OMEGA Guardian (17 page)

My head was becoming foggy as I spoke. "I need to lie down. I can’t maintain consciousne—"

When I awoke, nine hours had passed. Layda was sitting beside the captain’s bunk.

I tried to sit up as I spoke. "How long have I been out?"

Layda pushed me back as she smiled. "Don't move. You need to rest. You have been out for most of the day."

I again attempted to sit up, but a firm hand on my arm held me in place.

Layda shook her head. "You aren’t going anywhere. That piece of metal Garrett pulled out of your shoulder left a gaping hole. We didn’t know if we could stop the bleeding. I’m sorry I had to do it, but I used the ion welder to cauterize that wound. It’s not a pretty sight."

I placed my hand over Layda’s. "I thank you. That probably saved my life. We Gruntas are tough so long as our hides are not violated. On the inside, we can take a beating, but we don’t do well with internal bleeding. Near the surface, the fluids that surround our body tissue act as coagulants when we are cut. If that cut is too deep, the coagulants are not effective and we bleed out. Please tell that to no one."

Layda nodded. "You don’t have to worry about me."

I looked around the cabin. "Where are the others?"

Layda replied, "Jallis is scouting the perimeter just around the ship. Garrett is in the cargo hold trying to piece together another multi-blaster. One that we can carry with us if needed."

I continued, "And the Talisans?"

Layda smiled. "They are keeping their distance. They know that upward-facing gun is still active. When Garrett gets a couple of the multi-blasters put together, he plans on flipping this ship over so we can repair that top turret. He thinks Jallis and I will be able to keep those gunships away with the handheld multi-blasters."

I nodded as I lay my head back in pain. "Garrett is a good man. All of you, you are warriors, and I am proud to have allied with you."

Layda offered a half smile. "Well, we need for you to heal up, because this fight is not over. We landed in the jungle, but this region has not been liberated. Garrett thinks we might have a troop of Talisans marching through that jungle right now. If so, they could be on us within the hour."

I slowly reached down to my arm pad. I flipped on the locator that would let anyone who wanted to, know that I was on the planet. If Go was coming, he would be able to find us.

Garrett walked into the cabin. "Ah, good, glad to see that you are awake. Sorry about welding up your shoulder. We couldn’t think of any other way to stop the bleeding. It just kept pouring out of that wound whenever I removed pressure."

Layda spoke. "Yeah, when Gruntas get deep wounds, there is no stopping the bleeding."

I looked over at Layda with dismay. "What did I just say?"

Layda shrugged. "It’s Garrett; I thought he should know."

I sighed. "Please do not tell this to anyone else. It is a secret, a vulnerability, that my people have kept hidden for thousands of years."

Layda replied, "Well, you shouldn’t have told me, then."

Garrett held up his hand. "OK, we are all on the same side here. I have a single multi-blaster put together. I’m about to start on a second. If I can get that one finished, we can take a shot at flipping this ship upright. I can’t repair that turret while it’s sitting in the mud."

I said, "You should use the lower turret to clear out the jungle all around the ship. If the Talisans are coming on foot, you will want the open space to fight them."

I looked at Layda. "Bring Jallis in so Garrett can get started on the clearing."

Garrett replied, "Layda, bring Jallis in. He can monitor the sensors while you clear out the jungle. I need to finish up that second multi-blaster. We are going to need it should the Talisans show on foot."

I nodded. "Agreed. Now, go, I do not need further attention. My body will heal if given time."

For the next several hours, the jungle surrounding the upside-down
Heap
was blasted back. The occasional shot was fired in the direction of the Talisan gunships as a warning for them to stay back. Garrett continued his work on the hand multi-blaster as I got my rest. We had somehow survived to fight another day.

An hour passed before the first ion bolt came out of the jungle a half kilometer from the ship. Layda had cleared back an area that would keep the enemy at that distance. The few scattered shots pinged as they impacted the hull, causing only minor surface damage. Layda spun the turret around and fired a bolt back into the thick trees. Debris could be seen flying, and for a moment, the shooting stopped.

I sat up in the bunk and walked over to the captain’s chair. After looking at the console screen for several seconds, I glanced up to look through the front viewports. Seeing the jungle while upside down was a strange sensation. The ship’s gravity generator pulled with an upward force as the world outside was oriented in the opposite direction.

Jallis spoke. "Hey, those two gunships just dropped down out of sight. I don’t like this."

Garrett walked into the cabin and through to the cockpit. "The second blaster is done. I think we can flip this ship over now. Jallis and I will take watch outside."

I pointed to the nav screen. "We have another problem. The gunships have dropped down behind those hills out there. I would say that signals an attack is coming."

Garrett replied, "Well, this thing can still fly. Take us up a kilometer or two, and we’ll pelt the surrounding jungle from there."

I nodded. "If needed, we could set down elsewhere to do the repairs. We don’t need to be in this spot to do them."

Garrett smiled. "Make it happen, then. Take us to a sector on this planet that has been liberated."

As I powered up the ion engines, the first Talisan gunship came skipping over the treetops and fired a series of bolts into the
Heap
’s rear hull. The second gunship repeated the maneuver from another direction. Garrett flipped the multi-blaster cannons back to automatic. Two more attack runs by the gunships told us the automation was not fast enough.

The following attack saw major damage. An ion bolt had penetrated the outer hull, while a second strike had shattered a large area of the inner hull. A third bolt, following the first two, had damaged the ion transfer tubes on the port side of the ship, taking out the power feed to the port-side gravity thruster.

I yelled, "We just lost an engine! Garrett, get on that turret and see if you can stop this!"

I throttled up the second engine, and the
Heap
began to lift off the ground. Another pass by the Talisan gunships blew a hole in the starboard side of the ship, just missing the power feed for the starboard engine.

I again yelled, "Somebody’s got to stop that, or we aren’t going anywhere!"

A second strike then damaged the remaining power feed. Ion energy was spewing out of the damaged conduit. The starboard engine sputtered and shut down. The
Heap
dropped five meters to the ground.

Garrett scowled as he pounded his fist and spoke. "They knew exactly how to cripple this thing! Shut down that feed! Jallis, come with me. We’re going to attempt to patch that conduit!"

Layda yelled out, "We have another problem! Sensors are showing several hundred Talisans, and they are coming from every direction!"

Garrett pointed back at the console as the ship was again rocked by ion bolts from a gunship pass. "Get on that gun and try to force them back!"

Layda took aim and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.

Layda again yelled, "Cannon is offline!"

Garrett growled. "OK, you keep trying with that cannon. Knog? Can you carry a blaster?"

I replied, "I can, with my left arm."

Garrett pointed to Jallis. "You get back there and see if you can get that starboard conduit patched. Knog, you come with me. We are going to give these multi-blasters a workout!"

I followed Garrett into the cargo hold and then out through the gravity wall as a Talisan gunship screamed overhead and continued to pound the hull. The heap was taking more than she could handle.

Garrett dove onto the ground as several ion bolts from the tree line zipped just over our heads.

Garrett yelled, "We need some cover!"

I moved to the right and aimed at the ground five meters in front of me. Three bolts from the multi-blaster sent a pile of debris into the air, leaving a pit that was almost a meter and a half deep. I jumped down into the muddy hole as four ion bolts slammed the
Heap
’s hull near where I had been standing.

Garrett looked over and shook his head. "Sometimes the solution is right in your hands and you can’t see it!"

Garrett stood, firing into the ground in front of him before leaping into the large hole he had made. With our new, modestly protected positions, we began to return fire on the advancing forces. The gunships continued their treetop runs, pounding new holes into the side of the
Heap
’s hull. I could only wonder if Jallis was still alive just inside the gravity wall.

The Talisans used the fallen trees from Layda’s clean out for ground cover. I wasn’t sure it offered any advantage, as our blasters sent the debris flying, spreading our deadly fire over a larger area. The bolts from the Talisans were not as powerful, but a nearby strike could result in a nasty wave of mud mixed with splinters from the fallen trees and shrubs.

As the Talisans advanced to within two hundred meters, our lower turret cannon came back online. Layda fired in a relentless barrage, first stopping the advance and then driving the attackers backward. It was a confidence boost that was needed, but a boost that quickly ended as a new gunship strike permanently disabled the starboard ion feed.

A bloodied and blackened Jallis stumbled out of the ion wall, collapsing on the ground just outside. Garrett jumped from his hole and dragged the unconscious Feldon back through the gravity wall and onto the ship. Layda was waiting to lend a hand.

Garrett ran from the ship’s hold, diving back into his hole. "We have to take out those gunships, or we are dead meat!"

I replied, "I have reaction time that is slightly better than yours. Fire an occasional bolt over this way into the jungle, and I will see if I can get a hit on one of those ships."

Garrett yelled back, "Take it! They are due any second! I’ll cover your back!"

I turned and took aim at the top of the tree line, waiting for a ship to cross from behind me into my sight. The gunships were traveling fast. I fired at the first ship to pass. It came perfectly overhead and into my sight line. I squeezed the trigger only to see the ion bolt emerge too late. The gunship had moved back over the treetops.

I lay back in my foxhole, needing a moment to think. As I looked down at my blaster, and then at my arm, it hit me. The sensors on my arm pad were better than those on the
Heap
. I popped up a holo-display and enabled the sensor screen that would show the approaching ship.

I smirked as I thought of the genius use of the sensor. I would be able to see the incoming ship, and its trajectory, before it zipped over our location. I waited for the first indication of a gunship, noted its direction, and lay out for a shot. As the ship screamed overhead, again pounding the
Heap
, I squeezed the trigger on my multi-blaster.

My timing was perfect. As the bolt entered the tail end of the ship, a fireball emerged. The Talisan gunship dropped rapidly, crashing into a far hill.

Garrett screamed out, "Awesome! One more and we can get this circus under control!"

Over the next ten minutes, I missed with my repeated shots. It became apparent that my first hit had been more luck than skill. The Talisan troops continued their advance. Now at only 150 meters, our foxholes were in danger of becoming our graves. A partially recovered Jallis and a still-hobbled Layda then emerged from the cargo hold with newly assembled blaster rifles. Jallis joined Garrett while Layda dove into the hole next to me.

As Layda rose up, even with death knocking at our door, I had to laugh. "Hahaha!"

I wasn't sure why it had struck me as so funny at the time, but the minor distraction brought with it a renewed spirit. Layda gave an angry look as she pulled the trigger repeatedly on her blaster. One side of her face was covered in the black, muddy soil of Telfor. Only the bright white of her eye offered a sharp contrast.

Layda snarled. "Just get that last gunship, will you! That thing has been picking us apart!"

I fired off five rounds in succession, stopping an onrush of Talisans who had moved to within a hundred meters of our position. The Talisan blasters all went silent as the slavers squatted out of sight.

Garrett yelled. "I don’t like this! Get ready for a final push!"

Several seconds later, the Talisans all rose at once and fired. The ground surrounding us heaved and flew into the air. The hull of the
Heap
just behind us twanged and popped with the relentless barrage that the Talisans were unleashing in their attempt at a final assault. I popped up, taking out two of the advancers as Layda took out another three with a single shot.

Garrett rose and fired, ducking back down just as three bolts slammed the back side of his blaster-made foxhole. It was soon apparent that we would be overrun. I rolled out of the hole and ran, diving through the gravity wall and into the cargo hold. After a fifteen-second sprint to the front of the cargo hold and back, I emerged with a second ion rifle in my right arm. The pain in my right shoulder felt like the shrapnel had been shoved into it for a second time as I squeezed the trigger time and again, diving back into my blaster hole with a hard roll.

Layda popped up, taking out two Talisans that had made it to within thirty meters of our backs. Garrett and Jallis stood, firing in a similar manner, taking out three Talisans who had come in equally close.

Layda yelled out as she stood and fired, "Looks like we are gonna die here, but I’d rather die here free in this mud than digging for Talisan profit in those mines! Thanks for all you’ve done for us, Knog Beutcher; a million Feldon spirits shall praise your name!"

The sensor on my arm pad showed the Talisan gunship to be sweeping in for another run. I took aim and attempted to time my shot as it shot overhead. My timing was off as it had been before, but the gunship was trailing heavy smoke. As it turned skyward in a last attempt to flee, a heavy ion bolt cut it in half, the two pieces shattering in a cloud of smoke and fire.

A sleek ship then slid out from over the tree line, the powerful ion cannon on board targeting the Talisans on the ground as they turned to flee. It was Go! He had tracked our location from the signal on my arm pad!

Garrett and Jallis stood and fired at the fleeing Talisans, as did Layda. I just stood in disbelief. We were doomed, and yet somehow saved in the nick of time by a green ship mechanic that had little to no experience in life!

After circling the tree line and annihilating the remaining Talisans, Go set the
Jess
down beside our blaster holes. A triumphant savior emerged from the hatch of the
Jess
with a smile on his face.

Go held up his fist. "Please, whatever you do, don’t make me go back to being a ship mechanic! That right there, what I just did, that is what I was meant for!"

Garrett laughed. "As far as I’m concerned, you can be the ace pilot of whatever army we raise to fight these slavers. You couldn’t have timed your entrance any better if you were trying to be dramatic. We were finished. It was over. Five more minutes and we would have been nothing but compost for this jungle!"

Garrett walked over and slapped his forearm against Go’s, holding tight at his elbow as he smiled. Go returned the handshake with a grin.

Garrett gazed at his ship. "She looks good. No problems?"

Go replied, "She handles like a dream. I’ve never been in anything like her."

I said, "No issues with the portal sweeps?"

Go nodded his head. "No, I mean yes. I wasn’t able to make the jump to SS226. They weren’t buying my credentials. I had to leave the station I was at and travel the rest by normal flight. That’s what took me so long."

Garrett pointed up. "Are there any Talisan ships still up there?"

Go nodded. "There are five. Only one was a gunship."

Garrett turned in my direction. "I’m going to take them out before they have a chance to run. If we are lucky, we might catch half of the Talisan leadership up there. If they haven’t already turned to run, I’m sure they are preparing to."

Garrett patted Go on the shoulder. "Come on, your day isn’t done yet." Go looked back and grinned as he followed Garrett onto the
Jess
.

As the sleek, stealthy personal craft shot up through the high, thin clouds of Telfor, I looked back at Jallis and Layda. "You two are a mess. You look like you have been wrestling galligs. Hahaha!"

Layda shook her head. "You dove and rolled in this stuff. Why aren’t you covered in mud as well?"

I smiled. "Just careful, I guess. If those gunships didn’t kill off that shower in the captain’s cabin, you should go clean yourself up. Jallis and I will see if there is any possibility of repairing the
Heap
."

Layda turned back to look at the heavily damaged outer hull of our upside-down ship. "Wow, they did a number on her. I’m kind of liking the thought of her flying again, though. Do what you can, she is the flagship of the Free Feldon fleet!"

Jallis smiled. "We will bring her back."

Garrett and Go returned an hour later. Four of the Talisan ships had been caught and destroyed; the fifth had gotten away.

Garrett stepped up into the
Heap
. "How does she look?"

I replied, "Not good, but there is a possibility that she will survive. If we can get these ion conduits patched, we can get her out of the mud."

Go looked over the work we were preparing to do. "No, no, no. You can’t use that for patch tubing. If it fails, you run the risk of burning out this entire side! If that happens in space, you can kiss it all goodbye."

Go frowned at the thought of doing mechanical work. "Oh, get out of the way. I’ll have this patched in a few hours. After that you can…what’s this over here? You aren’t planning on leaving it like that, are you? That’s suicide!"