Beyond the Shroud of the Universe (19 page)

“Lasers and AMMs firing!” the DSO cried. His voice had risen an octave as the horde of missiles got closer. “We’re killing them fast; they’re just shooting them faster.” He switched to the ship-wide communications network. “
Missiles inbound; all hands brace for shock!
”

The ship was buffeted, but didn’t rock like when missiles had hit it previously.

“Sir, the shields stopped most of the missiles,” the duty engineer reported. “We have some minor damage in the galley and officer’s showers. Damage control parties are responding.”

“More missiles launching from the moon,” Steropes said.

“Sir, we just lost
Asp 10
and
Asp 12,
” Guns reported. “It’s getting pretty bad out there. Their fighters are crap and their anti-fighter missiles are just as lame as their anti-ship missiles, but they’ve got several hundred fighters compared to our 12. Well, 10, now.”

“Are we in range of the moon?” Captain Sheppard asked.

“Yes sir,” the OSO replied.

“Pull the fighters back,” the CO ordered, “and blast the moon with everything we’ve got.”

“
Break right,
Asp 06!” Frenchie commed. She fired, and her laser lanced out, destroying the Efreeti following
06.

“We need to pull back,” Frenchie said. “There are too damn many of them. Individually, they aren’t a match, but they out-number us about 20-to-1 now, and I can’t see everywhere at once. If they keep launching more fighters, we’re going to be overwhelmed.”

“You just got your wish,” Lights said as Frenchie destroyed another Efreeti ship, then maneuvered wildly to avoid a pair of missiles. “
All Asps, clear out of the space between the
Vella Gulf
and the moon. I think Mom’s had enough of this bullshit, too. Rendezvous at the coordinates I’m sending you, and we’ll delouse ourselves.
”

She watched as the remaining fighters gyrated wildly to get clear of the fur ball they had allowed themselves to become embroiled in.
Asp 02,
with its crew of Lieutenants Brian Bouchez and Jerry Johnson, didn’t make it, succumbing to a barrage of missiles from at least three sides. Lieutenant Bouchez almost got them clear, but they took a missile he hadn’t seen coming from ‘below’ the fighter.

Once the fighters were clear, it didn’t take the
Vella Gulf
long to sanitize the moon. ASMs and grasers were retargeted onto the lunar surface, flattening buildings and turning the lunar soil to fused glass. The space in between was swept clear with a barrage of the ship’s AMMs and anti-missile lasers.

“
Holy shit,
” Lieutenant Erika Smith commed as she watched the ship fire broadside after broadside. The ship rolled after each launch to bring the other set of launchers to bear, doubling the effective rate of fire. The fighter’s view screen allowed her to see the laser strikes raining down like a fierce lightning storm on the lunar landscape. “
They’re getting pasted down there.
”

“
And good riddance to them bastards, too,
” her pilot, Lieutenant Samuel Jakande, added.

After four broadsides, no more missiles or fighters rose from the surface. Four more broadsides followed…just to make sure.

“Guns is going to be pissed,” Frenchie said.

“Why’s that?” Lights asked.

“He thought he was going to be the first space ace,” Frenchie replied, “but he’s not.”

“Did we get five kills today?”

“No,” replied Frenchie, sounding embarrassed. “We got 12.”

“I think that will be sufficient,” Captain Sheppard said. “Hold fire; let’s see if there’s anything still alive down there.”

“I see a couple of hostile fighters still operational,” the DSO reported. “Want me to take care of them?”

“Are they headed toward us or our fighters?” the CO asked.

“No sir,” the DSO replied. “They appear to be going back to the moon.”

“I think we made our point. Keep an eye on them. If they stay on the moon, let them be. If they come back up, you are cleared to fire without further direction.”

“Aye aye, sir.”

“Captain Sheppard,” Solomon interrupted, “I believe I have broken into their communications net. Would you like to hear what they are saying?”

“Yes, I would.”

“
The queen is still at risk from the intruders. Gather all your remaining fighters and send them in a coordinated attack with your remaining missiles. The intruders must be destroyed!
”

“
General Skeeeeezzis, that is impossible. I value the queen’s safety as much as you, but sending out what remains of the fighter wing is nothing short of ludicrous. How are seven fighters going to do what 347 couldn’t?
”

“
Perhaps if you were to pilot one of them, Colonel, the men would fight better.”

“
And perhaps if you hadn’t siphoned off all the money for improved equipment, the men might actually have had a chance.
”

“Solomon, can I transmit to them?”

“Yes sir, just speak and I will overpower their transmitters.”

“
Efreeti officers, this is Captain Sheppard of the Terran Spaceship
Vella Gulf
,
” the CO said.

“
Wait; who is this?
”
General Skeeeeezzis asked. “
What are you doing on our network? This is a secure transmission!
”

“
I am the commanding officer of the Terran ship in orbit,
” Captain Sheppard said. “
I am interrupting your conversation to give you my terms. They are simple. There are two foreigners on your planet. One of them is an Aesir by the name of Nightsong; the other is one of our countrymen whose name is Lieutenant Commander Shawn Hobbs. We will send a shuttle down to the surface of the planet. If you return the two foreigners to us, we will then negotiate your surrender. If you don’t return the foreigners, we will destroy your towns until you do; I will instruct my forces to look for likely places your queen might be and will have them destroy those places first. It’s up to you; give us the foreigners, or you
will
lose your cities and your queen.
”

“
You’re bluffing,
” the general replied. “
You wouldn’t lay waste to our cities, as you might inadvertently kill the people you are looking for. If they are so important, you wouldn’t dare!
”

“
Perhaps not,
” Captain Sheppard replied. “
However, is that really a risk you are willing to take? Even if we don’t destroy your cities, we will certainly slag your facilities on the moon.
” Captain Sheppard motioned to the OSO. “Resume graser fire on the moon.”

“Continue kicking the shit out of the moon, aye, sir!” the OSO replied in a happy tone.

“
You have got to make them stop!
” the colonel exclaimed. “
The base cannot take much more. We have already lost atmospheric integrity in several places. We will be completely open to space before much longer, and with most of our shuttle craft destroyed, we will be unable to return our survivors to the planet.
”

“
You have failed the queen,
” the general replied. “
What value are your lives?
”

“
What is the value of
your
life, general?
” Captain Sheppard asked.

“
What do you mean?
”

“Solomon, can you determine where the general’s transmission is originating from?”

“Yes sir, the signal is coming from a military facility on the largest continent. I do not know whether that is where he actually is, though. He may be somewhere else and just using that transmission facility. Standby.”

There was a pause as Solomon traced the signal through their network, then the AI added “The general is at the facility, as well. I found a map of the base in their computer network; I am displaying it on the front view screen.”

“Good,” Captain Sheppard said. “OSO, slag one of the buildings on that base. Pick one with maximum psychological value.”

“Graser firing,” the OSO noted.

“Sir, it is done,” Solomon said. “The general’s house has been destroyed.”

“
You asked what I meant by the value of your life, general,
” Captain Sheppard said. “
Your house has been destroyed. We can kill you at our discretion just as easily. Perhaps we should do that right now; your replacement may be easier to reason with.
”

“
No…um…I don’t think that will be necessary,
” the general replied. “
I will, however, need to talk to our officials as I do not know who or where the individuals you are looking for are residing.
”

“
That is not factual,
” Solomon transmitted. “
The communications logs indicate Captain Nightsong checked in with their space command establishment upon his arrival. At a minimum, they are aware of where he landed.
”

“
Well, it may be true someone from this organization talked with him,
” the general replied, “
but I couldn’t tell you how long ago that was or who it was that spoke with him. I will need some time to research those details. I’m sure I can have an answer for you by mid-day, our time, tomorrow.
”

“
I do not believe that is necessary,
” Solomon said, “
as you were one of the people who spoke to him. The records indicate you asked if he would be landing at the ‘normal place,’ and he replied in the affirmative.
”

“
You have two hours to have the people we’re looking for ready to travel. If they aren’t, I
will
find out if your successor is better able to get things done. Captain Sheppard, out.
”

“Do you think the Efreet will have them ready in two hours?” the OSO asked.

“It will depend on their relationship with Nightsong,” Captain Sheppard replied, “but I would expect the answer is, ‘probably not.’ I doubt Nightsong is going to give himself up to us willingly, and he is a pretty capable individual. Work with Solomon and develop a list of targets for us to strike in case they don’t. I would like a number of options.”

Nightsong smiled down at Calvin, strapped to the bed. Additional restraints had been added to keep him from moving. “This is where the fun begins,” he said. He tested the point of a scalpel with a finger. Green blood welled up from the cut momentarily, but then the cut closed on its own and the blood disappeared. “Well, I guess I should say that this is where the fun begins
for me
,” he said with a giggle; “your experience, of course, may differ slightly.”

“Why are you
doing
this?” Calvin asked.

“I already told you why,” Nightsong replied. “I need your spirit to help me with my quests.” He saw Calvin staring at the scalpel. “If you mean, ‘why am I going to remove most of your organs first, before finally killing you?’ it is because I have found pain focuses a soul wonderfully prior to death. I don’t want any soul energy to escape when you die; I want to get every last bit.” He smiled again. “As your culture says, it’s good to the last drop.”

He ran the scalpel down the right side of Calvin’s abdomen, and Calvin screamed in pain and terror. “Did that hurt?” Nightsong asked.

“Yes, you bastard, you know it did,” Calvin moaned in pain.

“Good. I told you pain was part of the process. I could make this not hurt if I wanted to, but that would be defeating the purpose. By the way, I would try not to struggle so much if I were you. This has to be done in a certain order, and if you cause me to make an incorrect incision, I will have to put you back together again and start all over. While it might be fun for me, I doubt you would like it as much, and I
am
on somewhat of a schedule. You know, giants to kill and regicide to commit…things like that.”

Nightsong drew the scalpel across the bottom of Calvin’s stomach, eliciting another scream. Nightsong shuddered in delight. “I had almost forgotten how much fun this was.”

The Aesir drew the scalpel across the top of Calvin’s abdomen and lifted up the flap of skin he had cut. “This is so much nicer as an Eco Warrior,” he noted absently. “As you can guess, this process used to be
so
bloody before I became one. Clean up was always
such
a chore.”

The sound of pounding on the door interrupted his reverie.

“Go away!” he shouted.

The pounding continued.

“
Go away!
” he shouted even louder.

The pounding also grew louder.

Nightsong gave a theatrical sigh. “Good help is
so
hard to find.” He turned and walked to the door. “Don’t go anywhere,” he said with a giggle; “I’ll be right back.”

Calvin could hear voices. Their tone sounded urgent, but the voices were too low for him to understand through the searing pain. After a few moments, Nightsong returned to the doorway.

“I’m sorry, my presence has been requested by the queen, and she is the one person that cannot be ignored. If I do not go see what she wants, her troops will continue to interrupt us, regardless of how many I kill. They really
are
quite persistent in following her orders.”

He crossed to Calvin. “Unfortunately, going to the palace means I will have to go outside the control range of the nanobots in your system; I am going to have to turn them off so they don’t kill you.”

Despite Calvin’s intentions, Nightsong saw the smile that flickered across Calvin’s face.

“I’m sure you believe this is a reprieve, but let me assure you, it is
not
. First of all, your implant’s transmitter and receiver are turned off, so even when I disable my nanobots, you still won’t have the ability to communicate. Not that there’s anyone to talk with here. Second, no matter how much pain you think you are in now, it is about to become much,
much
worse. The nanobots have been blocking some of the pain to keep you from passing out; you are about to feel it all now. Enjoy.”

He smiled and leaned forward to touch Calvin’s cheek, and pain blossomed across Calvin’s body. He screamed until he passed out.