14
Bearer of Bad News
Major Freelan and Major Oakril were waiting when Commander Lanzia climbed down from his fighter. He had radioed in that the mission had been a success but they couldn’t wait to hear the details. Commander Lanzia wondered why Lorin had not come out with them.
“Where’s Lorin?” he asked.
“She’s afraid to see you,” Major Oakril said. “She’s been sick ever since she heard her husband left sick bay to join the operation. She went to her quarters and nobody has seen her since.”
Commander Lanzia sighed. “She was right to avoid seeing me. I’ve got bad news. Jake is dead.”
Major Oakril shook his head. “She’s going to be devastated.”
“I wonder if she’ll be able to go on after something like this,” Major Freelan questioned.
“Oh, she’ll go on. She’ll have even more reason to fight Videl Lai. If anyone is to blame for Jake’s death, it’s him. I’d better go tell her. I’ll meet both of you in the command room in ten loons to give you a full report.”
“Yes, sir,” Major Oakril replied. “Sorry you have to be the bearer of bad news.”
Leek shrugged and went off toward the shuttle. When he got to Lorin’s quarters he knocked softly on her door. “Who is it?” she asked.
“Leek. I just got back from Gallion.”
The door opened and Lorin invited Leek inside. He entered the room and took a deep breath.
“I hear you’ve been in your quarters all day. Are you sick?”
Her face was red and her eyes were swollen. She sat down on a chair and motioned for Leek to sit across from her. “No. I’m just angry at Jake for going on the mission. He’s okay, isn’t he?”
Leek hesitated. . . . Lorin put a hand over her mouth and screamed. “No! No! Don’t tell me he’s dead.”
“I’m sorry,” Leek said, tears welling in his eyes. “He was taking off and a hovertank fired on him. He died quickly. He didn’t suffer.”
Lorin began circling the room erratically. Leek grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, Lorin! I’m so sorry!” He squeezed her tightly and held her for a long time. When she’d calmed down a little, he took her to her bed so she could lie down. Before he left he called the medic and asked him to come and stay with her. Then he went to the command office to brief Major Freelan and Major Oakril on Operation Gallion.
“How’s Lorin?” Major Freelan asked.
“Pretty upset. The medic is with her.”
“That’s a shame about Jake. He was a good man.”
Leek nodded. “Yes, he was. I’ll miss him.”
There was a moment of uneasy silence and then Major Freelan said, “So, the mission went well, huh?”
Leek looked up. “Ah. . . . Yeah, it went quite well. Better than I thought it would, actually.” Leek gave them a complete report and then went on to question them about the logistics of maintaining over a thousand new fighters and housing their pilots. Leek had no knowledge or training in logistics so he was happy he had Lorin and Major Freelan to handle it, but as Commander he had to be sure that it was under control.
“So, are you ready for the fighters arriving tonight? They should be here shortly.”
“Yes, we’ve set up some temporary quarters, but Lorin suggested we contact the nanomites and ask them to build us something more permanent.”
“Yes. They are great builders. I’m sure they’d be happy to do it,” Leek replied. “I’ll discuss it with them in the morning.”
“Since you left I’ve been monitoring the TGA news stations,” Major Oakril cut in. “There hasn’t been much news about the raid on Gallion. The TGA is keeping a tight lid on it.”
“Can’t we get the word out somehow?” Leek asked.
“Yes, Lorin is in the process of setting up a worldwide news network available to anybody with a VC. Anyone interested in getting accurate news will be able to tune into it. I think she said she’d have it up and running by tomorrow.”
“Can the TGA jam it or interfere with it in any way?”
“Not the way Lorin’s setting it up. They’d have to confiscate every VC on Tarizon to stop people from tuning in.”
“Good. The only way we’re going to get defectors and new recruits is if they believe we can win, and that won’t happen if Videl Lai controls the media.”
“We’ll make them believers, don’t worry.”
“Any word on how the battle at Rini is going?”
“Reports from the front line indicate that the advance has been stopped. I don’t know how that could be, but that’s what we’re hearing.”
“Excellent. Has Threebeard called for the 3rd Army to attack yet?”
“Not yet, but all divisions are in place and ready to move on a moment’s notice.”
Leek laughed. “God, I can’t believe we just stole a thousand planes from the TGA. Videl must be livid.”
“Yes, I’d like to be a Nanomite in his wall tonight,” Major Oakril said.
“Does Chancellor Mammett know?”
“I’m not sure. Nobody here has told him. Perhaps you should call him.”
“No, I don’t want to talk to that slubdub. He hates me.”
Major Oakril laughed. “Yes, I know, but after he finds out what you’ve accomplished today he’ll have to rethink his opinion of you.”
“All right,” Leek said reluctantly. “I guess it couldn’t hurt. Can you get him on the GC?”
“Yes, it will just take a few tiks.”
Major Oakril motioned for one of his aides and whispered something to him. A few moments later the aide brought a GC to him. He punched in a code and waited.
“This is Major Oakril at the headquarters of the 3rd Army. I’ve got Commander General Leek Lanzia here. He’d like to talk to the Chancellor.”
There was a moment of silence and then Major Oakril handed the GC to Leek. Leek hadn’t talked to the Chancellor since his election so he felt rather nervous.
“This is Chancellor Mammett,” a deep voice said.
“Hello, Mr. Chancellor. This is Commander Lanzia. I’m sorry to bother you. I would have called the defense minister or General Zitor but they’re a little busy tonight.”
“Yes. . . .yes, they are indeed. It’s good to hear from you, Commander. How is the reorganization of the 3rd Army coming?”
“Excellent, sir. That’s why I wanted to call you. We’ve just completed a very successful mission and I thought you should hear about it before anyone else does.”
“What mission? I didn’t know the 3rd Army was back in business.”
“It had to be kept very secret since we were counting on the element of surprise.”
“So, don’t keep me in suspense, for the sake of Sandee. Tell me about it.”
“We just appropriated over a thousand fighters from the TGA Naval Air Station at Gallion. The fighters are already in the battle at Rini as we speak.”
“My word! A thousand fighters?”
“Yes, more than a thousand, actually and we also blew up every ship in port—sixty or seventy, I believe.”
There was another moment of silence.“That’s hard to believe. I haven’t heard a word about it.”
“That’s why I called. I thought you should know. I’m sure the TGA won’t give it to the media.”
“Where did you get that many pilots? The 1st Airborne was annihilated at Rizi.”
“True. We managed to locate about five hundred pilots who survived the battle. The rest are defectors.”
There was a moment of silence. Leek could hear the Chancellor talking to someone in the background. “Sorry about that. I had to pass on the news to my staff. This must explain how Threebeard’s been able to stop the offensive. We’ve been getting reports that over half the TGA’s hovertanks have been destroyed.”
“Yes!” Leek exclaimed. “I’m glad to hear that. That’s great news. We’ve
been working hard trying to figure out how to disable them. I guess we finally figured it out.”
“I guess you did,” the Chancellor said, sounding quite impressed.
Leek explained to the Chancellor in detail how they’d discovered a way to destroy the state-of-the-art weapon. He also gave him more details on the mission and the status of the 3rd Army. He thought about telling him that Jake Boskie had been killed, but then thought better of it. He didn’t know if Lorin wanted anybody to know just yet.
“Well, thank you for the update,” the Chancellor said. “Please keep me informed from now on. You don’t have to go through the defense minister or General Zitor. You can call me direct anytime.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll do that.”
Leek hung up and looked at Major Oakril. “Well, I think he was impressed. He said I could call him anytime.”
“Yeah, I should think so after pulling off a miracle like that.”
Later that evening fighters began returning to base and Leek got more details on the fighting on the front lines. Only seven hundred and eighty-seven planes returned from the battle but most of the pilots thought the enemy lost twice as many fighters as they had. After everyone had returned Red, Tam and Leek went to the mess hall for something to eat.
“I’m sure glad to see your ugly faces tonight,” Leek said.
“Yes, likewise. We thought that hovertank was going to turn you into burnt toast.”
“Yeah, well I kinda had the same thought.”
“Well, we needed a warm up for the big battle.”
“Glad I could oblige. . . . Did all the pilots find their quarters okay? Was everything satisfactory? Did they get fed?”
Tam nodded. “They all disappeared, so I assume somebody must have taken care of them. I haven’t heard any complaints. Of course, if they are as tired as I am, you could toss me into a pile of leaves and I’d sleep like a baby.”
Leek sighed. “Being commander general is for the dirkbirds. Every time I turn around there is something new I’ve got to worry about. Tonight I had to kiss ass to the Chancellor. I’d love to go back to being just a simple Lieutenant.”
“The Chancellor?” Red asked. “You talked to him?”
“Sure, somebody had to brag about our mission, didn’t they?”
Red nodded. “We’ve come a long way from Pogo, haven’t we?”
“That we have,” Tam agreed. “My father always said that responsibility will kill you if you let it.”
“What do you mean, if you let it? How can I stop it?”
“Well, you can’t worry about every detail of an operation. As the man in charge, your job is to see the big picture. Leave the details to the peons and the bureaucrats.”
“Right, just concentrate on your next bold move,.” Red added. “Didn’t I hear you say we were going to rescue Luci?”
Leek smiled. “Yes, you did. Thanks for reminding me. I’ve got a lot of planning to do, but first I’ve got to help Threebeard outmaneuver General Bratfort and the 4th TGA Army.”
“Good luck with that,” Red replied.
They all laughed.
Before Leek went to bed he decided to take a walk around the compound. It was peaceful at night and every once in a while the sky would clear enough so you could see the moons and sometimes even the brighter stars. As he stepped out of the shuttle he saw a rhutz sitting beneath a tree. For a moment he thought it was Rhin but then he realized it was a bigger male rhutz. He reached out to it with his mind.
Do you know Rhin?
Follow me, the rhutz said silently and turned and trotted off. Leek anxiously followed him, wondering if Rhin were in trouble. The rhutz went deep into the forest and at times Leek had trouble keeping up. Finally the rhutz stopped on the top of a hill and looked back at him.
Not too much farther, the rhutz assured him.
Leek rushed to the top of hill and looked down into the mouth of a cave. The rhutz went inside. Leek rushed to the cave entrance and peered into the darkness. It was a shallow cave and in the dim light of Tarizon’s two moons he saw Rhin and seven little pups fighting for their dinner. He started to approach Rhin but the male rhutz growled so he stayed at a distance and watched the incredible sight. The little beige pups were in constant motion fighting over their mother’s nipple. Leek laughed at their antics and had the urge to pick one of them up and play with it, but he knew that wasn’t possible. After awhile he reluctantly turned and went back to the ship.
When he got back there he decided to check in at Lorin’s command center to see how they were doing without her. He was shocked to see her at her desk.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
She looked up at him with her swollen eyes. “I can’t sleep. I just need to keep busy.”
Leek understood. He hadn’t slept the night of Sy’s death or the night of Luci’s kidnaping. “Guess what? I found Rhin.”
“Oh, my God! Where was she?”
“About a kylod from here in a cave. She’s given birth to seven little pups.”
She put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, I didn’t even know she was pregnant.”
“Nor did I. They are so cute.”
“Oh, I want to see them.”
“Tomorrow maybe. The father is a bit over protective. He wouldn’t let me get too close and I don’t think he liked me being there, but Rhin insisted I know what had happened.”
“I understand.”
“Can I help you?”
“No. Go to bed. I’m just putting together your mission report to broadcast in the morning over the Liberation Network.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. It’s incredible that you can do that. Videl is going to be very angry.”
“Too bad. The people have a right to know the truth and I’m going to make sure it’s available to them.”
“What’s been the reaction of the cell leaders?”
Lorin turned and tried to smile. “They’d like to make you king, I think.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’m sure Chancellor Mammett won’t be pleased.”
Leek frowned. “He sounded pleased when I talked to him.”
Lorin turned sharply. “You talked to him?”
“Yes, awhile ago. I thought he should be updated on the success of our mission.”
Lorin rolled her eyes. “That surprises me. I guess he knows he better embrace you before your followers trample him.”
“Perhaps.”
“Does he still think he’s running the Loyalist government?”
Leek chuckled. “Yes, I believe he’s still operating under that delusion, but that’s okay. Let him wallow in his glory. When the war is over he’ll be whisked aside like dirt on the kitchen floor.”
“And then you can be king!”
They both laughed. Leek took Lorin’s hand and squeezed it. “We better both get some sleep if we’re going to be any good tomorrow.
Lorin sighed. “You’re right. Thanks for cheering me up. Maybe I can sleep now. I hope so.”
When Lorin got to bed she did sleep. Quite soundly, in fact, but that wasn’t the case with Leek. He tossed and turned wondering what he should be doing to help Threebeard deal with the 4th Army. Then it occurred to him he should just ask him.
He took a deep breath and thought of the three-headed mutant. Their minds connected almost immediately since they’d been connected before.
“There you are,” Threebeard thought. “I wondered when I’d hear from you.”
“I hadn’t realized we could communicate so easily.”
“Well, I didn’t want to rush it. I thought you’d eventually figure it out.”
“I wish I would have sooner. I could have used your help.”
“You seem to be doing quite well on your own.”
“Not too bad, I guess. . . . So, you stopped the TGA. How did you do it?”
Threebeard explained his strategy and told him of the day’s events. Leek then opened his mind and let Threebeard have his memories of
the Gallion Mission.
“That was brilliant but very risky. I don’t know if I would have been that bold. It’s a good thing you didn’t ask my advice. I am old and cautious. I may have discouraged you and we’d have five hundred more hovertanks to worry about tomorrow.”
“We’ll get rid of the rest of them first thing. Don’t worry.”
“Don’t bet on it. I’m sure TGA command has made adjustments to their defenses to make it harder for you to take them out. You better come up with something new yourselves.”
“Right, but what?”
“Just give it some thought. It will come to you.”
“Okay. . . . So, what is your strategy for tomorrow.”
“We were in a stalemate last night when it got too dark to fight, but it won’t be that way in the morning. The hovertanks, what’s left of them, will be back and the enemy will easily overrun us.”
“What are you going to do?” Leek asked.
“We are going to retreat. In fact, we’re doing it already.”
“Retreat? How will that help?”
“It’s a diversion. We want to spread out the 4th Army and then let your 3rd Army attack them from the rear,” Threebeard explained.
“Right. I see. Then General Bratfort will have to make a critical decision—stop his advance and retreat to take on the 3rd Army or keep on advancing hoping his rear infantry divisions can handle the 3rd Army on their own. Without the hovertanks to contend with I think the 3rd Army will do okay,” Leek thought.
“I agree, but he will probably hit you hard from the air, so it won’t be an easy battle.”
“If he does that we’ll have an easier time knocking out hovertanks.”
“True. That’s what I’m counting on.”
“Thanks, Threebeard. Now I know what I should be doing.”
“Yes, and whenever you need to communicate in the future just close your eyes and we’ll be in touch.”
“Yes, that’s very comforting to know.”
“How’s Lorin?”
“Oh. You heard about Jake.”
“I saw it though your mind a moment ago.”
“Oh, right. She’s devastated, of course, but she’s dealing with it.”
“Watch her. She’s lost two loved ones in just thirty days. She’ll need to lean on you until she gets through it.”
“I’ll be here for her, don’t worry.”
Leek cut the connection by thinking of Lorin. She was the closest thing to family he had on Tarizon—at least until his brother was born. He wondered about Tehra. He couldn’t wait to meet her and find out how his family back on Earth was doing. Finally, he slept.