’t
it, Lieutenant? Thought we had more time playing Admiral, didn’t we? Or was it
more time playing Mother? Or was it more playing with Irshe?
With a
nearly audible slam, Kirrah closed the mental door on her roiling thoughts and
stabbed the Accept key. Peetha looked sharply and Captain Og'drai jumped
noticeably as a clear male voice poured immediately from her suit’s internal
speakers:

“…um Navy vessel
Argosy
,
general hail, general hail. Any vessel any personnel, please respond. This is
Regnum Navy vessel
Argosy
, general hail, general hail. Any vessel any
personnel, please…” Her fingers steady now, Kirrah touched the one key she had
never used since landing: the Transmit button. Her voice surprised her by
coming out steady and clear.

“
Argosy
, this is Lieutenant
Kirrah Roehl, RSS ID seven seven six Yankee Hotel Papa one three five two niner
Kilo, status active.
Damn!
it’s good to hear you guys! What
took
you
so long?” Kirrah’s companions were staring at her as though she’d gone mad. Her
face was smiling so hugely she thought it might split, tears were streaming
freely down her cheeks. In the distance, the
crump!
of mortars mixed
with screams of the dying and the frantic shouts of the few O’dai officers
recovering their wits enough to try to rally their men. The automated hail
cycled a few more seconds, then the same voice, obviously live and sounding a
bit startled, broke in:

“
Lieutenant Roehl!
Where,
I’m… It’s a
pleasure
to hear your voice! Please key your rescue beacon,
I’ll get a fix…”

“
Negative beacon, Argosy!
There
are Kruss on-planet! Maintain micropulse mode. And watch your six, there may be
more Kruss up there!
I say again, Kruss in-system
.”

“That’s understood, Lieutenant,
thank you. We are LOS, can you give me a bearing? Wait one, we’re nightside,
coming up on what looks like a fire, right on a wide spot on a river… ‘Eyes’ is
trying to make sense of it, it looks like the
river’s
burning, and
there’s flashes all around…” Kirrah looked up to see the stars shining down.

“Peetha, Og'drai,
look up!
There!
See that one star, it’s
moving
!
The Regnum has arrived!
”

“
Argosy
, say again,
Lieutenant?”

“
Argosy
, Roehl - sorry, I
was speaking with some friends. In another language. The fire, yes, that’s
mine. Things are pretty busy right now, we’re in the middle of a shooting war.
Uhhh, look, I’m going to have to get back to it in a minute, lives are on the
line here.”
My lives, lives I carry in
shee’thomm
,
 
damn!
this is inconvenient timing!
“
Argosy
,
recommend we re-establish contact on your next orbit. You have my coordinates,
I’m not going anywhere.”

“Negative, Lieutenant Roehl.” A
deeper, more mature woman’s voice this time. “This is Admiral Lucinda Dunning,
commander Task Force Two. You have my undivided attention. To say nothing of
half the bridge and most of the ship.
And
NavInt Trailway. Whatever’s
going on down there, we’re
not
losing sight of you. Breaking orbit now.
We will hold this position skyside. Lieutenant, in ten words or less, will I be
sorry for sending immediate assistance? I have a Landing Assault Shuttle and
some idle Marines available.” Kirrah swallowed, trying to shift gears between
her roles.

“Ahhh… no Ma’am.
Definitely
not sorry. I’m leading a local human force, against another larger human force
backed by Kruss technology. The Kruss are already active with the locals.”

“Understood, Lieutenant. We will
expedite. How long can you hold out?”

“Hold out, Ma’am? We’re, ah, that
is, we’re
winning
, Ma’am.” A brief pause.

“I see. No, I don’t see.
Lieutenant, what is your recommendation regarding assistance?”

“Sorry, Ma’am. Assistance
definitely
appreciated. A show of force should put a swift end to this bloodshed.
Recommend overflight by your LAS, hundred meters altitude, supersonic, full
lights, then come back slow, make a big racket. Be aware, local technology is
barely industrial, however Kruss have deployed at least one nanowire and are
using some type of smartshot antipersonnel small arms. Full combat armor
indicated. And the city, everything north of the river, they’re friendlies.

“Oh, one other thing, Ma’am, we
have a Kruss prisoner, if you could please send a set of proper restraints…”

“You have a
Kruss prisoner
.
Sounds like you’ve been busy, Lieutenant. Good work. My Marines will be there
in… nine minutes. Go win your war.
Argosy
by.”

Peetha stared at her. Captain
Og'drai’s mouth was open, his neck craned back as he tracked the bright point
moving among the stars.

“Look!” he said. “When the moving
one comes close to one of the other stars, they shimmer and turn blue and disappear
for a moment!”

“That is the… the vessel’s engines
working. They have stopped their flight over us, they now use their engine to
keep from falling.”

“That tiny star is the
Reg’num’
s
star-ship? That voice came from there?”

“That ‘tiny star’ is a vessel one
or two
doi’la
long, and perhaps six hundred
doi'la
high above us. It may have a crew of three thousand.”

“By my grandfather’s eyes! A ship!
A
star made of iron!
Never did I dream to see…” He broke off as his
steamship heeled sharply to avoid a patch of burning oil.

“This war is
over
,” Kirrah
declared. “Cease firing. Tell Rash’koi-
sana'tachk
to spare the O’dai
near the water. Every life lost from here forward is a waste. Send him down to
the west end of the lake, I mean the lake’s old shore, and hold the O’dai there
from running off into the night. He is to defend himself, and slay the wielders
of
nanowire
if he sees them, otherwise encircle the camp. Tell him, in a
few
bhrakkaz
, the sky will roar, and the O’dai will surrender. If I
could, I would send word to the cavalry, but the oil still burns.”