A Paradox in Retrograde (47 page)

"No Sir all reports indicate that we got them all."
"That's good Sergeant. Have we evacuated all of the survivors?"

"Yes Sir, our casualties however appear significant. Eight guardsmen and two civilians reported dead outright. We also have a total of fifteen severe injuries and two missing." Landaus held upon
his face a stoic expression as he accepted the report.

"Thank you for the update Sergeant but I'm going to need you to
make these men ready. We'll be making an incursion of our momentarily. See corporal Lex he has something that may help us in
these wet conditions. Hand as many of those weapons out as are
available."

The Colonel called out “Captain Whelks” Whelks whohad not
strayed far from his commander’s side, and so answered immediately.

"Captain, gather the men together. I mean to use these tunnels to
strike back at our enemy. Many of your men including yourself
shall carry a new weapon that may even things out some what. So
Ill need you to make the men ready we will most likely descend
in single file fashion and so be vulnerable as we escape on the
other side. Prepare the Men Captain."

His orders bellowed out in rapid fire and the men responded in
kind. He watched the men who were as if of one mind, made their
weapons again ready for a fight. Satisfied for the moment with
their progress Landaus turned back to Xora and Grunhuf. With a
gesture he drew them just out of ear shot and spoke, "Lady Xora I
can't thank you enough for saving my son and the other as you
did. I will be forever grateful to you. There is one more service I
would have you do for me. Down along the waters edge there are
vessels. I would like Grunhuf and yourself to take the children
there and cast off from these shores if necessary. We should know
shortly if we are to be victorious. If we are not then you should
escape from this place and never return."

Xora wished with all her heart to offer an alternative but the situation did feel justifiably grim. So with tears in her eyes she just
nodded and said, "Yes sir" Ibsen ran forth from the crowd and
grasped tightly his arms around his father's waist. "Father, don't
leave me. I need you to stay with me." Tears rolled down his
cheek as the thought of not seeing him again forced the emotions
to the surface. Landaus kneeled down and made his face level
with Ibsen's and embraced him. As he held him tight he whispered into his ear. If anything should happen to me, remember my
son how much I love you. You like I before you, may one day
have need to defend this place and perhaps lay downyour life in
doing so. Remember this day, for if there was anything more that
I would have taught you, it would be that sacrificeis the greatest
measure of love." He stood up and ran his hand over his son's hair
for perhaps the last time. With a big smile he now said "Ok Ibsen
I'm putting you in command of this column. You knowthe way
down to the boats better than anybody. Will you do it?"

"Yes Sir. Dad, please be careful?"
Grunhuf and Xora gathered up the children as well as any
wounded who could walk. With Ibsen in the front they then began to make their way down to the beaches where the ships were
moored. Landaus felt a sigh of relief as they disappeared off into
the distance. As the children had made ready their exit the
guardsmen had prepared for an incursion of their own. Dozens of
them including Landaus himself were now brandished this new
repeating pistol. As Landaus stood examining its mechanism Lex
looked on. "What is it corporal? Out with it."

"Well son it's simple really. You've seen how devastating these
weapons could be. What if these weapons had ever made it into
the hands of pirates, or worse? They would be turned on our own
people. Despite the weapon's obvious advantages, I chose to depend rather on skill and discipline than on brute force and mayhem. Today however we could use a bit of mayhem. What do
you have to say about that corporal?"

By now the men grew anxious as adrenaline coursed through
their veins. Many could feel their throbbing heartsbeating in
their ears. They approached the man made tunnel through which
the enemy had gained access. No lights illuminatedthe three meter wide hole in the earth, though they could feel the cool air
whistling through from the other side. There about the ground
before them the dead and dying of both sides gave gruesome testimony of the struggle that had unfolded there a mere hour before. Landaus removed his sword from his scabbard and held it
up right hand. He cocked the hammer back on the pistol with his
right. He turned to the men assembled there and said, "Down into
the hole boys, and let's take it to them!"
Through his spy glass Aaralaat looked out onto the field and was
incensed by what he saw there. His forces led by commander Eldred had stalled as if to gloat or socialize. Their momentum had
been lost for they had not pressed their advantage. It became clear
to him that Eldred had taken his eye off the enemy. Aaralaat had
watched the enemy camp. What he saw there surprised him, for
what had been mistaken for a wholesale retreat by the defenders
had not quite been as it had seemed. What was now obvious was
that they had quickly taken up position within the safety of a third
unseen defensive position. It became suddenly apparent to him
that these defenses had been made ready well in advance. There
was a slight rise that hid from view the corresponding depression.
It wasn't much but it was enough for the defenders to avoid the
direct line of fire of their archers while they prepared a counter
attack. With the advantage lost, it would appear that Eldred had
fallen it their trap. He called out in desperation, "Attack now you
fool."

Eldred had his back to the battlefield as he and his company commanders leisurely prepared their armor. One of Eldred's runners
approached breathlessly and interrupted the conversation. "Lord
Eldred, the enemy has not retreated from the field as we had assumed. They have assumed another position!" Eldred turned and
pushed the runner to the ground. "How dare you interrupt your
field commander?" He gestured to one of his captains, "Tyron
lend me your glass?" He trained the field piece onthe far side of
the field some thousand hundred meters away from their position.
There he could just barely see the line of defenders digging in to
there new position. "By Hector they have not given up the fight.
There is a shrewd commander in there midst. I should hope to
meet him." He turned again to his captains and said "Make ready
to advance. They have decided to fight after all. We shall not disappoint them." He turned again and placed his helmet up upon his
head.
Young Captain Kline a fine officer in his own right, patiently
awaited the signal from Ananda from across the battlefield. He
was given the task upon receiving the signal to begin again the
bombardment. His nerves were strained but he managed to keep a
close watch on his targets. He silently swore that he would personally rain hell down upon them. The mortars and the men who
worked them, having been placed in that position in advance
were ready and eager. Ananda from a place hidden in the woods
on the far right flank was waiting for the enemy force to move
forward out into the open. Ananda frustrated by the delay ordered
Kline by means of a horn relay signal to begin the harassment.
The significance of the noise emanating for the tinny sounding
bugle was lost on these aliens. The sound however set off a chain
of activity among the ranks of the highly trained guardsmen. Like
the synchronized gears of a clock, in unison a line of sharp shooters stood up from their crouching position behind the rise. They
took only seconds to find their targets and to fire. The hammers
flew down though most of them misfired due to the dampened
conditions. Many muskets with a subdued crash and a puff of
smoke however did fire. Those shots fired by these expert marksmen easily found their targets. Those on the receiving end heard
first the sound of the musket balls whizzing past through the air,
then the telltale crack. A mere second later Eldredwas on the
ground and his head was ringing like a bell. He opened his eyes
surprised to find that he was not dead. He removed his helmet to
find that it now a deep divot from where the bullet had ricocheted. Though his head still was ringing he took a moment and
closed his eyes in an effort to shake it off. Though when he
opened his eyes he would receive one more shock. He turned his
head to the right; there he saw that Captain Tyronhad not fared
so well. A bullet had found the gap in his armor right where the
chest plate meets the neck. He struggled to breathas he lay there
clutching desperately at his throat. Eldred witnessed this cruel
suffering dispassionately as a grotesque gurgling sound issued
forth from Tyron's mouth. He was drowning in his own blood
issuing freely from his wound and into his lung.
The sight of his friend's final suffering had brought Eldred back to
the task at hand. He picked up his shield and stumbled to his got
feet. With a renewed vigor he then urged them forward. "Come
now men we shall meet Hector on the other side. Who is with
me?" A great manly roar rose from their side as each man raised
his sword high. On mass they started to move at first they moved
at a double time pace, but soon they were in a full run. Again the
marksmen laid down a barrage of fire. A mere moment later after
the mortar men having readjusted for range and windage had unleashed their own synchronized barrage. Three seconds later the
hail exploding projectiles was rained down upon them. The
ground and air around them erupted to a storm of earth, fire, steel
and smoke. Though their armor protected their bodies from most
projectiles it could not protect them from the shock of concussion.
They were left shaken and disoriented. Though they tried to summon their will to move again forward soon their charge had begun
to stall, and then halt entirely.

Once the commencement of the bombardment had begun, the
horsemen hidden in the woods on either side of the field began
their mad dash out to meet the enemy. Ananda had jumped off
first in an attempt strike first and draw them off balance. Next
Amida set out right on cue a moment later. Now from both sides
of the field the horses' hooves thundered out across the plain toward their bewildered enemy. In their crosshairs now was the mad
conglomeration of smoke and dust. As suddenly as the bombardment had begun it had stopped. To Eldred sensitive ears through
settling dust he could make out in the relative silence the sound of
beating hooves. It grew loader in his ears. He looked around franticly yet could see nothing but shadows and the whirl wind of
dust.

Landaus's crew by now had reached the far end of the tunnel.
They emerged from the darkness suddenly in their midst. The entrance there was lightly guarded. Without any plan to speak of,
Landaus leaped out and captured the lone guard by surprise. With
one quiet stroke of his sword the guard was undone. The others,
quick on his heels erupted from the ground. Silently and en mass
they were following Landaus. They roved on without question
through the maze of earthworks. Though they did know what
they were looking for, it would seem logical to cut the head from
the snake. It could be no one other than Aaralaat who he was
searching for.

After what seemed like an eternity of fighting their way through a
meandering system of trenches they came upon the enemy's forward position. The outpost was sunken dugout reinforced with
sad bag walls six feet high that formed a large arch in the shape
of horseshoe. They were immediately spotted there within the
perimeter. Aaralaat's stalwart and formidable personal guards
sensing a threat there formed a cordon around their king. The position was lightly manned so the numbers were uneven. Though
as they entered within range of there weapons there would soon
be no doubt that what they lacked in number they more than
made up for in armor and skill at arms. Those not engaged directly with the defense of the king leapt upon the attackers with a
ferocious counter attack. As the warrior drew near Landaus and
the other men stood steady with their weapons extended cast their
first volley of lead upon them. At this range their armor was
simply no match for this new weapon. One after another wave
after wave of warriors came forth. Each time the ranks of the men
stood their ground. Each time however they had managed to get a
little closer. Landaus feared that soon their rounds would run out
and they would be forced to fight hand to hand. Many of the warriors who had fallen were wounded but not dead. They too would
be equally dangerous. The final counter attack again had nearly
floundered when the warriors had at last found a breach in their
line. Landaus could only watch and hold his side while men were
being cut down with swords. The swordsman after killing three
men was himself killed by a bayonet thrust. Landaus called out to
the rear to bring the bayonet forward. Though the fire from the
muskets was virtually useless against their armor, the cold steel
of the bayonet was another thing entirely. Beyond its ability to
puncture with ease their composite armor; this fearsome weapon
could also be utilized as a pike. With these deadly blades bristling
outward like the quills of a great porcupine it was a formidable
deterrent to their brute force style of attack. Instilling in their enemy this bit hesitancy had bought them just enough leverage to
maintain their position. There was now a virtual stalemate as the
two opposing forces pressed forth testing each others resolve. On
the next go round Landaus gave the order to move forward with
the pikes. The men rushed forth pushing the invaders back. They
repeated this several times until they came within a dozen meters
of the king himself. It was at just about here where the rounds of
their pistols had run out. From here on out they would be fighting
within an arms distance.