Tarizon, Civil War, Tarizon Trilogy Vol 2 Page 7

 

   

   

  11

  Tam and the Mutants

   

  While Leek was off to pick up Lorin, Tam set out with Lt. Hawkh to the camps where the remnants of the 3rd Army had gathered after fleeing from the TGA at Rini and Rizi. His task was to hastily assemble an elite squadron of soldiers to assist in the attack on Gallion. Tam was hopeful he could assemble a group as talented as the one Threebeard had let them borrow when they rescued Lorin and General Zitor.

  “So, how many soldiers have you found so far?” Tam asked.

  “About forty thousand, but I believe I’ll have over a hundred thousand before I’m done.”

  “What’s their condition?”

  “They’re tired and scared. It’s going to take awhile to shape them up into a fighting force again.”

  “As I said, I’m looking for twenty or thirty soldiers with extraordinary abilities.”

  He told Lt. Hawkh about the platoon that had helped rescue Lorin and General Zitor and wondered how they might go about assembling a similar one.

  “I guess we just need to talk to our platoon leaders and tell them what we’re looking for. They’ll know if any of their soldiers possess the skills you need.”

  When they got to the camp Lt. Hawkh summoned the platoon leaders close at hand for a meeting. About a hundred and thirty-five of them gathered in a crude amphitheater under an umbrella of pine trees. Lt. Hawkh told the group the purpose of the meeting and then turned it over to Tam.

  “Thank you, Lieutenant. Very soon we’re going to launch a very daring attack against the TGA. I can’t tell you much about it, but it could be a deciding factor in whether we win or lose the war. What I’m looking for are soldiers with special abilities and talents that might be helpful in this new offensive such as telepathy, telekinesis, heightened senses, abnormal strength, etc.”

  One of the officers raised his hand. “I’ve got a man who can run faster than a leaprohd.”

  “Really? What’s his name?” Lt. Hawkh asked.

  The officer told him and then another hand went up.

  “One of my men can lift up one end of a truck and hold it up with one hand for twenty tiks.”

  “Wow!” Lt. Hawkh said and took down the name of the soldier. Now hands were going up all around.

  “Yes, Lieutenant,” Lt. Hawkh said, pointing to another one of the leaders.

  “There’s a man in my platoon who can break the leg of a range deer without touching him.”

  Lt. Hawkh began to smile. “Really. Wow, that’s excellent. I’ll definitely want to meet that soldier.”

  “That’s nothing,” another officer boasted. “One of my men can jump over a PTV and land on his feet on the other side.”

  Lt. Hawkh’s smile broadened. He was getting exactly what he wanted and more. The meeting went on for quite a while, and when it was over Tam and Lt. Hawkh were very pleased with the talent they had discovered. Now it was a matter of gathering these extraordinary soldiers together, testing them, and then figuring out how they could help with the mission. Later Tam and Lt. Hawkh joined Red back at headquarters. Red was studying his list of pilots he’d been able to locate and bring back to the base.

  “Any luck yet?” Lt. Hawkh asked Red from the door of Red’s office.

  Red looked up and grinned. “Not a lot. I’ve found about three hundred and twenty so far and about half of them have made it here so far.”

  “That’s not nearly enough,” Lt. Hawkh groaned.

  “Captain Shilling issued an order for all pilots to report to headquarters for assignment,” Red replied. “Unfortunately, we don’t know how many will receive the order.”

  “So, what can we do in the meantime?”

  “We need to process the pilots we have and teach them how to take out hovertanks. Once we have all of the pilots assembled we’ll brief them together on Operation Gallion.”

  As they were talking, Lorin came over. “We just got a response to our call for pilots.”

  “What kind of response?” Tam asked.

  “A request for transport. Apparently there are about eighty-five pilots in a camp 25 kylods southeast of here. I’ve got the coordinates.”

  “Great. I’ll get a crew together and we’ll go pick them up.”

  “I want to go with you.” Lorin said.

  “Why?” Lt. Hawkh asked. “I thought you’d be too busy for sightseeing trips.”

  Tam jabbed Lt. Hawkh in the ribs. He frowned and glared at him. “What?”

  Lorin nodded. “It’s all right. It’s no secret I’m looking for Jake.”

  “Oh. . . . Sorry, ma’am,” Lt. Hawkh said apologetically. “You’re welcome to come with us.”

  “Thank you. We should get going. We don’t have much light left today.”

  A few loons later they were flying across the treetops in new copters they’d just acquired from defecting TGA pilots. It was believed that there were a lot of TGA soldiers who wanted to defect to the Loyalist army but were just waiting for the right moment to do so. After the battle of Rini thousands of TGA soldiers had deserted their units, ripped all TGA insignia from their uniforms, and fled to the mountains with the retreating Loyalist forces. It was a strange but welcome development.

   When the copters got close to the coordinates where the base was supposed to be located, Lorin leaned closer to the window to scan the ground beneath them. “There, I see smoke from a campfire.”

  The copter swooped down low and the soldiers below began to wave at them. The pilot flew by and landed in a clearing a few lods away. Lorin was the first out of the copter. She sprinted over to them, praying she’d see her mate’s face amongst them. The soldiers looked tired and weak from their ordeal. It had been awhile since the battle of Rini and they’d nearly exhausted their food rations.

  After mingling through the crowd of soldiers and not finding Jake, Lorin sat down on a log and closed her eyes. She wondered if she’d ever find him. A moment later Tam sat down next to her and put his arm around her. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

  He smiled. “I sense that Jake is here,” Tam said cautiously.

  Lorin straightened up and looked around. “What do you mean? I’ve looked at everyone. I didn’t see him.”

  “I have too, but I can feel his presence. He’s around here somewhere.”

  Lorin knew of Tam’s telepathic gifts. She also knew that Tam wouldn’t joke about something as important as this. Her spirits soared. She got up, spun around and looked up into the trees. “We’ve got to search for him,” she said.

  Tam nodded. “Lt. Hawkh can supervise the transport of the pilots back to base. I’ll get a few soldiers to stay here and help us search.”

  Lorin nodded. “Thanks. Where do you think he might be?”

  “I don’t know, but he’s somewhere close. He may be injured.”

  Lorin went pale. “Injured? How do you know.?”

  “I sense he’s in pain. We should hurry.”

  Tam went off and returned shortly with three soldiers. He sent them all off in different directions and told them to fire their pistols three times if they found anybody. Lorin and Tam also began to search. They searched for nearly a kyloon when it started to get dark. Lorin looked at the darkening sky and feared that soon there wouldn’t be enough light to continue.

  “If he landed around here, why didn’t he join the others?” Lorin asked.

  “My guess is he was injured or fell some—look! Up in the trees.”

  Lorin looked up and saw a parachute caught high up in a tree. In the dim light she could barely make out a man swinging gently in the wind.

  “Jake!” she screamed and began sprinting toward the tree. Tam pulled out his pistol and shot three times in the air. Lorin was halfway up the tree by the time Tam caught up with her.

  “Be careful! Don’t do anything. If he falls it could kill him.”

  Lorin looked down at Tam. “We’ve got to get him down!”

  “I
know. Wait for help. It’s going to take all of us to get him down safely.”

  When Lorin reached him she turned his head and looked at his face. “It’s Jake. You were right! It’s Jake!” She stretched her hand over and felt for a pulse. “He’s alive. We’ve got to get him down!”

  “Okay, here come the other soldiers now.”

  One of the other soldiers climbed up next to Lorin and wrapped a rope around Jake’s waist. Then Lorin cut the cord to the parachute and together they gently lowered Jake to the ground. Lorin knew there was a portable stretcher in the copter, so she had one of the pilots bring it to them. Two of the soldiers placed Jake on the stretcher and carried him to the copter. A few loons later they were in the air heading back to base. Lorin knelt over Jake’s unconscious body, holding his hand in hers. She prayed he wasn’t seriously hurt and would be okay.

  When they got back to base they took Jake directly to the Shuttle’s sick bay. The chief medical officer met them and took charge. Lorin wanted to stay but the medical officer told her she could do him no good, and promised he’d call her with regular progress reports. Reluctantly, Lorin left to go to her quarters to try to get some sleep. On the way there she ran into Lt. Hawkh.

  “How is he?” Lt. Hawkh asked.

  “I don’t know. The doctor said he’d do a diagnosis and call me. I’m going to my quarters and try to get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”

  “I can imagine. You didn’t sleep any last night, did you?”

  “No. I don’t have time to sleep.”

  “Yeah, I guess none of us do.”

  “What’s your pilot tally now?”

  “Four hundred and twenty-two.”

  “That’s only a third of what we need.”

  “I know, but that’s four hundred more than we had the day you set up this camp.”

  “True. Maybe the TGA will hold off a few more days on their offensive. We’ve been sending in fighters laden with cluster bombs every day since Rizi to raise havoc with their supply lines. Hopefully this will buy us the time we need.”

  “Hopefully.”

  “I’m going to my quarters if you need me,” Lorin said wearily.

  Lt. Hawkh nodded and went on his way. He was heading for a meeting with his division commanders to get an update on how the reorganization of the 3rd Army was going. As he climbed the stairs out of the shuttle he looked out over the growing array of interconnected camocubes that had sprung up almost overnight. There was much anticipation in the air and he was beginning to feel hopeful that everything would eventually turn out all right.

  The meeting was up on the ridge where Tam and Red had set up a strategic planning cube. From that vantage point it was possible to see the entire valley and the main passageways through the mountains. Tam, Red, several staff officers from the shuttle, and five division commanders were waiting when he stepped through the slit in the cube. Everyone looked over as he walked in.

   “Gentlemen,” Lt. Hawkh said. “Sorry I’m late.”

  Tam shrugged. “I was just telling everybody how my special op’s team was shaping up.”

  “Oh. How do they look?”

  “I’ve selected thirty-six men. They will be a force to be reckoned with.”

  “How are you going to use them?”

  “That’s up to Commander Lanzia. My job is just to get them ready.”

  “Right. . . . So, what’s the latest on the TGA offensive?”

  “The enemy hasn’t shown any signs of movement yet. They seem to be regrouping and waiting for the right moment to strike.”

  “They’re probably not in a big hurry. I’m sure they think they pretty much have the battle already won,” Lt. Hawkh reasoned.

  “And they might be right,” Red reminded them.

  “What’s our troop strength now, Lt. Hawkh?” Tam asked.

  “By my last count we have sixty-four thousand.”

  “Well, I hope that’s enough,” Tam said.

  “Enough for what?”

  “We’ve gotten a communique from our defense minister.”

  “Threebeard?” Red asked.

  “Yes. He wants us to come down out of the mountains near Rhule and sweep in behind the TGA to cut off their supply lines and box them in.”

  “Sweep in behind them?” Red said. “Box them in? Are we talking about the same army that just ran over us like we were a sack of potatoes?”

  “As unrealistic as that may seem,” a voice from behind them said, “that’s what we’ve been ordered to do, so we’ll do it.”

  Everyone turned and saw Commander Lanzia standing behind them with two other officers they didn’t know.

  “Commander,” Tam said and saluted.

  “At ease,” Leek said and turned toward his companions. “Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce Major Freelan and Major Oakril. They will be two additions to my staff. Major Freelan will be in charge of logistics and Major Oakril will be handling our intelligence operations.” The two officers nodded and took a seat. “Also, I’d like to announce that Captain Tam Lavendar will command the 1st Airborne Division if we are successful.”

  Red raised his eyebrows. “Did you say Captain Lavendar?”

  Leek nodded. “Yes, I did. Both you and Tam have been promoted to Captain.”

  Red looked at Tam. Tam smiled and said, “Thank you, sir. I’m confident we will be successful at Gallion.”

  “Then you’ll have your work cut out for you knocking out hovertanks. . . . and the rest of you will need to get your troops ready to leave in the morning. It’s imperative the 3rd Army be in position when the TGA offensive begins.”

  “Yes, sir,” Tam replied. The others nodded in agreement.

  “Lt. Hawkh will remain here on my staff as will Captain Levitur,” Commander Lanzia added. “Well, that’s all I wanted to tell you for now. I know the last few days have been difficult, but we can prevail if we stand together. Back on Earth there was once a great leader named Winston Churchill who led a battle against another evil tyrant named Hitler. When facing a similar situation to the one we find ourselves in today he said, ‘never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.’ And that’s what we must do. No matter what the odds, fight for as long as it takes to restore freedom and justice to Tarizon. May God and Sandee be with you!”

   

   

   

   

   

    12

  Operation Gallion

   

  Several days later the six divisions of the reorganized 3rd Army were in place in the mountains north of Rhule. In the meantime the number of pilots in the new 1st Airborne Division had swollen to six hundred and twenty seven. Although they had but a handful of fighters, each day they took turns flying sorties over the TGA supply lines and dropping thousands of cluster bombs on the long line of trucks and transport vehicles supporting the TGA army to the north.

  The much anticipated TGA offensive into Rigimol finally started on the 8th day of the 7th segment at 0200 kyloons. It began with the most intensive aerial bombardment ever seen on Tarizon. At the moment the offensive began, Commander Leek Lanzia, Lt. Hawkh, Tam and his mutant platoon were on a hill overlooking the TGA Naval Base and Air Station at Gallion. Noticeably absent was Rhin, who hadn’t been seen since she’d wandered off into the woods before Leek had arrived at headquarters. Before they’d left their base they’d coordinated their battle plan with the nanomites, the seafolken and the mutants enslaved on the base and Leek had hacked into the Gallion computers to alter the flight schedules.

  A long line of fighters were backed up along the runways waiting to take off. Returning fighters from the front line were landing every few tiks. Commander Lanzia had planned to stay up on the hill and coordinate the operation. Tam and his mutant squad left to enter the base at the southern gate. A
t that same moment Red and the fighter pilots, dressed in TGA uniforms, were boarding a tram destined for the tram station that terminated inside the base. While this was happening the free seafolken were entering the harbor underwater and seafolken slaves already on board TGA ships were preparing to mutiny.

  The mutant slaves were housed in barracks on the north side of the base. They were already in position to do their part in this most complex and dangerous operation. The nanomites swarms that lived surreptitiously in buildings on the base had been alerted and were ready to do their part as well. Security at the base was in place but not on high alert. It appeared at the onset that the element of surprise had been preserved.

  The mutant called Jumper scaled the southern security fence with a single bound. He moved quickly to the guard shack and slit the throats of the two guards on duty. Two mutant slaves stepped out of the darkness and dragged the dead soldiers out of sight. Then they took up their stations at the guard shack. A truck containing the mutant platoon was the first vehicle to present itself at the gate. They pretended to check the drivers’ credentials, inspect the vehicle, and then let them through. The truck drove along the main base roadway until it reached the road that led to the airport. It turned onto the road and proceeded to Hangar 2, the hangar farthest from the runways and out of sight of the control tower.

  The several hundred free seafolken who had been enlisted for the operation swam into the harbor behind a battleship that was coming into port. Once they were inside the harbor’s nets they split up into pairs and swam to various ships that had been preassigned to them. The slave seafolken aboard the ships did what they could to sabotage security and create distractions for their crews while their comrades set explosives at key points on all the ships.

  The mutant pilots with their fake IDs arrived at the tram station and immediately were herded into trucks driven by mutant slaves toward Hangar 2. Traffic was heavy and soldiers and civilian personnel were everywhere, but nobody paid attention to the two trucks as they proceeded to their destination.

  While the mutant slaves were busy helping Tam and his platoon, their mates were hosting a victory party at the base recreation center. They’d gotten permission from the base commander for the event to celebrate the expected victory over the Loyalist at Rini. The base commander was at first reluctant to approve the request but when reminded how important the morale of the troops was, he had given in. Unbeknownst to the base commander, however, fifty seafolken ladies had also joined the mutant mates to entertain the pilots coming back from Rini.

  The most ticklish problem was getting rid of the pilots who were actually supposed to be flying the TGA fighters. Commander Lanzia’s plan was to lure them to the victory party, get them drunk, and if they tried to leave, drug them. The job of luring the pilots to the party was given to the seafolken sirens who were very good at such things.

  When the fighters started returning to refuel they normally went into a pilots’ lounge to wash up and wait for their fighter to be refueled and readied for another trip. This is where Red, dressed in a TGA officer’s uniform, waited to advise them they wouldn’t have to fly anymore that day. He then suggested they might want to go to the victory party and steered them toward the seafolken women who were anxiously awaiting to escort them to it.

  The plan went well and over a hundred and fifty planes with Loyalist pilots got off the ground before there was a glitch. This first glitch presented itself when one of the officers coming in was enjoying the slaughter so much he was anxious to get back in the air again.

  “What do you mean I’m being relieved? I’m the best pilot in the division,” he complained.

  “It’s no big deal. The commander just wants to give you a rest—save you for later. You’ve done enough for now.”

  “What are you talking about? I usually do three or four runs a day during an offensive.”

  “Listen,” Red urged. “Why don’t you go to the victory party. There’s some sweet young ladies here that would love to escort you to it. Why don’t you go talk to them?”

  “You’ve got to be joking. You think I’m going to a silly party when a battle is underway?”

  “Okay,” Red said. “Go ahead inside and I’ll arrange to get you back up in the air just as soon as I can.”

  The pilot mumbled something to himself and then stormed into the pilots’ lounge. Inside Lt. Hawkh rapped him over the head with the butt of his rifle. The pilot collapsed to the ground. Tam and one of the mutant soldiers then gagged him, tied him up and dragged him into a closet. Several more ended up in the closet before the mission was over.

  Meanwhile the party was in full swing with plenty of loud music, liquor and attractive women. For the first kyloon there were no problems and everyone seemed to be having a great time, but then some of the pilots wanted to leave. This obviously couldn’t be allowed, so the seafolken escorts began luring the pilots into private rooms where they were drugged, tied up and taken to a secure room in the basement.

  Commander Lanzia stood at his command post watching fighters, one right after the other, taking off and landing. Since the operation began everything had gone exactly as planned. Unfortunately, Leek knew that would change abruptly when reports of the fighters attacking hovertanks got back to the base. He was expecting that to happen momentarily.

  “R3, any problems?”

  “No. These pilots love to party. Only a half dozen or so have given us any trouble.”

  “Well, brace yourself. All hell’s about to break loose. I’m expecting it anytime.”

  “Understood. We’re ready.”

  “S1, report.”

  “Yes, sir. Our men have set the charges and the seafolken onboard have abandoned ship.”

  “Good. I’ll let you know when to start the fireworks. Once you do that get your men out of the harbor. I don’t want to lose any of you. We’ll be needing your services later.”

  “Yes, sir. Standing by for your order.

  “R2. Are you there?” Leek asked.

  “R2 here,” Tam said.

  “Are your men in position?”

  “Yes, sir. Standing by to take control of HQ and the tower.”

  “Good. How’s the party looking from your vantage point?”

  “There’s a lot of traffic going in but nothing coming out, just as we planned.”

  “All right. Stay alert. The fun’s about to begin.”

  Commander Lanzia peered through his binoculars at the base headquarters. All appeared normal. He turned and looked out at the office of the military police. Two officers were standing outside talking casually. Then suddenly a door flew opened and the two men were summoned inside. Commander Lanzia’s pulse quickened. He swung the binoculars back to base headquarters. Officers were swarming out and heading for their transport vehicles. Commander Lanzia pressed the button on his communicator.

  “M1. It’s time to see some fireworks. . . T3. Secure your objectives!”

  Just a few tiks later ships began exploding in the harbor like popcorn in a hot fire. Smoke billowed up from each of the blazes and soon covered the sky. Leek watched with admiration at the fine job the seafolken had done. Soon he saw a ship list and then sink into the harbor. Then he heard gunshots.

  At the HQ a gun battle had started. The mutant platoon had entered the building and seemed to be facing some resistance. Leek swallowed hard, praying they’d secure the facility quickly. Finally, his communicator beeped.

  “HQ secure,” Tam reported.

  “Good work, Captain. Now shut down the tram station.”

  “On our way.”

  Commander Lanzia looked toward the airport. All air traffic had come to a stop. He strained his eyes to see what was happening at the tower. Mutant soldiers were climbing up the sides of it and trying to gain entry. Leek jerked his head to the right at the sound of copters taking off.

  “M1. You’ve got some company on the way. Three copters.”

  “Understood. We’ll be ready for them.”
>
  As the first copter approached the tower one of the mutant soldiers jumped out and gazed up at it. One of the blades began to twitch and gyrate violently. Suddenly there was a popping sound and the blade began to slow. The copter dipped and began to spin out of control. The pilot tried to stabilize it but it was too late. The copter crashed and burst into flames.

  The other copters immediately landed after the crash and soldiers began pouring out of them. Three mutant soldiers stepped out in front of them and began blasting them with laser rifles. They scampered for cover and soon were pinned down. In the meantime the rest of the unit had secured the tower.

  In the officers’ barracks the communicators began to ring. Those who answered were told the base was under attack and they should report to their units for duty. They all rushed to comply, but when they tried to leave their barracks through the front doors, they found the doors wouldn’t open. Frantic to get out and join the battle, they tried all the other doors but found them secured as well. Finally, when they went to the windows in desperation, they found they’d been covered by a hard white substance. Frustrated, they attempted to break the windows and doors but no amount of force would break them.

  Lt. Hawkh and his men left Hangar 2 and one by one took out the TGA personnel operating the runway. Each man was replaced by a Loyalist soldier and soon fighters were taking off and landing again. Commander Lanzia had worried that somehow TGA command would get word to its pilots and instruct them not to return to Gallion, so Lt. Hawkh was instructed to cut off the Tower’s power supply at the first sign of trouble. That had been done and the fighters kept coming in right on schedule. Two kyloons into the operation seven hundred and thirty-nine planes had been requisitioned into the 3rd Army’s 1st Airborne Division. This was less than the twelve hundred Commander Lanzia had hoped to acquire from the operation, but that was all the pilots that could be located and readied in the short time they had until the TGA offensive began.

  Commander Lanzia looked out over the base. Fires were still raging in the docks but the base appeared quiet. Fighters were still landing but takeoffs had ended since there were no more pilots to fly them. A transport vehicle drove up to the hilltop command center. Lt. Hawkh stepped out.

  “Sir, we’ve run out of pilots.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “Planes are still coming in. What should we do?”

  “Well, we have two options. We’ve done quite well, so we could quit while we’re ahead and get the hell out of here. The problem is eight hundred fighters won’t be enough to get the job done. The other option is to figure out how to find four hundred pilots.”

  “Ah. . . . Yes, but that’s not really an option, is it?”

  “It wouldn’t seem to be, unless we can do some recruiting right here on the base.”

  “But . . . do you really think any of the pilots would want to become Loyalists?”

  “Yes, I’m sure there are some. The question is will there be enough?”

  “Even if there are, how could we be certain they were really defecting to the Loyalist cause? They might just say they are defecting just to get into a fighter and escape.”

  “You’re right, but I think between Tam and me we can determine if they are sincere. Let’s gather them together in Hangar 2 and give them the opportunity to become members of the 1st Airborne Division.”

  Rounding up all the pilots wasn’t an easy task, as many had been drugged, others had been tied up and gagged, and the rest were probably drunk. Fortunately the mutant mates knew where there was a stash of medicine that was specially formulated to negate the effects of alcohol. It took awhile but eventually they had over six hundred pilots assembled in Hangar 2. Commander Lanzia stood on a chair and addressed them. Two lines of mutant soldiers stood between him and the pilots.

  “My name is Commander General Leek Lanzia, commander of the Loyalist’ 3rd Army. We have taken control of Gallion, destroyed all the ships in the port and seized most of your fighters. Although I am sure there have been casualties, our mission is not to kill soldiers. We’re only interested in fighters. We mean you no harm.

  “Now I know that this civil war was thrust upon you rather suddenly. I doubt any of you were given the opportunity to choose sides. You were part of the TGA and followed the orders that were given to you like any good soldier would do. I wonder, though, how many of you share the same political philosophy as Videl Lai.

  “As a Loyalist, I believe in God, Sandee and the Supreme Mandate. I believe in freedom, human rights, and the abolition of slavery. I don’t believe we need a dictator to tell us how to live our lives or that we have the right to destroy other life forms for our own gain.

  “If any of you believe as I do, I want to give you, here this day, right now. . . I want to give you an opportunity to defect to the Loyalist movement and to become a pilot for the 1st Airborne Division of the Loyalists 3rd Army.

  “Right at this moment almost 800 fighters are engaged in a desperate battle against your hovertanks. The hovertanks were the deciding factor in the battles at Rizi and Rini. It’s estimated they butchered over 800,000 of the soldiers of the 3rd Army. Such a weapon should not exist. It is a threat to all humanity as well as the other life forms that live on Tarizon. Like your forefathers who banned nuclear weapons decades ago when the world was unified under one government, so should the hovertank be banned from Tarizon forever.

  “Those of you who want to defect right now, here this day, step to the left of the hangar. You will be processed and given a test to determine your sincerity. Don’t step to the left if you have any doubt. Don’t think this is a way to escape with a fighter. It won’t work and those who try it will regret it, I promise you.

  “Now, make your move. Those who remain loyal to the TGA will not be harmed. We’ll simply keep you under guard until we leave Gallion. Go now. Make your choice—will it be freedom and human rights or cheerful obedience to a ruthless dictator?”

  The room broke out in quiet conversation. Nobody moved for a moment and then one of the soldiers suddenly hurried past his comrades to the left of the room. A few tiks later two more joined him. Soon the left side of the room was filling up quickly with new Loyalist pilots. When the shifting stopped over half of the pilots had defected. Lt. Hawkh and the mutant soldiers removed the TGA pilots from the hangar and Tam and Commander Lanzia began screening the others.

  “Each of you will now be interviewed by Lt. Lavendar and myself. We will ask you two simple questions and if you sincerely answer them we will administer the oath, your TGA tracking chips will be removed, and you will become pilots for the 3rd Loyalist Army. When you stand before us, answer honestly. Don’t try to deceive us. We will know if you are lying. If any of you change your mind before you are interviewed just advise Lt. Hawkh and he’ll escort you to where the other pilots are being held.”

  Tam and Commander Lanzia began their interviews immediately. They each stood at the front of the line with the soldiers lined up to speak to them. A lieutenant was the first candidate to step in front of Commander Lanzia. A scribe took down the pilot’s name, rank and serial number.

  “Lieutenant. Do you believe in the principles espoused in the Supreme Mandate and the abolition of slavery on Tarizon?”

  The lieutenant stood tall and replied, “I do, sir.”

  “Do you renounce Videl Lai and the Purist movement?”

  “I do, sir.”

  “Look into my eyes, Lieutenant. Relax.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Commander Lanzia looked into the soldier’s eyes and touched his mind. He found no ambivalence or uncertainty. He smiled. “Congratulations, Lieutenant! Welcome to the 3rd Loyalist Army. Lt. Hawkh, please administer the oath.”

  “Yes, sir,” Lt. Hawkh replied. “Lieutenant. Cross your arms.”

  The lieutenant crossed his arms and clenched his fists, as it was the custom when taking an oath on Tarizon. “Do you pledge to support and defend, with your life if need be, the Supreme Mandate and to fait
hfully obey the commands of your superior officers while serving in Tarizon’s Loyalist Army?”

  “I so pledge,” the lieutenant replied and then saluted.

  Lt. Hawkh returned the salute and then said, “The medic will remove your tracking chip, then get your gear together and report to the briefing room.”

  “Yes, sir,” the lieutenant said and walked briskly toward the pilots’ locker room.

  The process was repeated with each defector until all had been processed. Thereupon the pilots were briefed on their mission, told how to destroy hovertanks and instructed on what to do when they had spent their fuel and needed to return to base. Commander Lanzia knew that he’d soon have to leave Gallion. It was just a matter of time before reinforcements would show up to retake the base. His forces were not strong enough to sustain such an assault, so they had to leave just as soon as the last fighter was in the air. While Red and Tam were getting the last fighters off, Lt. Hawkh and Commander Lanzia returned to their command post overlooking Gallion to make preparations for a hasty retreat.

  As they stood overlooking the base Lt. Hawkh grew tense and slowly turned around. “There are soldiers coming. We’ve got to go!”

  Commander Lanzia frowned. “I don’t hear anything.”

  “Trust me, Commander, I’ve got keen hearing. They are coming. . . . Oh, God and Sandee! . . . They’ve got hovertanks.”

  Commander Lanzia’s face became pale. He hadn’t considered that the TGA might divert a hovertank from the front lines to respond to the attack on Gallion. He put his finger on the button on his communicator. “This is your commander. We’ve got an assault force and hovertanks coming down on us. Tell the remaining pilots to do their best to get in the air on their own. All units are ordered back to base immediately. Use the prearranged escape plan.”

  Lt. Hawkh and Commander Lanzia ran as fast as they could to where the PT22 was parked and standing by for takeoff. As they reached the ridge overlooking the abandoned road they used as a landing strip, they saw a hovertank coming straight at them. Suddenly the tank began firing at the aircraft until it exploded. Debris was shot in the air and began raining down upon them.

  “Back to the base!” Commander Lanzia screamed. “We’ll have to escape in a fighter.”

  As he ran Commander Lanzia pushed the button on his communicator. “Tam. Save me a fighter. They’ve blown up the PT22.”

  “Understood. One will be fueled and ready for you.”

  At the perimeter of the base a transport vehicle was waiting. Lt. Hawkh and Commander Lanzia jumped in and the driver gave it full throttle. The hovertank was nearly overhead. The tank was quiet except for the deep pulse of its propulsion system. Rummp...Rummp!...Rummp! Commander Lanzia looked up and prepared himself for death. He’d done more than he could have ever imagined, but it hadn’t been enough to win the war. He wondered why God had sent him there if he was just going to be one of a billion casualties? Rummp! . . . Rummp! . . . Rummp! His life flew before him. He thought of his mother and father back on Earth—his brothers and sister. They wouldn’t even know he had died. Rummp!... Rummp!...Rummp! What would become of Luci, his love? Who would rescue her now? Rummp!...Rummp!...Rummp!

  The hovertank jerked left and shot at one of the fighters taking off. The fighter exploded, fell to the runway and skidded into one of the hangars. There was another explosion that rocked the transporter and nearly made it roll. A fighter shot past them. Leek turned quickly to watch it. The hovertank jerked toward it and prepared to fire. Decoys shot out from the hovertank in every direction. A missile followed one of them and exploded. There was another explosion behind them. Leek turned back to see it. Rummp!...Rummp!...Rummp! The hovertank dropped from the sky. There was a grinding sound as the stabilizer automatically swung out and hit the ground to stop the fall. The cannon swung toward them and took aim. Leek closed his eyes. There was another explosion. Leek waited for the shock, the impact, the pain. He waited for death’s sting but felt nothing. He opened his eyes slowly and just in time to see the hovertank thrashing, burning and dying.

  There was no time to stare at the fallen beast. There would be others coming soon and he might not be so lucky this time around. He wondered who’d saved his life but was pretty sure it was the Three Avengers. When his driver got him to his fighter, Leek jumped out and ran for it. A soldier handed him his flight suit and helmet and helped him put them on. Soon he was taxiing down the runway.

  It was only when he was in the air that he thought about his destination. Should he go back to base? He was the commander of the 3rd Army. He was too important to be endangering his life going out on a mission. Lorin had begged him not go into battle. She’d reminded him that if he were killed the entire war might be lost. He doubted that was the case, but reluctantly set the computer for a return to base.

  “R1 to R2. Are you there?”

  “Read you loud and clear.”

  “Did everyone get out okay?”

  “We lost one fighter.”

  “Yes, I saw that. Who was in it? Do you know?”

  “It was Jake, I’m sorry to say.”

  “Jake! But Jake was in sick bay. He wasn’t supposed to be on this mission,” Leek argued.

  “No. He showed up at the last minute. We were short on pilots so—well, he said he was feeling fine and the medic had given him clearance.”

  “Oh, my God! Did Lorin know he went on the mission?”

  “No. I don’t think so.”

  Leek’s heart was pounding so hard he could feel his chest pulsating. He couldn’t believe that Jake had come on the mission and was the sole casualty. Lorin would be devastated. He couldn’t bear to think of the pain she’d be feeling.

  “It’s not your fault. It was his choice to go into battle. Don’t report his death to anyone. I want to be the one to tell Lorin. I’m heading back to base now.”

  “Sure, I understand.”

  “Thanks for what you and Red did back there. I owe you my life.”

  “Nonsense. We just wanted to get in a little practice before we got to the front lines.”

  “You know I’d like to go with you, right?”

  “Yes, but you can’t. Go back to base. You’re the Liberator. Think about your next bold move to save the world from Videl Lai.”

  “My next bold move will be to rescue Lucinda. I can’t let Videl Lai continue to torture her.”

  “But she’s being held in Shisk,” Tam protested. “How could you possibly rescue her?”

  “I don’t know, but I have to try. If she’s killed and I’ve done nothing to prevent it, how could I live with myself?”

  Tam said nothing. He knew there would be no use trying to dissuade Leek from trying to rescue the woman he loved. Even if it were impossible, he’d never tell Leek that for fear he’d be plunged into a hopeless depression.