“You went back to the past?” I said.
“Yes. We thought we might return after the toxins faded from the atmosphere. But we made one great mistake. The invaders discovered our ploy and they too came through time. They had three ships circling and preparing to bomb the planet. But a number of Soltarians, infected with the toxin but not showing any symptoms yet, had returned to their ships. They infected the crews. In a short time most of them were dying. With no one to run them, the ships began to fall to earth and were destroyed. When the Soltarians on the last ship saw their comrades dead, they destroyed the atmosphere and turned the planet into an ice world, thus assuring we could never return to the present. The remaining Soltarians on the surface of the planet had gone through time to three hundred years in the past, where they are now.”
“So they are imprisoned in the past. That means we don’t have to worry about them.”
He shook his head. “Just the opposite. Thousands of Soltarians escaped into the past. But they took with them robots, weapons and all their knowledge. The Soltarians also bred quickly, very quickly. With the knowledge they took into the past they can rebuild their civilization. In fifty years or less they can be as powerful as you are now. They can make ships and begin their storm of conquest. Can your world of two hundred and fifty years ago stop them?”
I slowly shook my head. “No. Not the Earth of two hundred and fifty years ago.”
“Our mistake will unleash the Soltarians into a galaxy totally unprepared for them.”
“As the British might say, this is a bloody mess,” I said. “OK, one more thing. In one of the caverns, a reptilian creature appeared, in the same manner you did. Do you know where he’s from?”
Tarum shook his head. “No, we fought the Soltarians. Any other creature is a complete surprise to me.”
Then where did the lizard come from?
Chapter 10
I wasn’t quite sure I understood all the ramifications from what Tarum was telling me. To be more blunt, I knew I didn’t understand all the complications. So I buzzed Cajun and said I needed her. A few minutes later she knocked and walked in, smiling the beautiful French-Asian smile. I hated to have to change that smile into a frown…
“Know anything about time?” I asked.
“I know it’s creeping up on me, as it is on all of us.”
I had Tarum repeat his story. Cajun, by the millimetric lifting of her eyebrows and the slight twitch of her lips, appeared more fascinated by his story than annoyed. I was more annoyed.
“Tarum, before this happened, did your race go through time? Have members of your race gone into the past before your planet was invaded?” Cajun asked.
“Yes, a selected few. Historians, scientists, a few writers. No one without a legitimate reason for traveling to the past was allowed to do so. We knew the danger. We had no official police on the planet. We didn’t need any. But we created a special security service to make sure the timeline would not be disrupted. They proved efficient and effective.”
“Tarum, when you left the past to return here, what was the status of your race and the status of the Soltarians?”
“Good question. I should have asked that,” I said.
“What is left of my race is scattered on the planet. There are a few pockets of Cappnids on the southern hemisphere. The Soltarians seemed content to leave us there. As they populate the planet it’s only a matter of time for us. Right now they’re engaged in more important matters than hunting down the last of my race.”
“But if they had taken over the planet and launched into space, our time would be different. Everything would change, which it hasn’t, at least for now.”
“A time paradox that, at the present, I cannot explain. It may be because we have manipulated time we ourselves are, for a while, standing outside the time stream. But I doubt that will last long. We must act quickly.”
Cajun still looked fascinated, but I grew more annoyed. “That ‘we’ is not all-inclusive, Tarum. You mean Ryvenbark’s Raiders must act quickly.”
He nodded. “If you do not want your race and the galaxy as you knew it destroyed, you must return with me to the past and annihilate our enemies. Only then will the past and the future be safe.”
A long silence followed.
It was broken by Cajun.
“I think he’s right, Logan. We need to go back in time and defeat the Soltarians before the timeline can be altered. We don’t know how much time we have, but I’d guess the sooner we go, the better.”
“And how do we return to our time?”
“I can help you with that,” Tarum said. “I can devise a time belt that each of you will wear. I will show you how to work it. It will bring you back to the present time.”
“Come to think of it, we don’t have to go. Couldn’t we just send a vial of the toxin back? Release it in the atmosphere and our problem is solved.”
“Unfortunately, that is not possible. Our scientists released our complete supply of the toxin. There is no more.”
“Well, shucks,” I said.
“You’re saying that a lot lately, major,” Cajun said.
She gave me a playful slap on the shoulder. “You do have a way with words. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
“Yea.”
She looked at me. “Seriously, major, I suggest we begin packing. We have a long way to go.”
Chapter 11
Cajun, Tarum and I stood around a computer table. The screen flashed a picture of Sandeling three hundred years ago. Unlike the current frosty mess, the land looked like Kansas. The wheat on Sandeling – or what looked like wheat – stood only about three feet tall, yellow and waving in the wind. Tarum told me it used to grow over most of the planet. Like Kansas, the region we were interested in was mostly flat with one small mountain range.
The only thing with an attitude at all on the flat, yellow land was what might be described as the Sandeling equivalent of a black medieval castle. Three hundred years ago, the Cappnids had a thing for castles. Tarum pointed to it.
“We were always a rural people with no need of large buildings. This structure is the largest for five hundred miles, which is one reason the Soltarians are using it for a headquarters. Their soldiers, to the best of my knowledge, have only guns, but nothing larger. Some have pistols and others have what you call rifles, but they shoot bolts of fire.”
“Lasers,” I said. “How many soldiers are there?”
“My best guess is close to two thousand.”
“I have fifty men. That means the odds are forty to one.”
“But we’re Ryvenbark’s Raiders. We can take forty to one odds,” Cajun said.
“Yes, but the Soltarians have a defensive position. The odds are always with a defensive army in a situation like this. We have no cover. They have a wall in front of them. Which means a frontal assault when they have forty times our number would be foolish and deadly.”
“I see no other way,” Tarum said.
“There is another way. When Gen. Burnside attacked the dug-in Confederates at Fredericksburg there might have been no other way, but there is now.”
“They have scientific and military equipment in the castle. Underneath is one of our portals to our time machine.”
“So it’s the Grand Central Station of the past. Any nearby troops?”
“No. Their closest outpost is about two hundred miles. They have no transportation. If they go anywhere they have to walk. They could not bring any of their vehicles through the time gate.”
“Good. By the time reinforcements come we should be on our way back to the present,” I said. I tapped the map. “Is there any cover around this…? Let’s call it a castle. Any forests, any woods, anything like that?”
Tarum placed his finger off to the west, beyond the map. “About eight miles from the castle there is a forest with dense trees but paths through it. But for eight miles afterward there is open ground.”
“You thinking of an air atta
ck?” Cajun asked.
“I sure am. We have about two dozen drones. We could fill them with explosives and send them in first. Blow the walls of the castle and kill a lot of the enemy. Hopefully, we can decimate their forces and then fly in and pick off the rest. Destroy any equipment or weapons they have and get back to the present before reinforcements can arrive.”
I turned to Tarum. “This is the place where they have stored all their weapons and all their computers?”
“Yes. This is one of the few buildings, at least one of the few buildings in the northern hemisphere that they could use for that purpose. We are rural people. We have houses and some areas that you might call small towns, but nothing of a military nature. In this building they rigged up their power generators so they could use their computers and other equipment. But they knew they needed more than one such place. Other Soltarians are building other castles across the hemisphere.”
“I don’t think we would have to kill them all. They might die off in fifty some years. They would have shelter but no food. We might risk leaving the other settlements alone.”
“Our winter is severe. I have read about your world. In terms of winter, think northern Canada. Our winter will come in one month. The temperature does not bother us, because we can regulate our body temperature. We are secure no matter what the outside temperature is. But the Soltarians, with no supplies or provisions, would probably die during our winter. Even if they don’t, without the technology they have stored in the castle, they would be of no danger.”
“They destroyed the atmosphere in the present. A bit ironic the weather will kill them in the past. We have to make sure the drones hit their target. That’s vital,” I said.
One of General Robert E. Lee’s biggest mistakes was the Gettysburg disaster when he sent Pickett’s men on a charge against the Union flank. The Union troops behind defensive positions cut Pickett’s valiant infantrymen to pieces. Lee’s army of Northern Virginia never recovered from the loss. But Lee was a brilliant general. He took chances — such as splitting his army at Chancellorsville — but they were never reckless chances. His victory at Chancellorsville is still admired today by military leaders. The plan at Gettysburg looked good on paper. He had his artillery pound the Union position before the attack. His idea was to decimate the enemy force and leave them fatally weakened before the unfortunate charge. It was a sound idea, but it wasn’t carried out effectively. Somehow the Confederate gunners estimated wrongly. Most of their fire fell beyond the Union lines hurting no one and certainly not crippling the Union army. When Pickett charged up the hill, the Union forces were at full strength and ready.
So if the drones missed the castle, we would have two thousand enemy soldiers cutting us to pieces. We’d have our jets on as we swooped down. Men and women whizzing by via jets are not easy to shoot. They’re moving too fast. But it’s not all that easy to aim when you’re jetting toward the enemy either. I needed the enemy to be crippled before we started our attack or we’d die on an alien planet and three hundred years from home.
Fortunately I had a better officer than General Lee did.
“Mr. Tyson?”
The reply was immediate. “Yes, sir.”
“I need to see you. Would you join us, please?”
“Be right there, major.”
I buzzed Rab and told him to get the squad ready for action. He said “Good, the guys and girls are tired of sitting around and want some action.”
In two hours, the squad would get their wish.
I saluted Tyson when he walked in. The computer compressed the three hundred-years-old scene. On the west corner of the screen, a green and brown forest stood. I tapped the castle with my finger.
“This is your target. I don’t know what it’s built of or much about the defenses. I want your drones to destroy it or do as much damage as possible before we move in,” I said.
Tyson nodded. He looked incredibly young. Twenty-one maybe. Fresh face. I doubted he even shaved. Blond crew cut. Bright green eyes. Dazzling smile full of confidence. He gave his full attention to the map for about ten seconds, then looked at me.
“No problem, major. No matter what it’s built of. Drones can carry a lot of explosives in a very small space. We should be able to shatter the walls and the main structure. If the enemy has soldiers on the ground, we can wipe out them too.”
“What if the enemy has about two thousand soldiers on the ground?”
He waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. “We drop a cluster bomb and a fire bomb. The fire will spread from one wall to another. It will be one great barbecue. Or drop a neutron bomb. The castle is standing, but dead bodies will be all around. Neutron bomb is less nasty. The enemy simply drops dead.”
“Very good, Mr. Tyson.”
I buzzed Rab again.
“Tell the squad we leave in two hours. In two hours and thirty minutes we rain death on our target.”
Chapter 12
The squad was dressed smart in their dark blue uniforms. Every soldier snapped to attention and saluted. They all held their silver laser rifle. All had shiny computers bands on their wrists. Goggles atop of their silver helmets. The two dozen security people from the ship wore burgundy uniforms. We provided them with our extra laser rifles. I wasn’t sure how good they would be on the battlefield. No doubt they were brave, but many were inexperienced in the type of battle the Raiders were used to. But once we bounced into the past, we would split into smaller squads, with at least one Raider in each. I didn’t want security people left alone to make mistakes. I stepped up on the small platform.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, I don’t give long speeches.”
“And we appreciate that, sir.”
“I’m sure you want to keep your record intact, sir.”
I frowned. I was possibly the only commander in the Federation who had to put up with sarcasm.
“Yes, I do Ms. Aguiline. So put your mind at ease. This won’t take long.”
Raven Aquiline was six-two, with black, silken hair, blazing blue eyes and great wit. There were no second-rate soldiers in the squad but, even so, she was one of the best. One of the quickest too. Fast as a gazelle. Could turn on a dime.
“If all goes well, we will shortly be beamed three hundred years into the past. We will rendezvous, send our drones to what looks like a medieval castle full of bad guys. Hopefully, the drones will dispatch all, or almost all of them and all we have to do is a quick mop-up operation. Our enemies have almost annihilated the Cappnids. So this trip is all or nothing. We do not take prisoners. Due to necessity we need to kill any Soltarians we see. Understand?”
“Yes, sir!” they said in unison.
“You all have your time belts on?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then we shall proceed to one of the caverns. Rab, lead the troop out.”
Rab saluted, turned to the squad and said, “Let’s go and look sharp.”
With Astrid and Tarum beside me, I followed the squad. When we got to the designated cavern, Tarum splayed his fingers on a section of the wall and played piano. The walls dissipated and the cavern turned into a high-tech facility. In the center there was a green circle. Tarum pointed to it.
“That’s where we should stand.”
I nodded. “First, we’re going to try an experiment. Blackjack. Come here.”
Smiling, Blackjack walked to the front. “Yes, sir.”
I looked at Tarum. “I’d like to do a test case first. I’m going to test the time belts. You are going to send Blackjack here into the past. Then he is going to come back — in one piece we trust.”
Tarum gave a baffled stare.
“When you get to your destination Blackjack, I want you to immediately return. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
I lifted the IMI Desert Eagle semi-automatic handgun from my holster and put the barrel a millimeter away from Tarum’s head. The Desert Eagle doesn’t look all much different than most other handguns,
but it does have a unique design, with a triangular barrel and large muzzle. Its design is so good only minor modifications have been made to the gun in centuries. You have to appreciate workmanship like that.
“Would you like to change anything in his time belt before you send him? Because if he doesn’t come back, you’ll have real problems and so will your race. Comprende?”
Tarum stood silent for a minute. The grays eyes muddied even more and turned a darker gray. The eyes moistened. I wondered if Cappnids often cried. He was close to it. After another minute he spoke.
“Yes, I would.”
“Then why don’t you do it? Cajun, get up here.”
In a split second she stood by me. I kept the gun pointed at Tarum. “I want you to check and see what he does. In fact, he’s going to give you a quick five-minute course on how to use the time belts. Learning the intricacies of time travel might take a while, but a time belt should be simple enough to use. Then we’re going to test it.” I put the gun barrel against Tarum’s skin. “If you lie to me one more time, I’ll kill you.”
I stepped back and waved the gun.
“Do it,” I said.
Either Tarum was a good teacher or Cajun was a quick learner. Probably the latter. In five minutes she walked back to me and nodded.
“I know how to work them, major.”
“Tarum, I’m guessing all the other belts have to be modified too.”
“Yes.”
“Then first we will send Blackjack into the past. If he comes back, you and I will have a discussion. If he doesn’t come back, we’ll say a brief eulogy for you.”
“Your soldier will return,” Tarum said, in a strong voice.
Chapter 13
Blackjack did blink back a minute after he left. All in one piece, thank goodness. He reported it was a fine, sunny day in the past. His landing point was only about ten yards from the forest. He could see the castle in the distance.
I retired with Astrid, Cajun and Tarum to a small room. I sat across from him at a table while Astrid and Cajun pointed their guns at him. I laid my Desert Eagle on the table.