Peace Warrior (17 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The interruption was unexpected and undesired. Zal had remained in his quarters since the receipt of Brun's message two days before. Other than an occasional message over the ship's communication system, Zal had talked to no one, seen no one, and entertained no one. It was not unusual for a commander to remain in seclusion during a wartime situation, and Zal chose to act as though he were at war with the humans. He had food, water, everything he needed in his plush commander's quarters and had no need or desire to leave. What few commands he had for his soldiers and guards were given electronically. His concentration was focused on the eradication of humans responsible for the rebellious acts that had been committed.

Occasionally, a thought or two was given to what he would tell Brun if the situation was not taken care of before his superior's arrival but, for the most part, he still held the firm belief that he would be successful. He was not concerned for the Minith position here on Earth, but for his own. To think that a weak race of beings like these humans could pose any serious harm was unrealistic. But to think that they could ruin his career with their rebellious acts was a very serious possibility. If he did not stomp them out, and soon, he would be replaced.

Zal let the visitor wait, as was his right as commander, and wished, not for the first time, that he could take care of the human problem in a manner he considered appropriate. But, although his Minith superiors would overlook a few slave deaths for the purpose of their troops' morale, they would not permit the scale of killing that needed to be done to teach these sheep a lesson. Soon after receipt of Brun's message announcing his visit, Zal received another message regarding the eradication of the human sub-farms. The message relayed the Minith Command's order that nothing was to be done which would interfere with the human's ability to meet their supply quotas. The message was sent as 'Priority Two’, which meant it could be read by anyone on the ship. And it specifically mentioned protection of the human food supply and sub-farms. The spies on board had again managed to communicate Zal's activities.

The message effectively eliminated a course of action that would have ensured his success. Zal knew the humans would do anything to protect their farms. Now that leverage had been taken away by his superiors. He had to find another way to erase the putrid disease of discontent that currently tainted his human flock.

Having made him wait outside long enough, Zal bade his visitor entry. Lieutenant Treel entered his commander's room as quietly as he had approached it five minutes earlier and bowed. Zal nodded in recognition of his subordinate. He was pleased to see the other soldier’s recognition of the proper protocols and hoped he had news of the human traitors.

"Speak."

"Sir, I have information regarding the slaves we seek."

Zal stepped closer to his lieutenant, eager for the news.

“Yes?"

"Sir, as you suggested, I ordered our human informants to be questioned regarding those who attacked us."

"And did they talk?" Zal's voice rose perceptibly with the excitement he felt. "What have you learned?" His eagerness for success overcame his need to appear uncaring in the presence of his subordinate.

Treel tactfully ignored his commander's professional slip and answered eagerly. "Sir. One of the humans came forth of his own volition. He has told us a very odd tale. But one which could explain how the humans have been able to act so far out of character."

"Ah? I would like to hear this 'odd tale' but first tell me what this human wanted for his information." Zal resisted the urge to hear the details of the human's information immediately. It would be unwise to show this lieutenant another sign of his concern over the human situation.

"Sir, the human requested very little for his knowledge."

At this revelation, Zal's leathered eyelids rose. Usually, humans who informed on their own kind wanted more of everything: more food, more clothing, a larger living space, human money. Of course, they never got everything they requested, but they were given enough to keep them coming back whenever they had information that they felt their masters would want to know. To find one who wanted little in return for something of such obvious importance was a curiosity indeed.

"What did he want?"

"Sir. He said... he said he wanted to return 'Peace' to his fellow humans."

A smile crossed Treel's face as he relayed this information to his commander. The human race's desire for 'Peace' was a well-worn joke among the Minith. Minith could not understand the concept, but none of them failed to be grateful for the foreign idea either. It made their conquest of this world infinitely simple.

"I see," Zal said, nodding. The concept of Peace was new to him but he recognized its unshakable hold upon these creatures. Until recently, he would have believed these humans incapable of resisting because of this concept, but something had occurred to change that, at least in a few of them.

"Tell me what this human told you."

"Sir, I... I took the liberty of bringing this human here. The story he tells is strange. There may be questions you have, and, excuse me for my presumptuousness, but there is also the Zone." The lieutenant bowed in deference to his commander's authority in the matter, but Zal did not rebuke him for his actions.

"No, Lieutenant, you have performed admirably. If this creature's story is as odd as you describe, the Zone may be the very thing we need to determine its validity."

"Thank you, sir." Treel relaxed visibly before asking, "Shall I bring the prisoner here, sir?"

“No, no," Zal said. He had already spent enough time in seclusion. He headed for the door, relieved to have a diversion from his thoughts and a focus for his anger. "We shall speak with this human in the Zone."

Treel followed his leader out the door and along the corridor. He remained a step behind and to the left of Zal and found he had to step quickly in order to keep up. They reached the Zone within minutes.

The human male was already there when they arrived. The first thing Zal noticed was the man's ample size for a human, and he said as much to Treel.

"Yes, sir," he answered in Minith. "He is apparently a human of some standing. He has no need of additional food as do many of our informants. Perhaps that is why he asked for so little in exchange for his story."

"Perhaps." The human's fear at the arrival of the two Minith was apparent, even to Zal who had little direct contact with the species. He switched to Earth Standard language.

"Speak, human. What is your name? And what can you tell me of the attacks on your masters?"

“My… my name is Mr. Blue.” The human trembled, obviously frightened. He whispered words that Zal recognized a human Peace mantra.

“Speak, human!”

The fat man flinched, but began talking.

Ten minutes later, the Minith Minister of Earth knew about Tane Rolan's experiment, the six hundred year old soldier, and the efforts of the ancient soldier to train human recruits.

He also knew why this overlarge human wanted nothing in return for his information. He had been ordered by the Human Leadership Council to tell everything they knew about the rebel humans. Apparently, they had had enough killing of their population and were ready to concede. It was also apparent that they had no means of stopping the rebels themselves, and were coming to Zal for assistance in shutting down the rogue humans.

Zal asked only one question. "Where is this training being done, human?" Blue's enormous belly jiggled as he strained to catch the whispered words.

“They… they are preparing within the confines of Violent’s Prison.” He shrugged weakly then began to hyperventilate. His entire frame shook with each ragged breath he took.

Zal simply stared at the creature's display, unsure of what, if anything, to say to the man. The human was a slobbering coward as well as a traitor to his race. Instead of saying anything to the pitiful heap of spineless flesh, he addressed Lieutenant Treel in Minith.

"What do you make of this, Lieutenant?" The words were barely audible even to Treel. Mr. Blue was aware only of the look that passed between the immense monster and his equally sizable subordinate.

"Sir," Treel began without hesitation. He had obviously given the matter some thought since first hearing the human's story. "I disbelieve in the existence of this 'ancient soldier' which the human mentions. It is impossible for such an accomplishment, especially for this weak race of slaves. I do, however, feel there may be a soldier among them who possesses the capability to stand up against our superiority, and who may be influential enough to recruit others to his cause. Who knows what stories this human has concocted to further his cause among his own? Perhaps the slaves will follow him more readily if they believe him to be of an earlier era. As you know, sir, these humans were once a warring people."

Zal nodded at his lieutenant's words, but in fact had not known this bit of human history. It would have been counter-productive to show his lack of knowledge to his subordinate, however.

Treel continued, "It is my belief that a lone human may be attempting to recruit, train and lead other members of his weak race against us."

"Very good, Lieutenant," Zal conceded. "Anything else?"

Treel contemplated briefly, had a thought. He cleared his throat in the Minith way, and spoke his mind.

"Sir, it is my belief that humans possessing the courage we have witnessed can only come from one place on this world. This human’s assertion that the human prison is the source is likely accurate." The lieutenant stopped speaking at the sign of Zal's raised fist.

Zal pondered his soldier's words carefully. The lieutenant had more time on planet than he but the studies he had undertaken upon his assignment as commander offered a single possibility.

"Of course," Zal said, more to himself than to his lieutenant. "It has to be at the human prison, does it not?" Zal's smile returned. There was no longer any doubt that he could take care of the human problem before Brun's arrival. He turned to the lieutenant.

"Ready all three Battle Groups. That should be more than enough force to eradicate a few unruly sheep. I want them at the human prison by tomorrow morning."

"It will be done, sir," the lieutenant said. He bowed to Zal and left the room with a purpose.

"Yes," Zal spoke as he left the room, the cowering human inside now forgotten. "I will show Brun how I deal with wild sheep." He smacked one of his leathered fists into his other palm. The sudden crack of noise was pleasing.

* * *

Inside the Zone, Blue's heavy form sank to the cold floor of the empty alien chamber and shivered. His stomach growled loudly and he began to cry. He had never felt so alone. He suddenly wished he had asked the aliens for something to eat before they had left him.

He did not know why the Leadership Council had asked him, of all people, to deliver this news to these aliens.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

"Lieutenant Treel, you are in charge of the extermination."

It was apparent to Treel that his commander viewed his soldiers' mission as nothing more than an eradication of diseased vermin. Something that had to be done to reaffirm Minith dominance and, even more importantly, rescue his position as commander of that dominance. Treel cared nothing for Zal. And he knew the humans had to be removed. But he was not sure his current orders were the correct ones.

"Take no prisoners."

"I understand, sir. It will be done." Treel bowed in deference to his commander, but he still felt uneasy. Unsure of the plan. He took a deep breath, wrestling with the need to express the concerns he felt. His words, if received poorly, could mean his removal and execution. But his loyalty to his race was strong, and he could not ignore his judgment as a skilled warrior.

"Sir, do you think it wise to send our entire battle force? Surely, one third of the group is more than enough?"

Zal, in the middle of returning Treel's bow, froze for a fraction of a second, then completed the bow. Both knew the question questioned Zal’s judgment, if not his authority. Treel felt the force of his commander’s stare. Smelled the scent of danger wafting off his commander’s skin.

"Lieutenant, I am well aware of our capabilities. I understand that your concerns are fueled by your selfless devotion to our success. However... I will hear no more objections. Is that understood?"

Treel bowed his head. He felt shame for having openly questioned his superior. And anger at Zal for not listening to his concerns.

"Yes, sir." He bowed again.

"Very well," Zal said, ignoring Treel’s second bow. "Success to you and your soldiers, Lieutenant."

Zal turned on his heel and left the ship's launching area.

Treel watched his commander leave then turned toward the soldiers under his command and shouted orders. Within minutes, a hundred armed soldiers, nearly the entire Minith force on Earth, were loaded onto the human-built carrier vehicles.

Treel thought about the nearly empty Mothership and was again struck by the poor judgment his commander displayed in leaving their base unprotected. As soon as the thought entered his head, however, he erased it and debased himself again for his lack of respect. Zal was commander. Besides, the ship still held a small force, capable of defending against a human attack. The animals might be rebelling, but they were still lacking in skill and weaponry. If anything happened, the forces on the ship should be sufficient. And they had orders to contact Treel and the carriers if anything unusual happened. With that final thought, Treel entered the lead carrier and closed the hatch.

"Onward," he commanded the pilot. The carrier lifted from the launch area and exited the ship. Five other carriers, transporting the remainder of his force, followed close behind.

* * *

Sue saw the fleet of carriers and quickly pointed them out to Grant and the others. No one made a sound, but each tried their best to sink into the ground beneath them as the vehicles passed almost directly overhead. Grant kept sight of the carriers as they passed over and sighed with relief when they made no attempt to land or circle back. Their group was undetected.

He smiled when the carriers banked in the sky and headed in the direction of Violent's Prison. He nodded to the others in the group. They waited to allow any other carriers a chance to leave the ship and, when none did, the group left their temporary sanctuary and continued their silent journey toward the ship. Grant led the procession with Sue directly behind him. Then came the others with Mouse bringing up the rear.

* * *

Avery stood next to Titan while he spoke with some of the soldiers of Violent's Prison. She caught only the occasional snatch of conversation as the man issued orders. Her thoughts wandered constantly to the Minith Mothership and Grant.

How was he? Had it begun? She found it difficult to concentrate on her surroundings and Titan must have guessed as much for he had stopped giving her tasks hours before. She felt badly about her inability to concentrate on the ongoing battle preparations but she could not help herself. Not that she could do much in the daylight, but she still felt like she was shirking her responsibilities. It was just a matter of time before the monsters arrived, she knew. And they would come prepared for battle.

Of all the men and women here at the Prison, she, more than anyone else, understood how the Minith acted and thought. She had lived with them long enough to understand how they would react to the uprising of their human charges. They would not be lenient with the people inside the stone walls of the prison.

One of the prisoner-soldiers interrupted her thoughts.

“Titan! Titan," the man shouted as he raced toward the group gathered around the large man. "They are coming! Davis has spotted several carriers approaching from the South!"

"Easy, man. Get back to your post and make sure that the watchers keep their eyes open. We don't want to mistake carriers flown by men for those that will bring the enemy." The man stopped in his tracks. He had obviously not considered the possibility of humans approaching and turned to do as he was told.

Avery watched as Titan proceeded under the assumption that the carriers held Minith troopers and issued orders accordingly. Everyone was dispatched to man his or her post. With luck, the Minith expected this to be a simple operation and Avery knew that every possible step had been taken to maintain that belief for as long as possible.

"All right!" Titan yelled to the scampering men and women around him. They rushed to their places, their nervousness causing them to appear confused and frightened.

"Let's get it together! We fight for our world today!"

* * *

Grant dropped suddenly to the ground. The others, having been trained in how to respond, did the same. Grant looked around and saw no one still standing in the waist high brush. He had hand picked each of them based on how well they had performed during their initial training and, so far, had not been disappointed with their performances.

He looked up and spotted the source of his concern. What had begun as a low hum soon became a roar as the strange craft dropped from the sky, not more than a mile behind them. The ship descended rapidly but slowed noticeably as it got closer to the ground. When it reached a height of a few hundred feet, the ship tipped sideways, its nose now pointed toward the Minith ship. The maneuver complete, it regained momentum and zipped speedily over their heads. Grant watched, amazed, as the craft flashed past and entered an open port in the Mothership’s near side. The entire passage, from the ship’s initial appearance to its landing in the Mother Ship, had lasted no more than a few seconds.

Definitely not human.

Which meant the Minith had just received visitors from off world.

Grant silently cursed the timing. The craft and its passengers were an unexpected card in the game and Grant hoped the card was not an ace. If it delivered a fresh batch of alien recruits his small team could be in the midst of a suicide mission.

But that did not matter now. They were committed. There would be no turning back.

The group waited several minutes before continuing toward the ship. If they were quiet before the spacecraft's arrival, they were noiseless now. There is nothing like the sudden arrival of the unexpected to slap you back into reality, Grant thought.

* * *

Lieutenant Treel ordered the Minith battle force to fly once around the prison. Unlike many of his kind, he was not one for rushing into a situation blindly. The effort was wasted, however, as nothing out of the ordinary could be seen. There was some activity inside the prison's walls but that was to be expected. Treel pondered his next move and elected a direct approach. His previous encounters with humans had shown him that, as a rule, they were a cowardly bunch, unable or unwilling to defend themselves against trained soldiers. Even if the humans inside the stone walls below were willing to fight, they would be unarmed and not very well trained. It would be a slaughter, and one he looked forward to. A quick scan of the soldiers in his carrier showed that they, too, were anxious for the upcoming events.

"Forces, ready!" Treel received acknowledgement from the other carriers, then ordered his pilot into the vacant area of the Inner Square.

The plan called for them to kill all of the humans in the prison. Starting with the smallest, inner square made tactical sense. It would be a simple matter to clear the square and, once cleared of the human vermin, would provide them a defensible base from which to begin clearing the larger, outer squares. One at a time. The sheep would have nowhere to flee except to the outer squares.

"Forces, deploy!"

The carriers swept down in pairs. The Minith soldiers in the first group exited the vehicles in a tight defensive formation and set up a perimeter. Once in position, the other carriers quickly followed them and, within minutes, Lieutenant Treel and the Minith force were deployed to the inner courtyard. The walls of the Inner Square of Violent's Prison surrounded them.

"Forces, report." Treel received negative contact reports from his eight subordinate officers. Each officer led a team of ten soldiers, as did he. Each reported the same thing. No humans encountered or observed.

"Forces, forward." Treel ordered his soldiers to move out. They complied at once, heading for the four doorways that led into the stone building of the First Square.

* * *

Unseen or heard by the Minith, Davis, the lookout hidden atop the building of the First Square, reported the arrival of the aliens back to Titan.

Titan, upon hearing of the size of the Minith force, smiled. If Avery's estimate was correct, then the entire alien combat force on Earth had been delivered into his hands. Just as Grant had predicted. He keyed the communication device at his side and relayed that information to Tane. He got the appropriate response and knew that Grant would soon know that the first step in his plan had worked to perfection.