AMP Private War (2 page)

Our sensors lit up with the bad news, 20 Milgari battleships along with 32 cruisers we rounding the curvature of the planet we had taken refuge on. They were only moments away from our position. I yelled, "We have incoming! Get off the ground and out of this atmosphere! We can't handle a fight with them down here. These buckets don't have the maneuverability needed for that. Head straight out with cannons blazing and we'll try to punch a hole past the three ships I'm highlighting!"

As we lifted off the first of the cruisers swept in low and began to pound us. We had quickly taken a combined 15 additional hits before the cruisers turned away and began to circle back. I punched it straight for a battleship and was rewarded with four hits to the Swift's right wing before Frig was able to take out one of her cannons; the Torrent was the last to lift off.

Again I yelled, "All, fall in line behind me and let’s try to force our way past that formation of three ships! Follow your target stacking on the tactical display; we have to take out a few of those big guns before we get surrounded. Harley! How are you holding up?"

Several seconds passed before a response was heard. "Sorry Sir, we... are taking a beating. Tail plating now registers zero chief. One more hit and we're a..."

A Milgari bolt ripped through the exposed tail of the Torrent and into its interior. Harley and his engineer died quickly. But there was a new ripple in our plans of escaping. The Torrent had been disabled, but most of her technologies remained. I made a quick decision. One that was not popular with the others.

I made another command decision. "Guys, we can't leave that ship out here for them, even if it has been largely gutted. Roll on my count and give Harley and Gerful the sendoff they deserve. I want nothing but cinders left of the Torrent in three... two... one!"

I pushed the stick hard and rolled out of a cannon shot by an oncoming cruiser. Frig targeted and took the shot, taking out its main gun. Seconds later I had the Torrent in my sights. "Switch to negative on those guns! Maybe we get lucky with a couple opposing hits and she rips apart!"

"This is Hammer, I just took five shots to my underbelly. I can manage one round on the Torrent, but I then have to go!"

Boom! Boom!

"Two more hits on the cargo door chief. Losing my protection real fast!"

The Swift then rolled in behind the Hammer after taking out the guns of the pursuing cruisers. "I got your back Hammer. Take that shot!"

Four bolts hit the Torrent's hull at the same time. The plating fractured and the ship exploded in a hot ball of plasma as the negative charge amped up the destructive power. The Torrent was gone, but we had a Milgari fleet that was kicking our cans from here to Halui.

I barked out another order. "Follow my lead! We are going to kick up some of that dirt down there and push around this rock to the other side. Keep shifting because we are in for a nasty beating until we can break free!"

I dropped down to 20 meters off the surface and pushed the throttle full. It was a dangerous move considering our speed. We had a dozen cruisers on our tail that were mercilessly firing at us.

I continued, "Head for the groove in those peaks and then put it skyward. We are going right up through them like there is no tomorrow! Pinch your cheeks together boys! This is all or nothing!"

I pulled back on the stick as the Swift continued to accelerate. The blue bolts from the Milgari guns came in from all directions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Grrrrrr. Frig, I'm heading for that battleship on the left. Try to take out those guns before they rip us apart!"

"This is the Dagger Sir. We are down to bare metal. I got smoke filling the hold as we speak."

Boom! Boom!

"Awe crap... been nice serving with you Sir!" The Dagger turned hard into the near battleship and flew directly into the ship's recombiners. The battleship's engines went silent and seconds later, streams of bright blue ions could be seen carving up her hull. We flew close to the self-destructing ship and the momentary cover that it offered. It was the break we needed.

The Dagger was gone, incinerated in an instant when the Milgari recombiner had been breached. Jon Baumer and his engineer had given their lives to open a hole for our escape. The six remaining Defenders pushed through the expanding debris cloud out into the open space beyond. The Fist was the last to follow, taking two final hits as we sped away.

Our engines were now our allies. We were quickly out of the Milgari's range and into free space. I set a course for home. "We did the best we could out there. I want you to dwell on the fact that six crews made it out. Harley, Jon, Gerfel and Trippit don't want us crying over them. So, just keep your heads up and keep alert. We have a long ride home."

Our attempt to take out production of the massive Milgari cannons was a huge failure, costing the lives of four of our team members, four of our friends. When we touched down on Bullwort there were no celebrations over our accomplishments, only somber moods from the losses we had been dealt.

It was the first time that it had occurred to me that we were all loners. No spouses. And siblings were few and far between with most of them being estranged. I wondered if perhaps that was part of the reason we had all bonded so well. George was like the uncle that I never had and Davis, he reminded me of the brother I had lost so many years ago to the Milgari.

There were none among us who were lazy. Each gave their best effort when a task had been assigned. Each had shown their willingness to give it all for the cause. After a day in port I called a meeting.

"OK. Listen up. We took a beating out there. We lost some good people. But we can't let that deter us from trying to stop the threat that is before us. Those who know me know that my father was in the last war. The ship he was on and the crew he served with, they were accused of mutiny and of surrendering to the enemy during a fight that they were winning."

"Because of the accusations that were made, I have struggled for most of my life to forget the things that he had taught me, duty, honor, courage... and resolve. He would tell me stories of the battles that he fought in and the men and women with whom he had served. They were valiant men and women, those that were true to the cause, those that gave their lives so that others would continue to have freedom."

"Freedom is every man’s dream; freedom to choose how we live our lives and freedom to choose who we spend those lives with. Each of us here today holds those same values. We don't fight so that we can become rich; we fight because we know that our way of life, our very freedom, is in jeopardy. The Tantric mine is making us more than we could spend in a lifetime. But what is that life without the freedom to do with it as we choose?"

"Our ships took a beating out there, but they will once again be ready for battle in a week or so. The question we are now faced with is one of our choosing. Do we continue this fight? Do we again and again put our lives on the line to stop an enemy that is bent on our destruction? Or do we turn over the information we have and hope that the powers-that-be will make the right decision and once again move the Grid to a new location?"

After a short pause I continued, "With a move we would be giving up most of what we have accomplished here on Bullwort. But I have no doubt those accomplishments can be repeated in whatever sector we end up calling home. You are all hard working individuals and I would not trade out a one of you for anyone else. I just need to know where you stand on this question. Do we stand our ground and continue this personal private war for our freedom? Or do we alert the Grid military to the threat and hope that others make the right moves?"

"Take a few minutes to discuss it and I'll tell you what I think before we make a final decision." The team looked around silently at each other. I could tell from the concern on their faces that they wondered exactly where it was that I stood. Nearly a minute passed without a word being uttered. I then offered my position.

"OK, it looks like we are unanimous about something. I'll tell you what I think and then we can put it to a vote. I think... I believe we should stay and fight. Those massive cannons are something that has to be stopped. If the Grid jumps to a new sector, who knows how long we will have before the Milgari again find us. And if they have more of those cannons, the Grid may not survive long enough to jump again. I think we have to stay and fight it out. I'm willing, willing to do whatever it takes to stop the Milgari."

"We have no allies, no one else to help us, it’s only us, the small team of patriots in this room. I value the opinions, and the decision, of each and every one of you. What say..."

Before I had a chance to finish my speech, Davis stood from his chair. "I've been kicking around in the Messenger Service for a long time. Had some good times, made a few good friends along the way, but that all means nothing if I'm not willing to fight for it."

"I might not always be the sharpest tack on the wall, but I know when it's time to fight or time to run and I will not be forced to run. If there is anything I can do to put a stop to or even only slow down this threat; I am willing to do whatever it takes. I think we have a good thing going here."

Davis continued, "It's the first time I have really felt like I belonged somewhere. You are like the family I never had. Harley and Trippet, they knew why they were here. I say we honor their sacrifice and continue this fight. It's something that I am willing to fight for. I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'm still in!"

One by one the others stood and pledged their allegiance to the cause and to the others in the room. It was a proud moment for each of us, a moment that we were desperately in need of. Further sacrifices would be made, I had no doubt, but they would be made with a purpose in mind, the purpose of fighting our private war by whatever means we had available.

With our fighting spirit renewed, George stepped up for an announcement, "While you were away, I managed to scout out four more Defender hulls. They should be arriving in the next few weeks. I also took the liberty of tracking down the pirate technician who had been responsible for creating those inhibitor fields that the Gonks had used for so long. Greased a few palms and I was able to pay him a visit in his cell. Long story short, I believe I can convince him to join us."

A commotion brewed as the others showed their anger. Milly was the first to speak. "Are you saying you want that nightmare on our team? Are you kidding? There is no telling how many innocent people were tortured and killed as a result of getting caught by that thing. Many of the people in this room lost friends to that field!"

George raised his hands in defense. "Hold on, hold on. I know the horrors that were brought about by that field. But I think we are overlooking something important here. I've talked to this guy, Robert Yacabucci, and I can tell you that he was no fan of the Gonk government. In fact, he said he invented the field as a method to save space travelers both time and fuel. We all know how quickly that field would bring you to a halt. Its original purpose was for transportation."

George continued, "When traveling at faster than SOL, it takes time and a lot of fuel to drop back down to a stop. His invention was going to revolutionize that part of a trip. It could have saved each of you Messengers a half day or so of time on a round trip. It was a viable and well thought out device."

"His problem came when he presented it to the Gonk government as a way to increase traffic to their system, thereby increasing trade. He had no part in making it for the pirates. If anything, he was forced into supporting it. He told me he had family on Gonk and there had been obvious threats made to him about their safety."

"What I want you to look at, to think about, is can we make use of this technology against the Milgari? You have to ask yourself, what if we could hold a Milgari fleet where it was, while we attacked those cannons. Would we be able to get in and out without even getting shot at? Think about what we could do with this tech, all I'm saying is that it might be worth our time to explore."

Heated discussions continued for nearly an hour. George revealed that the tech itself was destroyed when we cleaned out the pirates. In their paranoia over keeping the technology secret, the Gonks had taken the route of not having any drawings, plans or even assembly notes that would lead to someone else making use of their prized possession. The tech was supplied with the parts needed to construct an inhibitor. Robert Yacabucci alone knew of its secrets. It was something that he had refused to discuss with anyone.

George continued, "Look, this guy hasn't talked about this device. He refuses. He may not talk to us either. But if we can get him here, if we can show him what it is that we are doing, well, people have a way of wanting to pay penance for their sins. If we can convince him that we are on the right side of this coming war, he might just open up."

After a lengthy discussion it was decided to give the Gonkian tech a try. We were in need of a plan, a plan that would bring him to Bullwort without him knowing where it was. We needed a plan to convince him to join the cause. It was plan that I let the others design. The more they were involved in his abduction, the more they would open up to his joining the team.

George made several more trips to Gonk, each time, under an assumed name and in a ship that was flagged to a different planet. He managed to gather the blueprints of the prison where Yacabucci was being housed. It was high security and it was quickly determined that the abduction would not be easy.

We would have to be in and out without bringing harm to any of the guards. We were not at war with Gonk and they were not the enemy. The blueprints were studied and a ship was rented and modified. The plan would take us through the front doors to his cell and back. During the three minutes and 12 second journey we had come up with, there would be at least eight guards encountered. Each would have to be stunned without drawing attention to our purpose.

Once back at the front doors we would have four minutes and eight seconds to make it to the space port and our ship. A local transport had been purchased for that purpose with its eventual abandonment at the space-port. If all went well we would be out of the atmosphere before any alarms had sounded. From there, alerts would go out quickly with such a high profile individual, but we would stay ahead of those alerts with our fast ion drives. All in all it was a well thought out plan.

Our guise for landing on Gonk was to fulfill a small contract for clerical work that our team was supposedly good at. Gonk was still a planet in transition to one of commercial trade status. Record systems had to be constructed and put in place to handle the flow of new business. Our team was to assist with that task.

When we arrived on Gonk, George was there waiting. Several apartments had been rented for our extended stay; they would be used as our base of operations until such time as the plan was ready to be put into play. We needed practice, practice at maneuvering through the streets of the Gonk city of Borgram, practice at reviewing our steps through the prison and what we would do when each guard was encountered. After two weeks on Gonk we believed we were ready.

I spoke, "OK. Davis and Milly are point going through the maze. Frig will be our driver and the rest of you will be following Davis and Milly for backup. Remember, if anyone goes down, we withdraw and get off this planet. You each have a scrambled comm system. It broadcasts pre-recorded talk from the radio stations here on Gonk, our comms will be hidden within those recordings. If anyone else listens in to those channels they will appear as innocent."

"I have taken the precaution to purchase a second transport. I will be tailing Frig in case of a mishap. And remember, this guy is special; we need him alive and unharmed. That goes for the guards through there as well. They are just innocent people doing their jobs."

Davis then spoke, "Can we stun our target if needed; if he doesn't come willingly?"

I replied, "If he offers a struggle then by all means make it easy on yourself. Stunning him might give him a headache later, but he will get over it. We need in and out people. They will not have their weapons set to stun. Oh, and if you look in the box over in the corner, Rita was able to construct some vests that you can wear. They should dissipate a standard charge if you take it in the torso, if you take one in the head then... well... I think you all know what happens there."

Twenty minutes later we were parked in front of Hardlin Prison. It was a utilitarian building with tall gray walls that wrapped a small courtyard in the middle. As the others began to pile out of Frig's transport, the prison was rocked with a powerful explosion. Seconds later a small ship rocketed skyward. Our prisoner had been stolen!

I yelled, "Everyone! Get back in the transport and get to the space-port. We probably only have a few minutes before this planet is placed on lockdown! They are going to be questioning anyone and everyone on this and we do not want to be caught in the middle of it. Our cover is good, but it is not very deep."

The ride back from the prison took just over two minutes. We moved at no more than a fast walk back through the port and to our ship. George had already departed on a second vessel.

I sat in the nav chair. "Davis, get those engines online while I initialize our flight plan with their tower. We are only a couple minutes earlier than scheduled so I'm hoping they will just let us through."

"Borgram tower… this is the Lopez… we are requesting a departure time."

Several seconds passed. "Hello Lopez, this is Borgram, we have a transport in front of you. You are in the queue."

I gave Davis the signal and the Lopez was soon hovering three meters off the ground. Davis followed the illuminated trail from our slip out to the port. When we arrived, the transport in front of us was still preparing to launch.

My heart jumped as four vehicles quickly pulled out in front of the transport. "Lopez, this is Borgram, it seems there has been a delay. Please hold your current position."

I turned to Davis with instructions. "It looks like they are locking us down! Is there any way to squeeze us out of here? Maybe go around the port side of that thing?"

Davis turned with his reply, "Sorry Boss, that barge has us pinned in. We could push it out of the way with a low level beam, but not before pissing a lot of people off."

We were trapped, trapped on a planet where the authorities were certain to be hostile. Someone had just freed the one person they feared the most. Yacabucci had knowledge that had been used to capture, enslave and torture thousands. I was certain that we would be tied to his escape.

I made the decision to act. "OK. Davis, get ready to push. We have to get out of here or we will soon be sitting in Hardlin ourselves. Ride up to her and give her a shove, careful not to damage our hull."