Part 13 (1/2)

When they pa.s.sed through the doorway, Jackson removed his hand and walked beside her. Deacon followed along behind. As they began the descent into the tunnels of the mine, a feeling of resigned numbness enveloped Avery like a shroud.

Where are you, Eli?

Where are you, Grant?

Ceeray watched in stunned silence as the two guards led Avery away. Her friend would be safe, but that provided little comfort for the Minith interpreter. It was her oversight that caused this. If she had taken her responsibilities more seriously, Eli and the other two children would be here where they were supposed to be, instead of... where were they?

The processing supervisor turned back to his duties and left Ceeray standing alone in the center of the large processing facility. Except for the two of them, the facility was empty-probably for the first time in weeks. That got her attention.

It's empty.

The guards are gone.

The supervisor is turned away.

With little thought and even less hesitation, Ceeray strode purposely and quickly through the entrance previously guarded by the two soldiers.

Rows and rows of vacant carriers waited on the other side-more than a hundred, she estimated.

She selected one at random.

CHAPTER 21.

The ma.s.sive engines began scorching dual circles of destruction-one on the east side of the prison, the other on the west. When complete, each circle would cover a radius of nearly eight kilometers.

Soo's decision to land three kilometers from the prison was meant to accomplish two things. First, it presented the forces ma.s.sed below to the maximum amount of exposure possible. The more humans they could destroy prior to landing, the better. Second, the dual circles of destruction neatly overlapped the large human structure known as Violent's Prison. Soo had no idea what surprises the prison held, so enveloping it with flames from both s.h.i.+ps seemed like a prudent step to take.

”Too much heat, General. We can't approach the mothers.h.i.+ps, and our missiles disintegrate before they can close on the target.”

d.a.m.n.

Mouse had expected the report, but had been keenly hopeful they could blast the s.h.i.+ps from the sky before they landed. The move would eliminate the possibility of capturing the vessels, but it was decided they would sacrifice the s.p.a.cecraft if it eliminated the threat before they could land. On the other hand, if the s.h.i.+ps landed and showed no offensive capabilities, his forces were under orders to spare them from damage, if possible. Tane had argued for saving the s.h.i.+ps for their own use and the Leaders.h.i.+p Council had agreed. Mouse saw the potential benefit, but he would have been just as happy blowing them out of the sky.

Unfortunately, the heat emitted by the mothers.h.i.+ps was too intense for the jets to approach, and firing missiles from kilometers away had proven useless. They would have to wait until the s.h.i.+ps landed, then attack anew.

”Roger, Alpha One,” he acknowledged the pilot. ”Pull back and wait for the s.h.i.+ps to land, then proceed as planned.”

Mouse sat back in his seat and listened as Alpha One pa.s.sed instructions along to the other jets. He tapped his right foot nervously. It was a tic he had picked up and, after unsuccessfully trying to rid himself of the habit, had finally embraced the activity as a normal part of his disposition. It soothed him, helped him think.

It seemed like hours, but less than five minutes had elapsed since the s.h.i.+ps burned through the upper atmosphere and began their landing sequence. Mouse had watched helplessly as video feeds showed the alien s.h.i.+ps' engines ma.s.sacring large swaths of his forces as they rushed to escape the intense heat. Not a single weapon had been fired, and already thousands of humans were dead or dying-their tanks, carriers, and artillery now useless against the Minith.

A similar scene was now playing out in Urop as the two mothers.h.i.+ps initiated similar landings there. He hoped the couple of extra minutes of warning that he had been able to give those forces might lessen the damage.

The weight of each death was a boulder upon his shoulders, and Mouse finally understood why Grant often seemed distant, angry, and obsessed with training. Living with the knowledge that your decisions and actions were responsible for the deaths of those in your care seemed impossible. He pushed those thoughts aside for now, though, and reminded himself what he was fighting for-his son, his wife, his race, and his planet.

One of the alien vessels was completing its landing three kilometers to the west of the prison, the other one three kilometers to the east. When their engines shut down, as they would eventually, his jets would swoop in and deliver their own death blows while his remaining tanks and artillery units-mostly from the north and south-moved into position.

Mouse relished the idea of dealing some death back to the invaders.

Treel finally stopped pacing and listened.

The impatience, doubt, and anger of the past seven years crumbled as a feeling of relief and hopeful anxiety crashed over him. His people had arrived, and from the aural clues delivered to his overlarge ears, they had returned with at least two mothers.h.i.+ps. One was landing to the east, the other to the west.

Forgoing the comfort of a chair, the Minith lowered himself wearily to the floor, suddenly exhausted from days of non-stop pacing.

The questions he had asked himself over and over for the past years-when will they arrive, why haven't they come-were forgotten. Instead, his thoughts turned to the coming hours and days. The battle would begin and many humans would die. He craved to be a part of the action, but the walls surrounding him prevented him from joining the fight. The best he could do was silently urge his people to victory and wait for the inevitable outcome. His freedom would be restored soon.

The idea of finally escaping this planet caused him to consider his future and his family. Had Rala waited for him, or had she taken another? Would his sons remember him after so much time? Would he recognize them when he saw them?

He fell asleep on the hard floor considering the answers.

CHAPTER 22.

Soo watched the large screens in joyous rapture as the s.h.i.+ps landed. The view of melting vehicles and torched human bodies was glorious, and the excitement in the command center spread quickly throughout the rest of the s.h.i.+p.

The heat of the engines had done its job well. Nearly half of the human forces below the two s.h.i.+ps had been caught in the fire zone. Early reports from the two s.h.i.+ps landing halfway around the planet were also positive. The Minith return to Earth was off to an excellent start.

”As soon as the engines shut down, I want all vehicles out of the bays. Proceed to contact with the humans, form attack lines, and work left to right around the building.”

General Soo issued standard Minith battle orders. The forces from both s.h.i.+ps would deploy in east/west lines-one line to the east of his mothers.h.i.+p, the other to the west of the second s.h.i.+p. Each line would then fight through the humans in a circular, clockwise motion.

”Begin mopping up this mess.”

”This is Alpha One. The bay doors are opening on the s.h.i.+p to the east.”

”Alpha Two. Same on the s.h.i.+p to the west.”

”Roger, Alphas One and Two,” Mouse replied. ”Whatever comes out of those doors, light it up.”

”You got it, General!”

Mouse pa.s.sed along similar orders to the hundreds of tank and artillery commanders who were still battle capable. Most were repositioning themselves after the mad dash to safety, but those who could replied in the affirmative. It was obvious they were all anxious to deliver their own brand of pain to the Minith.

Minith transport vehicles were another marvel of the Waa. Collapsible during storage, each vessel took up only a few square feet of s.p.a.ce while in storage aboard the mothers.h.i.+p. The collapsible nature of the shuttles provided maximum use of s.p.a.ce and allowed more room on the mothers.h.i.+p for troops. Although unarmored, the transporters were extremely maneuverable. When operating at peak efficiency, a wave of twenty vehicles could be prepared for flight, loaded with twenty armed warriors each, and sent out the bay doors in under a minute. With successive waves following the first every sixty to ninety seconds, the entire contingent of a hundred transporters, carrying up to two thousand troops, could be on its way in less than six minutes.