CHAPTER 14
2179 – Surface of UDA Colony Planet, White Earth
David Stone Rain knew when he uttered the words that he was ordering the death of six tribals. “Hold position Eagle One. Break out the heavies, do not let Outriders pass your position.”
The fat tires of the King Rat combat buggy spun chunks of healthy green grass and moist brown soil as Stone Rain's driver swerved hard to avoid a large rut in the path to the planet gun.
“Papa Eagle, this is Eagle One. Breaking out heavies now. We are moving in to cut UDA body tank troops short. Make it count.”
Stone Rain shook his head as the King Rat sailed over a bluff. He ignored the maelstrom of violence that surrounded him and refocused his eyes to the comp set he wore. He saw an overhead view of the battlefield. He finger tapped and his keying bands read the movement and adjusted the view on his comp set. “Eagle Two and Seven, move now to point 07634. Hover tank, moving in. All units increase spread by 150 meters. Air strike will hit in two minutes, forty seconds.”
Stone Rain was pleased to see his go-team was now half a kilometer from the planet gun. He tried to ignore the fact that a dozen small icons blinked off in the little time he had the overview off. A tap of his fingers cut off the overview and with a quick fluid motion, Stone Rain raised his Sledge Lawbringer. He finger tapped a link to the weapon into his comp set and locked onto a fast moving UDA scout vehicle after fifteen seconds of frenzied tracking. When the scout vehicle was suddenly surrounded by bright blinking brackets he squeezed the fire button. The Lawbringer kicked. Stone Rain did not bother to watch the bolt of energy burn a path to and through the vehicle.
The King Rat was now sliding sideways as the driver adjusted his course to avoid a large area of jutting rocks. Stone Rain took in the beautiful landscape of White Earth. The grassy plain the King Rat now sped over was part of a six hundred kilometer square vacation dude ranch enjoyed by the UDA elite. The entire planet was covered by posh entertainment resorts in varying guises built by and for the UDA elite.
The ground shook as the planet gun rocked off a blazing shaft of hard light. Stone Rain's comp set automatically dimmed to lessen the brief blindness the flash caused. Far above, a lodge ship's aft section exploded into shards of plasteel, destroyed electronics and scattered bodies. The massive ship's engine continued to surge it forward until it careened slowly toward White Earth’s atmosphere where it would burn to thousands of small wet plasteel globules.
“Papa Eagle, this is Eagle Six…” Static jumped across the link as UDA jammers scrambled the feed. A few seconds later when the AmerIndian ciphers defeated the jammers, Stone Rain caught the message repeat. “Approaching Goliath now. We have adequate support fire. Pack will be in position in thirty seconds. Additional twenty seconds for HE plant. Suggest you pull in the transport now. Echo back, Papa Eagle.”
Stone rain leaned in into his driver as the Rat King slid across the top of a low hill. “Just the way we practiced it, Eagle Six. I'm pulling the transport to us so it’s got to be done now. No second shot. The UDA air support is close.” Stone Rain tapped his fingers and switched frequencies. “Red Tomahawk, Mescelero and Speckled Snake. Full Evac now on my coordinates.” A tap of the finger and he opened all units frequency. “All units rally back to Papa Eagle. Evac in two minutes, fifty seconds -”
Stone Rain whipped his head back as he heard the distinct wail of the UDA Wraiths. Long, slim, black fighters swooped low. They strafed the ground in a tight pattern. The six Wraiths were on a path that took them four or five kilometers south of Stone Rain. His comp set was clear of information. He knew if he accessed the unit tracker dozens of icons would be blinking off as the fighters mowed down his men. A brief relief came to him as the Wraiths raced past the range of his men and he caught sight of AmerIndian Confederacy Jet Tigers screaming ahead of the transports. His relief died quickly as two Wraiths cut hard and headed straight toward his King Rat.
One fighter burned ahead of the other and began spraying hard light a kilometer before it reached the King Rat. Stone Rain knew the tactic. His driver was now wheeling the buggy around to avoid the approaching fire. The following wingman would watch where the King Rat ran and pin the buggy down. Stone Rain, however, kept his mouth shut knowing his driver was aware of the fighter's plan. The driver would get them out or he wouldn't. The tires sprayed soil and grass in every direction as the driver tried desperately to put them over the next hill. The driver yelled, “We're locked, BAIL!”
The driver finger tapped and their restraint harnesses released automatically. The two dove from the King Rat as it sailed over the edge of the hill. The hard light cannon of the following Wraith blazed, one beam catching the King Rat at the apex of its jump. The King Rat shattered like a glass balloon. Stone Rain hit the ground hard, his bones slamming into his muscles and lungs. He rolled and before he came to a rest he felt a sharp pain run from his lower stomach to his back. He stopped rolling and could not move as his body struggled to refill his lungs with air.
From where he lay Stone Rain could see the stars. They were beautiful. Everything on White Earth was beautiful. Colored flashes passed from point to point in the sky, AC lodge ships firing on UDA colony ships. Stone Rain began to become aware of the intense pain in his abdomen. As his blood flowed onto the White Earth plains, it occurred to him that he would rather continue to lay and watch the beautiful stars above than sit up and see the piece of ferroplast roll bar that jutted from his stomach.
The stars were gone. Stone Rain recognized the soft light of overhead glowplast. The hallway zoomed by. Even at this speed, with tribals running at the sides of his gurney, Stone Rain could tell he was not on an Apache lodge ship. The bright, carved, curved symbols of shaman magic told him he was on the Haida lodge ship. A sharp right and the gurney entered the medicine house of Morningstar Prax, chief of the Haida and the AmerIndian Confederacy's most skilled Shaman Healer. He could smell the healing herbs and feel the power in the room.
Morningstar's harshly attractive features filled his view. “Attention, warrior. Awaken, Stone Rain. Your battle is not over.” Morningstar clapped her hands in his face. It startled Stone Rain and the realization that his body was broken flooded back. Pain assaulted him.
Stone Rain heard the deep, resonant chanting of Morningstar's assistants. Morningstar was now moving her hands in smooth, slow arcs. Stone Rain could feel his blood flowing out of him, slower now. He could hear each drop hit the plasteel floor below. A moment of chanting and ritual passed and Morningstar moved back in. She lowered her hands to Stone Rain's abdomen. He felt her power as she pulled the rollbar fragment out of him.
Morningstar turned, handing the bloody ferroplast to an assistant. She closed her eyes, letting the sound of the drums refill her soul with healing power. As she did this, one of her assistants injected Stone Rain and shunted a medicinal lead into his forearm. He could see the pain on Morningstar’s face as he watched her gather more power than she could safely contain. Her hands came down again to his body and he was consumed by raw, unabated energy that pulled and wove at his wound. Morningstar fell back, spent and dazed. Two assistants rushed to her side. Stone Rain felt energy, winding, spinning at the imperfections of his body. As the healing began Stone Rain understood the Haida's work more clearly.
Morningstar’s healing power did not mend and recreate, it simply vitalized the healing forces within his body. As the magic searched for vitality to be strengthened, there was little to be found. Too much of his essence lay on a dark patch of grass back on White Earth, too much soaked the gurney and floor beneath him. Stone Rain knew he was about to die. “My fam- family…”
The lead assistant stepped forward. “No, warrior. We can heal you. Lie still, but do not surrender.”
“No.” His voice was laced with weakness. “Bring them to me.”
Peshlakai rushed forward. “I am here, brave. Your sons as well.” His wife, a dark, striking beauty, spoke quickly, as she did when she was upset.
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Stone Rain grabbed her hand. “Th- Thank you, Peshlakai.” He squeezed her fingers but there was no force in the gesture. Weakness from a man who had always been her strength made her erupt in tears. Her one and only love lay broken before her.
“I lo- I lo-” he stammered at the words but there was more than the gaping wound that kept him from saying them.
“I know, brave. I know.” Peshlakai kissed his forehead. He had never been good at any point in their seventeen years of marriage at expressing his love to her in words. But he had told her one thousand times in his faithfulness, hard work and physical touch.
“My sons…”
Peshlakai nodded and kissed him once again. His lips were growing cold. Two boys stepped forward. Despite the four years difference between the two they were the same height. The similarities ended there. Keokuk, the older son, was heavy and his head was shaved in the style of the Tsimshian codejack. Wovoka, only twelve, was well muscled, lean, and his black hair was long and straight. He wore the black Apache uniform, festooned with the weapons harness, pockets and clips of an Infiltrator.
Stone Rain again reached out. Wovoka took his hand immediately. Keokuk did not move. “Wovoka, son…” He coughed and shuddered with the sheer impact of the action. “I am proud of what you are and I am proud of what you will be. Did my force take the planet gun?”
“Yes, father. G Spec's pack leveled it with the ape load. Evac brought back fifty-six percent of the force.”
Stone Rain pulled himself forward with tremendous effort. “Good, Good. I believe I earned my second name today. I would have earned Great Brother status today. When Coganthan passed on I would…”
“No father, you will be chief of the Apache. Let the shaman use her power…”
“No, Wovoka. I pass to the great river today. I am not afraid. But I have failed in my life vision. I have failed in my service to the Apache, in my service to Elder Weaver. But you will not fail, Wovoka. You are smarter, stronger, faster than I ever was.” Stone Rain stopped. Tears rolled from his eyes. Peshlakai gasped because it was the only time she had ever seen him shed a tear. “You are beautiful, my son. You will carry our family to great heights in the AC. Now swear to me son. Swear that you will complete what I started. That you will become chief of the Apache.”
“Father,” Wovoka hesitated, tears streamed down his face as he searched for the words to tell his father that he was only a boy. As he looked down on the man who had served the AmerIndian Confederacy tirelessly every day of Wovoka's life, he could find no such words. “I will be chief of the Apache. I swear this to you and Wakonda. I will complete what you have started. I will claim what you have earned.”
Stone Rain leaned up and pulled Wovoka to him, kissing his cheek. He held on to Wovoka and Wovoka straightened, pulling his father upright. A patch of dark red grew around his stomach again as the bleeding intensified from his movement.
“Keokuk.” Keokuk did not move. He watched his father. “Your choices shame our family. In one harvest you will become a tribal. Your mother and brother will need you. You must stay with the Apache tribe. Continue playing your tech games if you choose, but you must join the Apache. Swear to me that you will not betray my memory. Swear to me you will not join the Tsimshian. Swear to me that you will serve the Apache honorably under your brother’s leadership.”
Keokuk stood motionless. No tears formed in his eyes. They were burned away by his hatred. He did not answer. The silence grew thick and arid.
“Swear it!” His father shouted and he fell forward coughing blood onto Wovoka's uniform.
“I swear that I will join the Apache and not the Tsimshian tribe. This I swear to you and Wakonda.” Keokuk stared at the husk of the man before him with contempt.
“Good, good.”
Stone Rain let go of his life. Wovoka howled in rage and his mother wailed, falling to her knees. Morningstar hung her head. Keokuk turned his back and walked out of the room.