OMEGA Conscript (23 page)

Garrett winced. "What's to keep those battlecruisers from coming down here and wrecking this place?"

I replied, "That's a good question. Jack, has there been any movement toward the planet by the Grotus?"

Jack hesitated. "There is now. One of them just dropped from orbit. A second one is turning this way. Get out to that field as fast as you can. We're the only ship in the air down here, and that makes us a prime target."

I replied as I jumped up. "We're on the move. Should be there in under a minute. Send out word to all the shuttle captains to get their crews away from the transports!"

Jack came back. "I don't think we have a minute. Get as close to that field as you can and take cover. And don't look up at the bright flash if you value your eyesight. The first battlecruiser is coming right for us. Wish me luck."

Garrett replied as we ran. "You mean wish us luck."

Jack pressed a holo-trigger on his display. "Yeah, whatever. Fermium nuke is away! Battlecruiser is firing its lasers at it now. It's through! Ahahahaha!"

A bright flash in the distance told of Jack's counter to the incoming battlecruiser.

Jack yelled into the comm. "Grotus ship is in flames in high orbit! Don't think the blast made it to the ground! Looks like we punched a big dent in the front of the battlecruiser. Lit it up and sent it down! I'm heading right for that pack of 'em. None of the others have moved."

I replied, "Don't get cocky on us! You don't have the armor to take one of those full laser blasts!"

Jack nodded. "Don't worry. I've got this covered."

As the
Garmon
closed on the Grotus fleet, Jack turned hard to the right. I watched on my arm pad holo-display as a second blip came to life on the screen, heading straight for the fleet. It was the
Anterra
!

Jack yelled over the comm. "Say hello to your long-lost friend, you green-assed lizards!"

I took no offense.

A brief flash emanated from high orbit as the nuclear warhead on the
Anterra
detonated in the center of the converged Grotus ships. Eight of the twelve ships went silent as countless small explosions erupted from their hulls. The four remaining battlecruisers, as well as the fifth that was in atmosphere, turned and fled for home.

Jack came over the comm as he turned back our way. "I hated to give her up. But I think the
Anterra
just saved our asses!"

Go replied, "So that's it? Nothing saved? You blew her up?"

Jack shrugged. "We have the autobot, but I don't know how effective it will be without that AI to run it. If you want, I guess you could keep it as a pet."

Go returned a dejected look.

Garrett put his hand on Go's shoulder. "I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but maybe the Odenta will give you the clone computer when we get back. It's supposed to be an exact duplicate isn't it?"

Go stopped and grinned. "It is! And worst case, I can have it clone another one!"

Garrett replied, "I thought you corrected its programming so it couldn't replicate itself."

Go shook his head. "I got sidetracked with our trip to Jorus and never set that up."

Garrett sighed as he looked my way with a scowl. "Why'd I open my mouth?"

I spoke with Jack over the comm. "The Grumar force that fled Tanningar, can you scan and locate their whereabouts?"

Jack smiled as he steered the
Garmon
back to our sector. "I can blast them with my cannons. They can shoot at me all they want, but my guns are much bigger! And ... it looks like they are heading back your way. Hold on ... ooh, that's gonna leave a mark. Give me a minute to clean up here and I'll meet you at the field."

The
Garmon
landed in the field in front of us. Smoke poured from a meter-wide hole in her side. Her crew, using the shipboard firefighting system, soon had the damaged section under control.

Jack stepped onto the top of the ramp-way to greet us as it lowered. "I kind of didn't notice the ground cannon about four hundred meters from their position. Took a nasty wallop before I knew it was even there. Garrett, I'm afraid your quarters were trashed."

Garrett rolled his eyes.

I replied, "Do we need to send a force to take the gun out?"

Jack shook his head. "No. It's gone. The last of the troops in that area scattered to the point where I couldn't tell if I got them all or not. I'd have a hard time saying there is more than a dozen left. You might want to send out a few patrols to mop up."

The ground battle for Doomlight still raged in the other sectors. With the ion field inhibitors offline, the Grunta Council once again assumed full control of all fights. Our battles in inhibitor sector D12 were one of the few Talisan sectors that had gone somewhat smoothly. In most of the Talisan sectors, the counteroffensives by the Grumar and Grotus had been successful. The skies in and around the battle areas were soon lit up with blue flashes from ion bolts and the orange pulses of laser pistols and rifles. The battle for Doomlight raged on as the sun began to set over the horizon in Tanningar.

   Chapter 23

Word soon came in from Grunta Command. We were being redeployed to another sector. Colonel Baake would be taking command of the three thousand troops to be garrisoned in D12. Our remaining force, now numbering twelve thousand, was being transferred to reinforce the troops in sector C7. The Talisans in C7 were struggling to fend off a Grumar counteroffensive.

The transport hovered just above the ground as its ramps deployed and the Talisan fighters streamed aboard. Ten minutes later the troops were on the ground in C7 with Boni Marrik in command. Garrett, Go and I waited for the
Garmon
to be certified safe to fly. Go gave the autobot commands manually from his arm pad. It seemed to get confused if commands were less than precise. The interpretive power of the
Anterra
's AI had made a noticeable difference in how the bot reacted.

Go stood behind Garrett, laughing, as we looked at the gaping hole in the wall of his quarters. "Well, at least you get a good breeze through here! And you have a window view! I don't have a window!"

Garrett frowned. "We just lost the last of my tracking tags. That melted case had about a half dozen of those things left."

Go reached into the pouch on his pants leg. "Here, we still have the two I didn't use at the portal gate."

Garrett smiled and nodded as he took the tags.

I grabbed Garrett by the back of the neck and squeezed. "At least you weren't in here."

Jack came over the comm. "I know you aren't needed immediately, but you do have the
Jess
you can use if you want to join the fight. You might even think about using it to take out ground guns if you can."

Garrett replied, "And get a hole blown in her side? No thanks."

Jack remarked, "If you come in facing those guns, the damage isn't so bad. The gravity shield will take the brunt of the hit, allowing you to kill the gun. You just have to watch that there aren't two of them."

Garrett looked directly at his arm pad. "And we need to take out these guns, why?"

Jack gave a stern response. "Why? Because we have transports taking hits that are trying to move troops around."

Garrett offered an embarrassed reply. "OK. I guess I wasn't thinking. Anyone want to go kill some ground guns?"

I gestured in the direction of C7. "I need to rejoin the ground fight. There are more Grotus out there."

Garrett looked at Go. "You?"

Go pointed at the hole. "I'm trying to get this hole repaired."

Garrett raised his arm pad. "Jack, have your crew ready to open the gravity wall in the bay."

Jack replied, "The other Salton ships that are still out there will be joining you. I'll coordinate your targets through Command. When the damage here is sufficiently cleaned up I'll be joining you."

Garrett nodded as he walked past us. "I'll be up in about thirty seconds if you can send me a new target."

Jack began to swipe away on a holo-screen. "I'll have three lined up by the time you’re out."

Garrett lifted off on his way toward a ground gun. The autobot was busy welding new panels to the
Garmon
's hull. I made my way back to the bridge.

Jack looked up. "You might hit the sonic wash with that battle-suit. You're more blue than gray."

I half smiled. "No need. I expect to be right back in it when we get to C7."

Go walked in with a pristine, silvery-white suit.

Jack pointed. "Now, see, there's a man who takes care of his equipment."

Go grinned. "Well, to be truthful, I wasn't involved in any gore like they were. I just shot tungsten from a distance. Although, if I did get covered with guts and blood like them, all I have to do is blink out and back in. It will all either fall off or get sucked into the void of the active skin of the suit."

I glanced down at the power cell on Go's belt. "You reloaded yet?"

Go nodded. "Sodium in the cell and tungsten in the glove. I'm ready for another few months on power, and another thousand shots."

I replied, "Good. We'll need them. The Word from C7 is they are losing because they have a large contingent of Grotus there, almost two hundred. We need to get you back out there fighting as soon as possible."

Go shrugged. "Point me that way! I can get there on my own faster than this ship can."

I said, "Jack, transfer your current coordinates of the enemy in C7 to Go. And, Go, get busy, we are losing soldiers every second those Grotus are alive."

Go nodded as he blinked out. "Roger that. See you when you get there."

Jack gave status: "We should be up and at 'em in about five minutes. Once that outer plating is in place we can effect the rest of repairs while in motion."

I took the few minutes to raise Getta on the comm. "Is everyone OK? Has the fighting been bad?"

Getta replied, "We encountered about two thousand Grumar when we arrived. It has been the same with all the Grunta transports. In all, I think we Gruntas have only encountered a have dozen of the Grotus fighters. Given our numbers, they were easily dispatched."

I replied, "Wait, are you saying the Council purposefully steered the Talisan toward the more highly defended sectors?"

Getta hesitated. "Be careful of how you phrase your words with regards to this. Remember, it is the Council's responsibility to safeguard Grunta lives first and foremost. Whatever decisions were made regarding assigned sectors had those responsibilities taken into consideration."

I balled up my fist in anger. "We are in this war to protect all of us! If that is their attitude, what Talisan, or any other species for that matter, would put their life on the line for a Grunta?"

Getta took a stern tone. "Gruntas are responsible for Gruntas alone. We have been training since the fall of the AMP for this while all others have gone on about their lives as if disaster was not coming their way. We do not require the assistance or help of others to survive. We may be involved in the same war and have similar goals, but the Talisan are not our people!"

I unfurled my fist. "No, but they are my people. From this point on, the Talisan will no longer take orders from Grunta Command. You can tell the Council that the Talisans will be abandoning a number of sectors where our losses are too high. If Command wants those sectors secured, they will either wait for us to come back to them or handle them themselves."

Getta returned a stoic look. "You do realize that by taking this stance, you may very well be cast out from our people. The Council has the power to exile Grunta who intentionally go against their wishes."

I remarked. "If that is the wish of the Council, then so be it. If not for what I and my Human and Talisan teams have done, the Council would be getting pummeled by Grotus battleships. They may not want help, but they do require it."

I gave Jack the directive to act as a coordinating command center. All Talisan troops involved in sectors with heavy losses were told to retreat to their transports for reassignment. Of the more than eight hundred sectors we had been assigned, one hundred and sixty-eight were soon abandoned. The troops from those embattled sectors were sent to sectors where victory was forthcoming. Troops from the victorious sectors would be redeployed to the remaining sectors as needed. An edict of my exile quickly came back from the Council.

I took out my displeasure with the Council on countless Grotus and Grumar fighters in C7. The dried Grumar blood on my battle-suit had mostly turned to carbon. Glancing laser pulses had skimmed my torso and appendages as I spun, twisted, and rampaged through the enemy's ranks. After clearing my third sector, I made my way back to the
Garmon
and collapsed in exhaustion.

Jack stood over me. "You're a dynamo, we all know that, but pushing yourself this hard will get you killed. You need to take a long break. We have turned the tide in all sectors. The Grumar and Grotus are losing, and they are losing badly to our troops."

A comm call from Getta flashed on my arm pad. "I thought you were ordered to not communicate with me?"

Getta nodded. "I was."

I replied, "Has something changed?"

Getta smiled. "The Council has rescinded their exile decision. I am told they are not happy with having to do so, with this Council having never had to rescind before. It seems there was a tremendous outpouring of both military and political support for your position. The abandoned sectors will have Grunta troops landing in them shortly. Each of your remaining embattled sectors will receive a contingent of two thousand Gruntas to be used as front line troops.

"Given feedback from live situations, the military deemed the combat experience to be of extreme importance for training the rest of our troops. And the outpouring of support—no, the
demands
by the people—left the Council with little choice. It seems that word of your deeds has traveled through most of the Grunta households. Your actions are quite revered. And everyone is eager to know more about the discoverer of Jorus."

Getta leaned in close to the comm camera. "Now get some rest. I don't want you to screw this up with your bullheadedness."

I leaned my forehead against my camera. Getta began to coo.

Jack turned to head back to the bridge with a smile. "I'll leave you two alone."

With the addition of Grunta fighters, the battles in each sector came to a quick end. Nearly a million Grumar, along with just over three thousand Grotus, were taken captive. All told, sixty-six million had perished in the fighting for Doomlight. An epic battle by all standards.

The following day, fifty new battleships came through the portal, taking up positions in high orbit. With the portal open, the Council sent back through a demand that all Grunta conscripts instead be considered New Alliance partners. I wasn't holding out much hope that Harden Salton would agree to their terms. In fact, I again passed along to them that his next target would be the Grumar home world. Given how poorly our ships did against the Grumar, I didn't think that attack would come any time soon. A much bigger fleet would be required.

After a full sweep of all sectors for stragglers and holdouts, the planet was declared free of hostiles. Without control of the portal gate, my Talisan fighters had no way to go home, to a home that might no longer exist. If the conscription had continued, I had no doubt that the entire population of Dallex, nearly four hundred million citizens, had been moved away from the colony. I also wondered how our friends on Effica were faring. Had they succeeded in establishing a viable colony that would not immediately be suspected of treason? I had no way of knowing.

I sat on the bridge of the
Garmon
with Jack Carson. "I think it's time we left this planet. I've tried to convince the Council that doing so is in our best interest, but they aren't very fond of me. Female Gruntas can be vengeful. Once they get in their minds that they don't like something, it's difficult to change their opinion."

Jack replied, "You want to head back to Odenta? We left on good terms, but you show up with another group of aliens, will they be as hospitable?"

I shook my head. "That, I don't know, but I think we have to try. The longer we stay here the more likely we are to stay as pawns of Harden Salton. I don't want my Talisans fighting his senseless war. Look how many are dead from this attack on Doomlight. It sickens my stomach."

Jack half laughed. "You didn't seem that sick out there swinging that maul. From everything I've heard and seen, I'd say you were in your element."

I took a deep breath. "That was war. You have to suspend your morals to a degree in order to fight and kill. Just because I was effective, doesn't mean I liked it. If given the choice, I would choose to not fight. But I cannot in good conscience sit back and watch while my brethren are fighting for their lives. If through my efforts I can save some of my own, I will commit to that task fully."

Jack nodded. "I think you have the right outlook on that, by the way. No sane person wants war, but if it has to be fought, commit to it fully. Half-assing it is not helping anyone, and in fact, puts even more in danger."

I pulled up a nav screen. "I believe it's time we took leave of this planet. I'm ordering a complete pullout of the Talisans. We'll head for Odenta first. If they won't have us, we'll continue on to Jorus. We at least know that it is habitable."

Go and Garrett walked onto the bridge. "Go thinks we should leave. I think we should head back through the portal so we can get to work on our plans for stealing that portal ship should Harden get it built."

I replied, "I was just about to send out the order for all Talisans to board their transports. We will head for Odenta to seek temporary refuge there."

Garrett frowned. "Yeah, about the Talisans, I know they are your people and all, but I don't think those battleships up there will be letting you go. The Talisans are conscripts in the Salton army. He owns them. They won't just let you pass."

Go said, "I thought we might be able to create a diversion and then slip away from the other side of the planet. Maybe Jack could set off one of those nukes out in space or something. While they are investigating, we make our move."