Sharpie stood out of sight at the bottom of a dark, narrow ravine just outside Newusa at three hundred paces from the western gates. Dahms, a towering figure of a woman at nearly six feet tall, was to Sharpie's left, and Curt, Sharpie's fiancée, was to her right, and then there was Everette, the mountain man, towering over all of them, holding his battle ax in his left hand with a phasor strapped to his right hip—he looked eager and ready for battle. Sharpie and the others were silent as they waited to ascend the steep embankment to start the long awaited war—a war to end Hurd’s reign of terror.
It was early morning, and the sun, still lingering behind the horizon, had yet to make its appearance. Phoebe, the smaller of the two moons was slowly setting in the west, casting long eerie shadows off the rocks that lined the top of the ravine. Sharpie shivered, and maybe not just from the cold, bone-chilling, summer air.
It had taken nearly all night for the G15 destroyer to make five trips, transporting the five hundred guards from the prison to a distance of five miles from the Newusa city dome. At that point the guards had rendezvoused with the mountain men and women, and then they traversed through a small, back-bending underground tunnel, with Dahms leading the way. Most of the men and women were now lying and sleeping in the deep ravine, but a few were talking nervously.
Sharpie watched the shadows, which appeared like long black fingers slowly inching their way up the eastern slope of the ravine. What have I gotten myself into? she wondered.
"Any moment now," said Dahms as she looked at her watch.
They were waiting for the G15 to rise out of its secret lair ten miles back, cruise to the western gates, and hit them with a sonic bomb in order to open the dome like a can of Carcholian fish.
At the meeting inside the G15 the previous night, Sharpie had made a suggestion, which was readily accepted by Ben and the Galaef, that once the gates had disappeared, Phist should hit the hole on each side with two more sonic bombs in order to make the entrance bigger for the charging guards and mountain people. Dahms didn't like it, stating that the repair of the dome after the battle would be quite expensive and take several months, also stating that they would have to build fires and temporary barricades to keep the toral out. And what about the plant life in the city? The cold night air would kill it.
She was out-voted. The Galaef asked her if she wanted to win this battle.
She said, "Yes," and that ended it.
So now they waited.
Sharpie looked in back of her. She could hear the hum of the antigrav motors, a distinct sound made by the G15, coming from a distance behind them. She thought for a moment about Hurd. Dahms told them he would probably be sitting in his plush office, sipping on a cup of Arian coffee, and making plans about the next Run or gloating about all the money he was making from the sale of the crystals. He wouldn't have a clue they were coming, especially with a G15, which was going to make his selfish, self-made world crumble into dust beneath his feet.
And there it was, the G15 cruising along the skyline. Who would have thought that Thorne's plans would be the instrument to bring down Hurd and his corrupt government?
"Let's go," said Dahms.
Sharpie and Dahms scrambled out of the ravine followed closely by Curt and Everette. They stood on an old, abandoned roadway and watched as the destroyer moved in toward the gates. Sharpie knew the revolutionaries had been waiting a long time for this moment. Over the years she had seen many of them walk through the prison gates only to be carried out a few months later in a casket and taken to the disintegration plant. But they kept on coming because they had hopes of seeing a new and fair government—one that would use the wealth, which was pouring into the city, to do good, perhaps to build another dome with a University, libraries, concert halls, sports arenas, tourist hotels, and so on, all the while creating jobs and bolstering the economy for the people. Instead, over the years, she had seen a small group of wealthy individuals become absurdly rich, while the majority of the population was plunged further into poverty—to the point of starvation in some cases.
Having been born and raised in Newusa, she might have become one of the wretchedly poor, but her parents had seen it coming and moved to Carttune, a planet similar to Ar on the opposite side of the Galaxy. From there they were able to help her financially with living expenses and school tuition until she was trained and able to get a job at the prison.
She was in an excellent place in life with a wonderful fiancée. It would have been easy for her to turn her back on the revolutionaries and let them battle it out by themselves; instead, she was taking on their war. How ironic, she thought. After all this time, making sure they didn't escape from prison, now I’m fighting to keep them out of prison.
"Without the G15," said Dahms bringing Sharpie out of her reverie, "it would still be just a dream. With the scent tower in operation, we would have no hope of overthrowing Hurd's corrupt government."
They watched as the destroyer stopped and hovered in mid air. Its silver sheen reflected amber light from the setting moon and the rising sun, sending beautiful rays in all directions. "An exquisite mask for death and destruction," said Sharpie softly under her breath.
The two guards at the gate saw the G15 coming. One of them pointed at it, then they ran across the street and around the corner. A moment later, Sharpie saw their heads appear from behind the building.
A flash erupted from the G15, and the front gates and part of the hemi dome around the gates disintegrated and, without a sound, fell into small piles of glittering translucent powder, then two more missiles were fired and the hole became three times larger.
The hum of the destroyer's engines became louder as it moved forward and through the gaping hole, and then fainter as it disappeared down Main Street toward the tower.
"We're coming!" yelled Everette as he raised his battle-ax up and down in the air. His voice boomed down the ravine and across the barren plains. The guards and the mountain people, hearing Everette's voice, jumped to their feet and started yelling.
"There's no going back now," said Curt in his usual slow and masculine voice. Curiously he kept looking at the huge hole in the hemi dome. "I knew there was a revolution afoot," he said. "Everyone knows it, but I never thought I'd be a part of it.
"Everyone associated with Newusa is a part of it, whether they are for it or against it," said Everette in his deep voice. "And now it begins."
Dahms looked into the ravine. "We have five hundred uniformed guards and seven hundred mountain men. Normally this wouldn't be enough to take over a city the size of Newusa, but once inside, the underground will be joining us, about twenty thousand men and women. And I expect some of Hurd's patrollers will defect to our side.”
The city sirens, like the prey in the jaws of a Borskian lion, started to wail their long, blood-curdling tones, signaling to the city that trouble was afoot.
Dahms scowled. "It’ll only take them ten minutes to get ready, then they'll be releasing the scents." She paused, then said in a pessimistic whisper, "if the destroyer doesn't take out the tower, we will have to retreat to the mountain nation where we will have to hide for who knows how long."
The Captain smiled thinly. "Why do you say that? The destroyer will obliterate the tower."
"You would think so," said Dahms. "But Hurd is a devious bastard, and he likes to set traps."
Curt was surprised by her negativity, “Now you’re having doubts? Why didn’t you bring it up at one of the meetings?”
“I guess I was too excited about starting the revolution and bringing Hurd’s reign to an end.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Curt. “You can’t set a trap for a G15. It has computer chosen personnel who are trained to the nth degree in the operations of the advanced weaponry and magnetic shields. It’s almost impossible to take down a G15.
“I believe you’re just having prewar jitters.”
"Dahms shook her head a couple of times as if to shake away the depression. Her sho
rt blond hair waved back and forth just above her shoulders. "You're right. I don’t know what I’m thinking," she said. "The tower will fall, the ground troops will do their job, and the war will be finished.” She looked into the ravine at the thousand plus warriors. “It's time to move the troops into battle."
Sharpie was quick to react. “That’s going against orders,” she said. "The plan was for us to wait ten minutes while they take out the tower." Sharpie was all for helping Dahms and the revolutionaries, but she wasn't interested in committing suicide. "If something goes wrong with our plans and the G15 is unable to destroy the tower, the scents will cut us to pieces and our blood will be running red in the streets."
"It just occurred to me," said Dahms, "if we wait, they'll be able to fortify the entrance of the dome with patrol craft and foot patrollers.” She pointed at the entrance. "In fact, they're already starting."
Sharpie saw a PC coming slowly down Main Street. "But can the G15 bring down the tower in ten minutes?"
"It's only going to take them three minutes to get to the tower—hell they're practically there already. And while we stand here talking, they're bringing in more patrollers." Dahms looked into the ravine and gave a signal which was nothing more than a wave of her arms, which ended with her pointing at the city.
Twelve hundred men and women scrambled out of the ravine and stood on the edge. They waited for the order to charge.
"Captain," said Dahms looking at Curt, "have one of the com controls contact the G15 and tell them the opening is being reinforced by the enemy, so we're not waiting. We're coming in now."
"Yes ma'am." replied Curt. He walked a short distance down the line to the radioman and gave him the orders.
Sharpie watched as more patrollers joined the ranks around the gaping hole of what had been, a few minutes before, the city gates, and then two more PC's came around the corner. "Hurd got the bad news, and he isn't wasting any time." said Sharpie.
"That’s right," replied Dahms. She waited for Curt to come back.
He rushed down the line and yelled out, “The order is for you to start the attack.”
"Okay," she Dahms. She held up her hand to give the order.
But Sharpie stopped her. "Look!" she blurted out. "The foot patrollers are fighting amongst themselves."
Dahms put her hand down and watched for a moment. “They’ve seen the G15, they see the hole, and now they see our army. They know the revolution is starting. And now the defections will begin.” She waited.
Several of the patrollers were yelling at each other, but at that distance it was impossible to distinguish their words. Finally, the biggest man of the bunch with a phasor in his right hand shoved a smaller one with his left hand so hard that he came off his feet and flew through the air.
The smaller one turned his shoulder and drew his phasor as he hit the pavement, rolled twice and ended up in a sitting position.
They both pulled the trigger at the same time. Red streaks in the dawn spewed forth its violent, killing force, but the smaller one threw himself to the left as he fired and was saved. The larger one was not so quick and the phasor bolt tore a hole through his chest leaving only a small trickle of blood as the intense heat from the phasor bolt seared most of the blood vessels. He hit the pavement with a thud.
At that moment, the red flash of killing phasors lit up the morning sky coming from everywhere. They came like flames shooting forth from the nostrils of an ancient Earth, mythical Dragon, spewing forth and sending some of the foot patrollers to the pavement in agony and death.
Then the shooting stopped as quickly as it had started. The patrollers broke off into factions with about a third of the foot patrollers racing around and hiding behind one of the three PC's.
Another PC took flight and raced to the end of the block and around the corner of a building a hundred yards to the left of what was once the Western gates. There were twenty or so patrollers racing after it. A small group started firing red bolts at the fleeing patrollers, but the remainder of them appeared to be undecided, and they moved into the shadows of the nearest building to wait and watch.
"I think by adding fuel to the fire we can bring more of them over to our side," said Sharpie.
"She's right," said the Captain. "Now that they see us standing here it’ll be easier to get them to defect to our side.
"Let's talk to them," said Sharpie.
Dahms thought for a moment. "Okay Lieutenant," she pointed at the nearest com soldier—a uniformed prison guard with a communications pack and a voice amplifier, "take Jas and move within hearing range. Tell the patrollers they have thirty seconds to come over to our side. After that we attack. . . . Oh and tell them the destroyer will be hunting PC's once the tower has been annihilated. That should convince more of them to join with us."
Curt quickly surveyed the gaping hole in the hemi dome, and then put his hand on Dahms' arm. "Once Sharpie and the com soldier get within hearing range they'll be in range of the phasor rifles."
"Yes, I see your point," said Dahms. "Let's eliminate the possibility of sniper fire. Lieutenant," she said to Sharpie
"Yes ma'am?"
"You see that rock?" She pointed in the distance at a large vertical boulder almost standing on end about half way to the hemi dome.
"Yes ma'am."
"You and Jas use a left-right, weave run—slow and fast at irregular intervals until you get to it, then take cover behind the rock while you give the message."
"Yes ma'am."
Before she started for the rock Sharpie gave Curt a look. "We're going into battle," she said knowing that she was stating the obvious. "If you don't come out of this alive, I'll never forgive you." Then she stormed off toward Jas, and a moment later they were running for the rock.
Sharpie slid in behind the rock with Jas. She pulled the mike out of his backpack, set the small but powerful amplifier next to the rock and said into the mike, "You men, the revolution you have been anticipating has now started." The amplifier shattered the silence in the morning. She continued. "You've seen the G15 destroyer which is on its way to the tower even as I speak." It was possible that some of them were coming from another direction and hadn't seen it. So, to make sure they understood the power it carried she said, "And you can see how it destroyed the hemidome gates. When it has finished with the scent Tower, it will be hunting PC's." She paused, then said, "We are giving you this message to give you the chance to come over to our side. You have thirty seconds to make up your minds." She clicked the ‘off’ button on the amplifier and put everything back in Jas' backpack.
*