Part 12 (2/2)
”And the other two s.h.i.+ps?”
The lieutenant checked a readout before responding. ”The forces being led by Master Shan are scheduled to land on target, two minutes after we touch down.”
”Excellent.” Soo's ears twitched as he paced the perimeter of the command center. ”Are all forces ready?”
”Yes, sir. Personnel vehicles are loaded and ready for departure at your command.”
”Good, good.” Soo stopped pacing and thought of the battle to come. He had not felt this alive in a long time. ”It's time to cull the flock.”
Mouse stood outside his command carrier and craned his neck toward the starlit sky. The twin glows of the approaching mothers.h.i.+ps grew larger and larger. Unable to wait any longer, he joined the pilot and three crew members a.s.signed to his carrier.
His vehicle was parked in the inner courtyard of the Inner Square. As the most experienced pilot on the planet, he would have felt much more comfortable staring out the tinted wind screen of his jet, but the burden of command had removed that possibility. Instead, he had the pleasure of being cooped up in a small, slow carrier filled with communication and video equipment. He could talk to any military vehicle on the planet from the carrier. He could even access each vehicle's video feeds if he wanted. It was an impressive setup that would allow him to monitor and direct the battlefields both here and in Urop.
But it wasn't his jet.
”Do we have a location yet, Colonel?”
”Sir, um... it looks as if the Minith plan to land here.”
”We guessed they would land here, Tom. But where is 'here,' specifically?”
”Sir, it... it looks like they plan to land right on top of us!”
”Oh, h.e.l.l.” Mouse froze at the thought. The aliens were going to use the powerful engines as a weapon. He should have expected this.
Grant would have expected this.
He struggled to think, to plan, to develop an adequate response, but the only thing that came to mind was run! Absent any other direction or guidance, he went with his gut and opened up a comm line to all units.
”All units, sitrep! The Minith s.h.i.+ps are landing on top of us, over. Move your vehicles now! Units on the south, head south at top speed. North, move north. East, move east. Keep moving until we see exactly where the s.h.i.+ps land, then halt and wait for my orders.”
Mouse looked up and caught the eye of the carrier pilot. The fear and uncertainty he found there were clear.
”What are you waiting for, Captain Jeene? Get us out of here!”
The pilot nodded, turned to his controls, and lifted the carrier off the ground. When it cleared the roof of the prison, they headed south at top speed. Mouse looked out the small window in the carrier's side and spied the confusion below them as soldiers, tanks, and jet carriers leaped into motion. His army of thirty thousand was suddenly in disarray, and the Minith had not even landed yet.
What the h.e.l.l was Grant thinking when he left me in charge?
General Soo whooped as the vid screens showed the humans start to scatter. They had obviously figured out that grouping their forces together in such a tight s.p.a.ce was not the brightest idea ever developed.
”Time?”
”Three minutes, sir.”
”Excellent! The humans might save some of their forces, but not all. There isn't enough time to move that many vehicles and soldiers.”
Soo smiled at the knowledge that thousands of sheep would burn in the coming minutes. It was a good start.
The first battle of this war would go to the Minith.
”What do you mean, 'he never arrived?'”
The processing supervisor shrugged, unable to explain how Eli, along with the other two missing children, could have missed their carrier. He was also unable to explain why the supervisor from the previous s.h.i.+ft had not raised the issue with anyone.
”There's a note in the system, but nothing more,” the man explained. ”I would hate to be the guy responsible when Mr. Blue learns of this oversight.”
For the first time in her life, Avery considered striking another human being. Her son was missing, left back at the prison-with the Minith landing any minute-and this man was worried about getting in trouble from Blue.
”It's my fault, Avery. I was in charge of loading the carriers. I should have paid more attention,” Ceeray said.
She placed a hand on Avery's shoulder, but it offered little comfort. Her son and two other children were still at the prison.
She swallowed a terse reply of agreement. Las.h.i.+ng out at Ceeray-or at the supervisor-would not make her son suddenly appear. She struggled with the options available to her. They were few. She briefly considered reaching out to Mouse and asking him for help, but she quickly discarded that notion. His attention was needed to save Earth-not just her son. Only one other option floated to the surface.
”I'm going back.”
”Excuse me?” Avery's announcement got the processing supervisor's attention. ”You cannot do that.”
”Who is going to stop me?”
”Well, hopefully common sense will stop you. But if it doesn't, then they will.” The supervisor uncrossed his arms and pointed to a pair of soldiers guarding the entrance to the processing center.
”But my son-”
”There's nothing we can do about that now. I know your husband, and I am grateful for what he's done for us all. But there is no way I can allow you to go back.” The man checked the time and waved the guards over. ”It's a three-hour trip and the Minith will be on the ground at any moment.”
Avery felt helpless, confused, and angry-emotions she had fallen out of touch with since being rescued from the Minith seven years earlier. She wanted to scream, to argue, to push her way past the supervisor to one of the carriers waiting on the other side of the entrance. Before she could do any of that, the two soldiers joined their small group.
”Jackson, could you and Deacon escort Avery Justice to her quarters, please?” Avery noted that the supervisor emphasized her name so the soldiers understood who they were dealing with.
”Yes, sir,” Jackson calmly replied.
Her mind and body fought against the need to lash out, to express her Violence in a physical a.s.sault upon these men. Her son was missing-left behind to possibly face an attacking enemy who had never shown any regard for human life. She needed to get back to him but knew it was useless to argue. In the end, it would get her nowhere. She grasped for a tattered sliver of Peace to help her navigate the situation. The only thing she could think of was to find Tane right away, and enlist his help.
The soldier gave Avery a nervous smile and gently took her elbow in his left hand. With his right, he gestured to the far doorway, indicating she should proceed. He neither pushed nor pulled, seemingly content to let her move at her own speed. She noticed that he was embarra.s.sed at having been involved in the confrontation. That embarra.s.sment, coupled with his polite demeanor, caused her feet to move and her tears to flow.
<script>