Gray Panthers Captain Short Blade (11 page)

“Okay. We can continue this discussion another time,” Namid said, sounding as if she wasn’t totally convinced that Jimmy was right. “We’re done here. That’s all I’m bringing.”

Jimmy nodded and closed the hatch behind them. From a window in the passageway, Namid peered into the main cargo hold to check on her herd. Jimmy opened a panel and flipped a series of switches. Namid gasped as the cattle began to gently collapse, like marionettes whose strings had been cut.

“Don’t worry. There’s a stasis field generator that will keep them from moving around or hurting themselves or each other,” Jimmy assured her. “I’ve had it used on me thousands of times. It’s actually restful.”

“Will we have to be put to sleep too?” Namid asked nervously.

“No. The trip is only a little more than a day.”

“How long until we take off then?”

“I think we may have already. Phoenix, have we taken off yet?”

“The ship has launched but is still in the atmosphere. Do you want me to project our flight status?”

“Yes, for Namid’s benefit, please display our current status.”

A three-screen display appeared on the bulkhead. On the first screen was a view of the ship in relation to the atmosphere. The second screen showed the view from the ship as it left Earth. The third screen showed the sky ahead as it turned from blue to black. Namid stood transfixed as she watched the different screens.

“If you need anything, just ask any of us,” Jimmy told her. “The cockpit and number one cargo hold are the only areas that are off-limit.”

The Vengeance

19 April 2129

Harve skimmed through the list he’d been given of Libra depots the ship was to check out. He knew right away that none of the depots would provide anything of value. Out of curiosity, he pulled up the database of depots from the Vengeance’s original files, and as he scrolled down, he spotted MWezi, an unmanned reserve depot that was strictly for combat support. It would have weapons and assorted munitions, along with basic supplies. He asked to speak with the captain.

“Captain, thank you for seeing me.”

“Harve, you don’t waste my time or try to kiss my ass. What do you want?”

“Sir, is the depot MWezi on any of the other ships’ lists of bases to check out?”

“We’re the only flotilla checking out the old depots. What’s special about MWezi?”

“It’s a reserve combat support depot. It was set up as a location that could provide weapons and munitions, as well as many basic necessities, in case the war took a turn for the worse. With all due respect, sir, the list of depots you gave me is crap. We’re running around checking out worthless sites while the important facilities are no doubt being plundered.”

Handing the captain the list he’d printed out, Harve continued. “I pulled this list of depots and their main support functions from our ship’s database. Compare this list to the one we were given. Do you think someone’s trying to get rich by keeping us out of the way?”

“Harve, get out of my cabin now! Insubordination like that is a court martial offense!”

Harve bolted from the cabin as if his life had been threatened. When he returned to engineering, the sailors of both species watched him with curiosity. Harve wondered if he was a dead Libra walking.

“Captain to crew. We’ll be engaging the FTL drive in fifteen minutes. The flotilla will be checking out another depot. Estimated time in FTL is six hours. We’ll drop short to avoid becoming a target again. The gods of war smile on us. Captain, out.”

Harve pulled up the navigation computer and confirmed that the intended destination was MWezi. A shiver went through him. He knew this would be a hot drop out of FTL.

“All personnel,” he announced, “you will have three hours to check and prepare your combat suits. After that, I may depressurize areas as a test. If you fail the test, you will die.”

Chief Edge approached Harve. “Sir, may I have a word in private?”

“Go ahead, Chief.”

Sir, the sailors are mostly inexperienced to begin with. Why take such a chance now?”

“Between you and me, Chief Edge, I expect we’ll be going into the fire when we drop. Not only do I want our sailors ready, but I also want them to survive. You will inspect them to make sure that the bottles on their suits are full and that their suits fit properly. Put the fear of almighty fire into them all!”

“Yes, sir! We will kick tail!”

The chief looked like he was actually looking forward to combat. Harve let out a soft sigh. The more he thought about it, the more their prospects of survival seemed to drop.

“Sir, I had both shifts report to me, and I’ve inspected every sailor. I sent three to supply to get new parts. I released the off-duty shift but told them not to get too comfortable.” Harve checked his wrist and was surprised to see that they would drop in less than an hour.

“Chief, run half of the sailors to get something to eat and drink. Get them back quickly so the others can then eat. If the mess officer has any complaints, tell him to see me.”
Now if I could just manage to hold down some food myself,
Harve thought, wondering if he was a coward

It seemed like in no time at all the command Harve had been dreading sounded through the speakers.

“Captain to crew. Prepare for battle. We’ll be dropping out of FTL in ten minutes.”

Harve watched as the chief saved him the trouble of getting everyone set up and ensuring they were in the correct positions. His empty stomach began to rumble and he felt like throwing up.

“Dropping now!”

The lack of any additional comments made Harve relax. He was happy to have been wrong.

“Captain to MO Harve. Prepare to take a team in two shuttles to check out the supplies at the depot. We’ll be in easy shuttle range in five minutes.”

Harve ordered the chief to assemble his team and then excused himself. As he puked until his stomach was empty, he was thankful his cabin had its own head. When he was done, he grabbed his side arm and coat, along with his newly assembled emergency pack, which included rations and a first aid kit. This time, he would be prepared. The sailors and four marines were waiting for him in the bay.

“We did this before, and we can do it again,” he told them. “I don’t know what we’ll find, but this was an important facility—so be ready. It was also an unmanned facility, so no one should be there.”

Harve recognized the pilot of the shuttle as the one who thought he was a fighter pilot. The shuttle entered the atmosphere like a comet. The pilot only slowed when he began to get warning lights—from external heat.

“One minute out!” the pilot announced, sounding disappointed. He obviously hadn’t learned yet that often the most dangerous part of the trip was a minute out.

“Everyone, be sure your weapons are loaded and on safe,” Harve ordered. “Anyone shoots a hole in this shuttle or in me, your grandmother will feel your pain!”

The shuttle hit the ground hard and Harve felt his safety belt dig into his gut.

“Pilot, did we crash?” Harve shouted, happy to be on the ground.

The pilot raised his arm and made the sign of a circle with his fingers as the hatch opened.

“Come on, everyone,” Harve said as he led his team to the hatch. “We’re not wanted here.”

The smell of sulphur and the extreme heat made two of the sailors drop to their knees and begin to pray.

“Off your knees, damn it,” Harve shouted, “or you’ll wish you were in the fiery place! Everyone get to the depot, now!”

The ground shook and lava began to spew from a distant volcano. The tarmac was cracked from seismic activity.
Now I know why the depot is unmanned,
Harve thought.
This place would make a great prison
.

The front of the facility was undisturbed except for the peeling paint and large areas of rust. Harve spotted a scanner by the main entrance and hoped it still was working.

“Harve from fleet logistics requests access,” he said into the speaker. The entire side of the building opened, to Harve’s surprise. “Okay, everyone spread out and begin to search—and keep an eye out. We don’t know what little devils may have taken up residence. You two marines, keep watch to make sure we don’t get any unexpected visitors.”

Feeling drenched, Harve took off his coat. The shelves ahead of him looked untouched. He was going over for a closer inspection when he heard a clatter from the far side of the huge warehouse. Two sailors let out blood-curdling screams and ran for the entrance. Neither had their weapons.

“B-b-back in the corner, sir,” the sailor said, barely able to spit out the words. Since the two marines were nearby and had heavier firepower, Harve motioned for them to go check it out, and he followed close behind. Ahead, he saw what had caused the disturbance. A family of carrion eating beasts had made the corner of the warehouse its home and was living on the field rations stored there. The creatures stood about a foot tall and appeared to have an exoskeleton. Their faces consisted only of four eyes and a huge mouth filled with massive teeth that looked like unfired projectiles.

The marines were slowly backing away. Harve decided it must be a religious thing. He made his way past them, pulled out his side arm, and took careful aim as one of the marines gasped in horror. The first shot went through the biggest beast’s head and echoed loudly throughout the warehouse. None of the other beasts moved away from the dead one. Harve killed the remaining eight beasts in rapid sequence.

“Now what was so hard about that?” Harve stared at both marines, expecting an answer.

“Sir, carrion eater beasts can jump twenty feet and spit deadly poison. There’s no antidote for the poison.”

Harve judged the distance between him and the dead bodies to be about fifteen feet and grew queasy.

“Bah! First demons, then poison spitting beasts. What would you all do if there was a real enemy here? Now let’s see what we have here that we can use.” Motioning to the sailors who’d discovered the creatures, Harve said, “And you two, go pick up your weapons!”

The depot had enough small arms for an entire regiment. Harve estimated there were enough weapons, munitions, and field supplies to fill at least three cargo ships. He pulled out his signaler.

“Vengeance, this is ground team.”

“What have you found, ground team?”

“Depot has not been touched. We have enough weapons and supplies to outfit a regiment. Estimate enough material to fill three standard cargo ships.”

“Good job. We’ll send down teams to take inventory as the materials are removed. After the first cargo ship lands, you’re to return to the Vengeance. Vengeance, out.”

The Phoenix, en route to Glory

19 April 2129

The crew soon found out that Namid had unlimited energy. She couldn’t sit for more than an hour. When she wasn’t asking questions, she found things to do. Short Blade was embarrassed when she started cleaning the shuttle, and he vowed to himself to keep it cleaner.

At one point Namid surprised Short Blade with a uniform she’d made for him using one of his flight suits as a pattern. She’d found a joiner in one of the toolkits and asked Guns to show her how to use it. He figured it would provide him with some temporary amusement, but when he saw what a quick learner she was, he was noticeably impressed.

Short Blade escaped the woman by taking Jimmy to the cockpit so he could begin training him to navigate and fly the shuttle. Short Blade made it clear that every member of the crew would eventually have to be able to operate the shuttle without the AI.

When Phoenix announced that they would be dropping out of FTL in an hour, Short Blade and the men almost cheered. Short Blade was already dreading the day he would return the human female to Earth. He decided he would put her in the stasis-enabled hold.

Dropping out of FTL a safe distance from the planet was a wise move, as hundreds of ships of every type were in orbit or waiting to get permission to assume orbit.

“Small ship approaching Glory from heading 225, please identify yourself and reason for visit.”

“This is the Phoenix, Captain Short Blade commanding. Returning to my home base. Request priority permission to land on my field in northern Claw Clan.

“Welcome home, Phoenix. You are cleared for direct heading to Claw Clan territory to land.” Short Blade let out a breath of relief. The thought of being confined any longer with the human female was not a pleasant one.

“Because of the heavy traffic, I’ll have Phoenix land the ship,” Short Blade told Jimmy. “Phoenix, you have control. Please take us home.”

The three-screen display was set up once again for Namid, and she watched in quiet fascination as they began to descend through the atmosphere to her new home.

Short Blade grew tense when he saw that some of the buildings on the ranch had sustained damage. He silently willed the ship to hurry up and land so he could find out what had happened. When at last they were on the ground, he practically ran for the exit, not even waiting for the exterior of the shuttle to cool.

Ramirez was standing there waiting, his hand wrapped in a bandage spotted with blood.

“Juan, what happened?”

“It was quiet after you left. I had sentries posted at the main entrances to the ranch, as well as roaming patrols. One of the roaming patrols was hit by an unknown number of rustlers. The patrol was getting the upper hand when additional rustlers started to fire on the ranch itself. The patrol broke contact, along with the reaction force that was en route to reinforce it. Fortunately, no one on our side was killed. Three warriors were injured, but they should recover fully. The rustlers didn’t get any cows.”

“Was it reported to the authorities?”

“They sent someone out who took a report. He hinted that since you’re so well-off, a ‘gratuity’ might be in order before anything can be done.”

“We’ll take care of this on our own. I brought more cattle and a veterinarian. Let’s get the animals offloaded. Put the vet in the bunkhouse with you and Ralph. Have her look at your hand and examine the three injured warriors. Get her a comm device with full translation ability, as well.”

“Her? You brought a woman here? What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I needed her, and Jimmy strongly recommended her. That reminds me. The two chiefs that were on the Beater with us have joined our crew. Their main function will be to operate the shuttle, but if you need their help, don’t hesitate to ask. They will live in the Phoenix.”

“Hey, Juan-More-Time! It’s been awhile!” Guns shouted from the hatchway as he escorted Namid off the shuttle. Jimmy brought up the rear.

“Lord, give me strength,” Ramirez said to Guns as the two men hugged.

Short Blade watched for a moment with amusement but knew he had to get busy.

“Everyone, please introduce yourselves and then get the cattle and the material off the shuttle. The remainder of the cargo in bay two stays there. I have to get to work.”

Short Blade entered the house, went to his office, and picked up the comm device.

“Father, I hope you’re well.”

“Short Blade, I’m surprised to hear from you so soon. I guess it was too much to hope that we would get the additional AIs for our Fire fleet.”

The unintended insult stung deeply, and Short Blade resisted the urge to respond unkindly.

“No, Colonel, I was successful. I was even able to get the same model of class-one AI that’s currently in use, which will make modifications easier. And the price will be reasonable. I need the council to appoint me as a ‘special enforcer,’ answerable only to the council. I also want the council to recognize cattle rustling as a death penalty offense. The last item I’m requesting is that the council ban the import of Earth cattle. Those who already have cattle will be grandfathered and allowed to continue importing cattle.”

“So you want to be above the law and have the council protect your endeavors. You have learned much from the humans.”

“I want to serve my planet, but we both know that will never happen because I’m a runt. What I’ve learned from the humans has kept me from winding up in the gutter with the beggars and will ensure that I never do. When I’m off-world, I want to make sure that my ranch and employees are safe. They’ve been attacked numerous times. I refuse to pay a bribe in order for the authorities to act on my behalf. So far I’ve resisted taking the law into my own hands, but I won’t wait any longer. Four of my people have been injured. Tonight, I will get revenge and my cattle back.”

Short Blade paused to catch his breath before continuing. “When you’ve secured the council’s consent, I will have the AIs delivered. If the council refuses, I’ll have no trouble selling them to the Republic for a considerable fortune.”

“I didn’t know you’d been attacked. That changes everything. The deal you have made for the AIs is a major bargain for the council and the fleet. We owe you more than what you ask, Son.”

“Then I hope the council has a long memory, in the event I need a favor. Goodbye, Father.”

After replaying their conversation in his head, Colonel Blade decided he would endorse his son’s request and support him however he could. In addition to what Short Blade had requested, he would ask that his son be authorized a staff of one hundred deputies to aid him in his capacity as a special enforcer. And he would take his son’s payment request to the head of the council. With the colonel’s backing, few would oppose the request.

In the bunkhouse, Namid was tending to Ramirez’s injured wrist. She had cleaned it and was in the process of rebandaging it when she noticed him wince with pain. “Don’t be such a baby,” she teased.

The three Jacka warriors didn’t quite understand her comment, but they got the gist of it and laughed among themselves as they waited their turn to be seen.

When Namid motioned to the largest of the warriors to come to her, he didn’t hesitate. He smiled at Ramirez as he sat down and showed his bandaged wound to her as a mark of honor. She couldn’t believe that she was on an alien planet cleaning wounds on a giant lion, and that it all seemed perfectly natural. After cleaning the wound and rebandaging it she gave the warrior a hug, which he reciprocated. The waiting warriors roared their approval.

“Hey, Doc. Yeah, you, Doc. Come with me to the shuttle.” Dias waved for her to follow him and headed back toward the shuttle, not waiting for her to catch up.

When she stepped inside the shuttle, Diaz had his back turned to her. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “I was getting tired of being the canker mechanic.” He turned around and handed her a tiny object. “Here, hold this to your neck behind your ear. You might feel some burning for a minute or two. Just ignore it.” Then he handed her another and said, “Now do the same with this one in the center of your throat, under your chin.”

“Okay. What did that do? Was it to help my metabolism adjust to this planet?”

“Nah, Doc, I just gave you your comm. All you do is press the button and then say ‘comm’ and the name of the person you want to talk to. When you get an incoming comm, it’ll feel like your ear is vibrating. If you’re listening to a foreign language, just press the button and it’ll translate for you—provided you’re within range of a comm node. There’s a comm node in orbit on a satellite here and on most planets aligned with Earth. When we’re on a new planet, the shuttle acts as the comm node.”

Namid was amazed by the technology, but something in the back of her mind kept nagging at her. She was slowly getting the idea that everyone was expecting her to be the doctor—and not just for the animals. The sound of barking snapped her back to full awareness. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten about her dogs.

“Alpha!” she shouted as she ran outside. When she saw them, she realized they were herding the cows into a nearby pen—without her even giving them the command.

“Smart dogs, Doc,” Ramirez called out to her. He was standing next to the gate of the pen watching the four collies herd the cows inside. As the last of the cows went through the gate, he closed it and Namid whistled for her collies to come to her.

“Oh, my little babies. I’m so sorry. I forgot all about you. You like your new home?” Namid dropped to her knees and hugged and petted her collies. When she finally got up, she told them to go play. A strange sensation that she could only describe as complete love filled Namid as the dogs went racing.

“You feeling it, Doc?” Ramirez asked.

“What do you mean?” She was confused by his question, and by the feeling that was starting to fade.

“One of the unintended side effects of the comms is that sometimes we can sense what’s going on inside animals, like your collies.”

In his office, Short Blade was mapping out his plan for dealing with the rustlers. He hoped what he had in mind would act as a deterrent to other thieves.

“Phoenix, how many cows are missing, and are you able to read their trackers?”

“Thirty cows are no longer on the ranch property, and I’m receiving thirty tracker transmissions. Twenty-nine are coming from east of Lance City. The last one is ten miles north of the ranch, near Spirit Mountain.”

Short Blade decided to go get the stray first. He commed Ramirez to let him know where he was going.

“Juan, I’m going up north to pick up a stray. Do you have everything under control here?”

“Sure, boss. You want anyone to ride up there with you?”

“Thanks, but I have this one.”
I wonder if he thinks I need help or if he’d suggest that to anyone else?
Short Blade thought.

When he jumped on the hover cycle, the noise drowned out his thoughts for at least a little while. The machine felt like it was bucking to go faster, so he opened it up. He was riding a couple of feet off the ground, weeds and rocks flashing by beneath him. The wind in his face helped clear his mind and he settled in to enjoy the ride and the solitude on the open range.

“Captain, you’re within a hundred feet of the lost cow,” Phoenix announced.

He acknowledged the alert and put the machine in a motionless hover so he could search for the cow. It was difficult to see anything on the ground with the high grass and shrubs blocking out everything. Then he heard several Talon birds and saw a couple land not far away. Sure enough, he found them pecking away at the remains of the cow. Furious, he fired his modified beamer to scare them off. The cow appeared to have been dead for a few days, and it was obvious that numerous predators had dined on the carcass. He examined it until he found what he was looking for—a spot under the throat that was slightly burned and continued through the body, or what was left of it, in a straight line. His fury rose. He pulled out his short beamer and methodically began to shoot around the vicinity of the cow’s
reticulum
. Poking the barrel of the beamer into the area, he heard the tracker click against the metal of the barrel and removed it.

He angrily got back on his hover cycle to return home. He wouldn’t let this happen to another of the big animals he had come to love. He would have revenge.