Prophet and the Blood March (Prophet of ConFree) (18 page)

"It certainly does. But if your system works like ours, you know that both orders are equally valid. So no matter what we do with the ship, defend it or hand it over to the Brights, we will be violating orders."

"We will not try to stop you, Captain. We are not interested in the ship, as I told you earlier. But I urge caution. If the Brights show up here, as we believe they will, it won’t matter how heavy your task force is. If the Brights want that ship back, they will get it back. And anyone who opposes them will die very quickly. At a minimum, a state of war will exist between the Brights and the UMC by the end of the day but, as you know, my fear is that a state of war may also exist between the Brights and all humanity."

"I will address that very question with my leadership. However, my mission, as of now, is to defend that ship from all comers. And until I get new orders, that's what I will do."

I shouldn't say this, but I admire the Mocains. I've admired them ever since I began to understand history. They are soldiers.

"Professor, Bees." It was our tacnet.

"Excuse me, Captain. Yes, Bees."

"Professor, we have zeroed Good Soul with the tactical freescanner. I've been able to communicate with her. She's getting weaker. I request permission to extract her. Bird is ready to return and I wish to accompany him and locate and rescue Good Soul."

"That's a twelve, Bees. You are needed with your flock. Stay there. No arguments. Tell Bird to get back here quickly, remain cloaked, land not far from the last site, and stand by. That's all."

"Please, Professor. Please."

"That word does not exist in Legion vocabulary. Follow your orders." Silence followed. I knew it must have hurt the Prof to say that, but he was right, as usual. Bees was taking this far too personally.

"I won’t ask who Good Soul is," the Mocain captain said, "but I feel you should know that there are three pirates who survived the crash of that starship you shot down, who are wandering around in the forest off to the northeast, and I've sent some cloaked units off to terminate them."

"That's fine, Captain. Thank you. I'm receiving reports on them as well. That was one of the details on our to-do list that your arrival here prevented us from addressing. Incidentally, I have no sympathy for pirates, but – those two captives you have could prove useful by providing more information. But only if they're still alive. Could you get your men to drag them into the portmod, revive them, and feed them some dox and maybe some breakfast?" Monk and Miss Octopus had been outside all night, hogtied like mumpups, lying in the mud, freezing in the cold night and the icy rain. I could see that the female was shivering so she at least was alive. And I was pretty sure it would take more than a cold night and some rain to kill off that thug, Monk.

"You're a real humanitarian, Commander," the captain said, with a smile. "But I'll admit it may be a good move to keep them alive so my superiors can question them and then claim credit for whatever we learn."

"If you resist the Brights over that ship, what you will learn is that it is fatal to resist the Brights."

A couple of UMC troopies dragged the two pirates into the portmod to warm them up.

Δ

Saka and I moved as fast as we dared through the woods, heading for the
Ruthie
, which was parked in the heart of the forest. It was cloaked and we were cloaked and there was no sign that anyone was following us. We didn't have Blackie to assist us, so we couldn't be sure.

"Ruthie, Saka. We're almost on you. Is anyone else in the area?" The Prof had put Saka in charge of this particular mission. And it was the two of us because Bees was on the
Vampire
with the five Brights and Ice was with the male Bright in the portmod, and so only Saka and I were left to communicate with the remaining Bright. We weren't star telepaths so the Prof may have figured two of us together might get the job done.

"Those three pirates are hightailing it roughly north, and one Mocain Pterosaur dropped off some cloaked troopers to ambush them," Bird replied. "The second aircar is securing that Bright starship off to the southwest. Or I assume that's what they're doing there. Still can't see the ship." We were closing on the
Ruthie
, which showed on our tacmap as a dotted outline to indicate it was cloaked.

"Thanks, Bird."

"Saka," I asked, "think we're good enough to contact this Bright and persuade her to come with us?"

"Nothin' to it, Prophet. The eyemotes have zeroed her. It's like picking up a girl in midschool. Just sweet talk her a bit and she'll follow you anywhere."

"You must have had a good time in midschool, Saka. I majored in girls but sweet talking didn't always work."

"Sweet talk combined with candy often did the trick. Or fake jewelry, if she was really a hard target. That always worked."

"Good lord. How old were those girls?"

"We're here. Bird, open up." An assault door snapped open from a tangle of shrubbery and the
Ruthie
's fuselage became partially visible. We jumped in and scrambled along the aisle to the cockpit.

"Welcome, guys. Where we going?" Bird asked.

"We're going to pick up that Bright," Saka said. "How did you get in here?" The ship was slowly rising but was completely surrounded by huge tree trunks and a wild tangle of creeper vines.

"With great difficulty," Bird replied. Then the
Ruthie
shot skywards, ripping a hole in the leafy canopy. It was a crisp morning, still overcast by grey clouds. The forest reached to both horizons, a magnificent panorama, untouched by human progress. I wished Bliss the best, and I hoped we humans could get the hell off it and leave it alone. We wheeled in the sky and headed for the Bright.

"She's not far," Bird said. "I've got a couple of eyemotes on her, check it out." One eyemote view appeared on my faceplate. It showed an almost black screen, slightly lit by darksight. A faint form could be seen; it looked like a girl lying in a fetal position surrounded by dark rocks.

"Where is this?" Saka asked.

"She's found a little cave and gone to ground there," Bird replied. "It's good cover. That's probably why the pirates didn't find her. Or the Greenies. But our eyemotes never left her. See the tacmap, we're almost there." We were gliding over the forested foothills of a vast mountain range. Bird brought the
Ruthie
down right into the forest, dropping skillfully into the canopy, branches snapping off, leaves flying all around us.

"All right, dropoff," Bird said. "Good luck and keep in touch. I'll be right here, unless something happens and I have to move. You need fire support, just ask."

The assault doors snapped open and Saka and I leaped out, A & A and fully cloaked, one to each side of the aircraft per the regs. It was a little gloomy with plenty of shade from the canopy and little slices of weak sunlight dappling the forest floor like a night club light show. Honey snapped my route onto the faceplate. The target was not far off, and in only a few marks we were there – a narrow opening between two massive rock faces, pulsing red with Honey's light scheme.

"Can we get in there in armor?" Saka asked.

"Affirmative," Honey answered.

"I'll go," I said.

"No, I'll go."

"No, I'll go. Bees has a message she wants me to deliver to this target. Come on, Saka."

"Stand aside."

"Please?"

"There's no such word. You heard the Prof."

"I'll trade you four drunken ducks for the mission." A drunken duck was roast lemon duck, a highly desirable field ration trade item.

"You don't have four drunken ducks."

"I'll tell Lan Hwa about the little girlies you used to seduce in midschool."

"Ahh… you wouldn't, would you? Yes, you would. Well, if you put it that way, I mean, if you really want to, sure, go ahead."

"Thank you, sir."

It was hard to squeeze through the narrow opening but the space opened up once I got through. My darksight gave me the edge. It was a fairly narrow cave with cold sweating rock walls coated with ugly black mold. The deck was treacherous and uneven and covered with an ankle-deep pool of unidentifiable filth. A little flock of reptilian birds shot past, screeching, startling me.

"I'm decloaking, Saka," I said. I doubted Good Soul would agree to accompany anyone who was invisible.

"Do it, Prophet. They won’t detect you in there." I decloaked and snapped up my visor so she could see my face.

She was prone, lying in the filth, but she was moving – trying to scoop up some water with trembling hands from a little pool in the filth. She seemed to be wearing some kind of light colored uniform but it was torn and dirty. Her hair was dark and stringy. Her pale flesh was just barely glowing. Near death, I thought. Suddenly she stiffened. She sees me, I thought.

Good Soul, Good Soul, I telepathed. I am sent by the Black Angel, Black Angel. She is your angel. I am here to help. The Black Angel sends greetings. She promised, promised. We are here.

I moved closer to her and held out a canteen.
Drink, drink, drink, and rejoice.
She struck like a snake, pouncing on me, slashing at me with something sharp that ripped into my face. I pushed her arm away and fell on her in defense and she collapsed as if dead.
Death death death
, she thought. I could hear it clearly.
Death for all my efforts. I try, I try. Die unthinking dead! I curse your race, I curse your ancestors, I curse your descendants. I pray for your death! Heaven, open the gates for me. I approach!

I gently pulled the little knife from her grasp. I lifted her off the ground and brought her back to the entrance. She seemed to have fainted. I handed her out the narrow opening into Saka's arms.

"Put your cloaking back on, Prophet. Oh Deadman! What happened? You're bleeding bad!" I put my armored fingers up to my face, and they came away soaked in blood.

"She stabbed me in the face," I said. "Lucky she missed my eyes."

"I told you I should have gone! Your girl-handling skills are really terrible!"

We were back in the
Ruthie
in a few marks, hightailing it out of there. Saka worked on patching up my face as I looked over our latest acquisition. She was a petite little doll, but covered with bruises, cuts, scratches and sores. Her hair was sticky, encrusted with filth. Her Bright uniform was caked with an evil film. Reptile bird crap, I decided. She came to slowly, eyes blinking, and drank greedily from the canteen I offered her. This time she did not try to kill me. She was staring at the Bright insignia on our armor.

Good Soul Good Soul, you are safe, I telepathed. Safe. We are not not the unthinking dead. They are our enemies. We are friends. I am sent by the Black Angel, who is your guardian. The Black Angel sends peace and love. Peace and love. The Black Angel is your comrade.
I found it easy, sending these thoughts to Good Soul. But was she receiving them?

You are hurt, she thought. I hurt you. My sorrow. Good Soul is a fool. You come to help, and I hurt you. Good Soul hurts those who love her. Good Soul will die now.

You will not die! I thought. Black Angel forbids it! Black Angel has sought you for so long. Now she has found you. Black Angel and Good Soul, peace and love.

Bird delivered us near our original pick-up point in the forest. It was only a short walk to the swamp and the camp. The Prof didn't want the Mocains getting any kind of grip on the
Ruthie
, so it remained cloaked and landing in the camp was out of the question.

"Prof, Saka. We're back. Should we approach cloaked or uncloaked?"

"Uncloaked, please. I'll pass the word. Do you have our package?"

"That's a ten."

"Good. Come on in."

I carried Good Soul in my arms. She was looking up into my eyes the whole time. She was just like a little girl. When we approached the swamp we looked over the camp on the other side. Both Legion and Mocain troopers stood around uncloaked, watching us approach. Good.

"Go on, Prophet. I'll wait a bit." We were all so conscious of the importance of proper troop dispersion that we did it automatically. I entered the swamp and started splashing across with Good Soul in my arms.

Two Bright delta fighters shot overhead in the blink of an eye, trailing sonic booms that flattened the reeds and splattered mud everywhere. I broke into a frantic run, headed for the camp. I noted in a flash that all the soldiers had disappeared, going to cloaking. I would have done that too except my arms were full and there was no time.

"Starburst!" somebody ordered. It sounded like Doggie. I reached the other side of the swamp and collapsed into the muck by the edge of the swamp, holding Good Soul's head up. I activated cloaking. There! We were both invisible now, and merging with the swamp.

But Saka was still in the swamp, splashing through the mud and reeds as fast as he could manage. He was in his A-suit, fully adrenalized, his heart pounding raggedly, faster, faster. They were almost on him! Another Bright starcraft blasted past overhead instantaneously and Saka dove for the mud. The swamp burst into flame, a titanic thunderclap and a gigantic plume of plasma ripped past Saka, settling over the swamp, a flaming tsunami. The swamp exploded, geysers of mud and charcoal reeds rising to the ugly sky along with countless glittering phospho tracers, lighting up creation.

"They got Saka!" somebody said.

"Move it, Saka – on us!" I called out. Saka leaped to his feet and charged through the flaming swamp.

"He's coming back! Take cover, Saka!" Cover, cover? There was no cover, there was only the swamp. Saka dove again into the mud and he saw the Bright craft coming back, straight as an arrow, headed right for him, personally, ripping past overhead, gone, then another titanic eruption and the world was a dreamy glowing flaming star, a star, touching down gently into his swamp, gentle deadly plasma, a soft rain, touching his armor with glowing drops to sizzle and pop, slowly slowly eating into his armor, seeking out the tender flesh inside. Saka realized this was his DX dream, and he had been caught completely off guard.