13 Degrees of Separation (86 page)

They
lifted with the assault force at dawn and headed off, racing the sun at tree
top level. On the dark side of the planet opposite the ship they took out the
enemy shuttle with a single precision aimed missile. They'd logged the IFF many
times before, now they copied the dead shuttle's IFF into their own transponder
and then headed to orbit and the waiting pirate ship.

It was a
short flight, under an hour to get to orbit actually. A short nervous flight.
They could hear the occasional click and grumble as the Neos nervously checked
and rechecked their various weapons. The elder pointed to the speck on the
screen, beating Cali's exclamation by a half second. “It's a converted medium
freighter. Just as I thought,” the elder murmured as she looked down and
checked the passive feed. A stock Clydesdale she noted, the CF-1071.

“A
freighter?” Cali asked. “They did all that with just a freighter?” she
demanded, sounding affronted.

The elder
flicked her ears, leaning forward against her flight harness. “It holds the
high ground child, anything that does can command a battlefield. But in this
case its' better than a warship as far as we are concerned. It means it
probably doesn't have internal defenses.”

Cali
blinked and then nodded slowly. “Oh.”

“Probably,”
Moira qualified, looking down to check the throttle and engine feeds.

“Right,”
Cali said checking her instruments.

“You like
to play chess right little one?”

Cali
looked at her partner and nodded. She'd played a few games with the elder over
the past few months. “You know it. Why do you ask?”

The elder
chuffed a laugh and pointed. “Simple. Check you bastards,” the elder said
softly, smiling a feral smile as the ship accepted their IFF and opened her
shuttle bay lock. Before the ship could recognize the discrepancy in their
military shuttle compared to the dead pirate's civilian shuttle craft they were
inside the ship's engagement range and passing through the lock in a pin point
braking maneuver. They boarded the ship without incident, after all the pirates
knew they were the only ones with shuttles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sir!
Something fucked up is going on! Do we have an assault shuttle?” a bridge watch
officer asked, turning to the exec.

“What?
What did you say?” he demanded, rushing to the man's side but it was already
too late.

In the
shuttle bay the assault shuttle spun with it's retros, brief puffs eased her
bulk to the deck with hardly a bump and scrape of her skids. The moment the
pressurization light went green the boarding ramp went down and all hell broke
loose.

They
struck hard and fast, moving quickly out of the shuttle bay to keep from being
pinned there. The few crew members in the bay gaped in shock as Neos poured out
of the shuttle and went on a methodical rampage. None of the humans in the bay
were spared in those brief moments of holocaust.

“Clear!”
Pyotr called over his shoulder. He turned expectantly as the elder gripped his
shoulder and then moved to the nearest terminal. A chimp jumped over a tiger to
wedge blocks into the open hatch door, forcing it open. The tiger growled at
the chimp but moved off to his assigned task.

Getting a
map of the ship, the elder copied it to several tablets and then handed them
out to the squad leaders without even looking up. She then directed the teams
to their objectives. They moved out professionally, bounding to their assigned
objectives.

With most
of the pirates still on the surface of the planet it was relatively easy to mow
through the initial startled resistance. The few moments of surprise were
precious, their fastest fighters moved through the corridors for their
objectives. Having armed Neos in the ship, tearing at them with weapons as well
as taloned claws and savage teeth terrified the pirates. The Neos captured the
bridge first, then engineering. With the threat of the ship's self destruct
being used stopped they started locking down the ship. When she was sure the
critical parts of the ship were secure the elder and Cali left for the next
phase of the plan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She'd
wanted to debark with the wounded but unfortunately they just didn't have the
time to spare. Their lone shuttle was needed in too many places at once to
wait. Hopefully they could hang on until they returned. Right now the shuttle
was needed as over watch for what she knew would be coming. According to the
bridge capture team someone had gotten a warning off to the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When word
of the attack reached the pirates on the ground Patterson was shocked and
furious. He didn't know where they had gotten the shuttle but he knew he had to
do something about it or he was a dead man. He instantly rallied his forces for
a counter attack, spittle spraying from his mouth as he screamed at them to
hurry. They lifted in the remaining shuttles quickly but when they arrived at
the ship they were either forced to return to the planet or were shot down by
the assault shuttle. A few ran for the dubious safety of the wilds. Moira knew
that they could be hunted down later so she didn't follow.

“I
shouldn’t be doing this. This thing's a trash hauler, not a damn fighter jet.
We should've at least gotten a test flight in but we couldn't chance it.... and
I am definitely too old for this crap,” the elder muttered as they went in to
pick up another load of troops. Fighting was still intense in the quarters of
the ship. Someone had gotten to an armory locker and resistance was stiffening.
Cali sat in the copilot seat doing a remarkable job. She'd studied hard to be
here and had earned the right. The elder was proud of her. Proud of all of
them.

“It works
for us. It's a little late to have cold feet you know. Besides you're all we
have grandmother,” Cali said.

“Then it
is time to invest in you and the next generation,” the elder sighed, “I've done
my part. Now it's time to train you to do yours.”

“I
thought you had,” Cali said, giving her a sidelong look. The elder only grunted
a laugh in response.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over
several hours of fighting the ship was captured one compartment at a time. When
they were finished it was clear of any surviving Terran but damaged. According
to reports none of the spiteful Horathians had surrendered. Some that had been
trapped had suicided to avoid capture. The elder wasn't too sure about that but
after everything her people had done to achieve this victory she wasn't going
to quibble with how they'd gone about it.

Blizzard
was amazed that it had went relatively smoothly with only a dozen dead and two
dozen wounded. Many of the Neos were excited about the technology as much as
their achievement. She turned away from the cheering and back slapping when the
last resistance was stamped out. Her wandering eyes found a familiar ball
rotating on the main screen. For the first time she noted her planet, her
homeworld from space. She was amazed by the sight. She wasn't the only one. “It
looks so small,” she murmured.

“And blue
and white,” Pyotr replied. He rolled his shoulder in annoyance, angry that some
Terran had gotten a lucky shot in with a needler and chewed his right arm up.

“It's
beautiful,” Blizzard said, nursing a scrape on her elbow. They could see the
damage the Horathian's had done to their world. It was profoundly moving for
all on the bridge. Many vowed to never let it happen again.

Act III

Chapter 6

With the
pirates defeated the surviving natives came out of their homes and hiding
places... first in wary confusion but then they joyfully celebrated when the
news reached them. Some joined in the remaining fighting, either digging out
the scum who were holding their friends and neighbors hostage or hunting them
down and digging them out of their other hiding places before they strung them
up in cathartic frontier justice. The irony of just how the tables had been
turned wasn't lost on some of the more quick witted.

Over a
period of several days they took stock, realizing that many of their non Terran
friends were either missing or dead. Many vowed to never let something like
this happen again. Word spread through the communities and a new government was
proposed and voted on. One that would include the Neo community and would
emphasize change and returning to inter stellar civilization.

Cali, the
Terran girl who had started it all had changed. She wore a worn leather flight
jacket and stood tall and proud. She'd grown over the past hard year, grown and
flowered into a woman. Her curly brown hair no longer had the traces of blond
streaks from her childhood. Her childhood was gone forever. She was a woman
now, a woman unbowed and unbroken.

The
Horathian threat hadn't ended with the capture of the ship, Moira and Cali had
known that, as had Pyotr. The old bear had gotten into a few more scrapes
crushing the remaining pockets of pirates on the planet. Her mouth twisted in a
wry smile. Try saying that three times fast she thought whimsically.

The
resistance had changed a lot over the months leading up to the forming of the
new government. The government was in its embryonic stages, but it looked like
the newly resurrected constitution would be accepted. They had taken on more
formal rank structure under the Elder and Pyotr's guidance. Pyotr was shaping
up to a good ground commander, just as Moira had hoped. She'd always had a soft
spot for the big grouchy bear. He'd been her prized chess student after all.

The
resistance hadn't disbanded, instead they had formed themselves into a militia
and a space force. Blizzard, in a rush of patriotism and in an eagerness to
keep what they had rightfully caught decided to join the newly minted Ranger
militia. Cali did so as well after she made sure Susan would be okay with a
step family.

Moreta
had drawn out the surviving human elders. They were organizing, aiding in
cleaning out the remaining pirates. Already the reeducation camp had been
repopulated with any surviving Horathian who'd found someone willing to take
their surrender. She had aged and matured, her passage into adulthood had
burned her, but she'd risen through it, scared by the experience but proud like
Cali. She had several admirers but spurned them all, or so the grapevine said.

Moreta
was serving as a liaison with the Neo clans. The clans were unsure of the
contact but both sides were encouraged by the trade Moreta instigated. Already
those who had been injured in the fighting were in the remaining Terran clinics
undergoing care and treatment.

The Neo
pack elders were not amused at the next clan gathering. If they had thought
things would return to normal they were now sadly mistaken.

“You
knew,” they accused the serene elder. “You knew this would happen!”

The elder
smiled softly, keeping her teeth covered. She crossed her arms under her shawl,
serene and composed, content with her own involvement. “What would you have us
do? Sit and watch our people die one by one? It's time we stopped living like
animals and returned to civilization as free people. For their sake,” she
indicated the children playing nearby. The elders scowled at the sight of wolf
pups, bear cubs, Terran children, and cat kits playing with one another. They
argued with the elder.

She
nodded tiredly to some of their points about customs and didn't deny the
accusations that she had wanted and planned this, not respecting their own
decisions and beliefs. She had suspected this would happen. Once they had had a
taste of technology, of living with it, the hardships of living hand to mouth
would be hard to go back too.

She
remembered back to the stories of the Mongols and other barbarians on ancient
Earth. How nothing could tame them except their own desire to better their
children. To learn to better themselves. The conquest of other lands had done
that, for they had been forced to settle down to keep them, and in doing so
they had been tamed, tamed in a way they hadn't understood.

“And what
then? What if more come back?” the white leopard Shanti snarled, throwing her
hands up in despair. “When they do they will burn our world! Even rebuilt that
freighter won't stand up to spit in a snow storm!” she yowled.

Moira's
old eyes turned to the here and now. “Then we must be ready. All of us. For
their sake,” she replied calmly, indicating the children. She sighed as they
looked again. “I never intended for you to live as an animal. I am more than
that, as are you. I've wanted you to be free yes, but as
people
. It is
time...” she said, then shook herself and continued gently. “We must make
contact with Admiral Irons, or others like him. We must take back our heritage
as protectors. If not for ourselves then for them.” She indicated the children
playing nearby once more.

The group
turned and looked at their naive children once more. Wind ruffled through their
fur as they silently watched the children play. “Their innocence must be
protected,” the elder murmured, noting that the children didn't care what shape
a person had, just what their hearts held. Sometimes the better children were
like that. If you took the time to teach them. If you took the time then all
children could be like that, and the lesson could even change your own heart.

“Protecting
our children here and on other worlds, that's what you're saying?” Bengali
asked flicking his torn ears. She nodded, feeling relief as one of them finally
grasped the concepts she'd tried to get across to them.

“Think
about it carefully. Think about having enough food for the pack, and sitting in
a nice warm place during the worst winter storm as I have these past seven
centuries. Of not watching your children suffer when there is no food. Of not
having to look in their eyes when they are starving. Of not being forced to
choose between the life of a hunter and that of a child or an old one. Of
watching them play as they do now, as they should. Think of having medicine
when you need it and learning to use tools. Tools you've only heard stories
of,” she said, voice rich in charm and wisdom. Her laughing eyes turned on the
alpha, challenging him.