The Stars Came Back (51 page)

CUT TO

INT - DAY -
Tajemnica
Bridge

Helton: Close!

Quiritis: No problem. Kiv position Alpha closing fast. Get folks ready.

Helton: (
Into mic) Everyone hang on. Gun crew get ready to load. Everyone who can, clear the cargo deck. Check middeck windows. Secure everything.

CUT TO

INT
- DAY - Inside the APC

The crew sit strapped in, ammo belts wedged into
any available space, ready to reload the gun’s magazine when needed.

CUT TO

INT
- DAY - Cargo bay ramp

The inner airlock doors are closed behind them, the ramp is up. The side
-door with the folding arm opens, the arm and gun fold out into the angled space next to the APC. One of the crewmen with his head out of the top hatch looks at it in surprise as he adjusts his helmet and goggles.

Ship AI: (OC, through headset) You’ll be man
nin’ th’ port side, lad, I’ll be cov’rn th’ starb’rd. Ready t’ show’em the devil they kicked?

APC commander: (
Nodding) Oh, yeah! Bring ‘em on!

The ramp
begins to lower, and the wind blasts in through it.

CUT TO

EXT - DAY - Kiv battalion position Alpha

A large number of wheeled and tracked guns, cannons, tanks, APCs, missile and rocket launchers, trucks and trailers are laagered up in a pair of concentric circles a couple of kilometers from an opening in the cliffs, looking like they are loaded up and ready to move out. They are parked fairly close together. Only a handful of guns are pointed skyward, ready for action.

Three
lean, middle aged men in camo stand together, talking and smoking and waiting.

A young soldier runs up, breathless.

Com Dude: Sir! One of the outposts didn’t report as scheduled a few minutes ago, and SGT Mulenax said he’s getting something weird on the-

Major Schakowski: (
Caustically) A few
minutes
ago? And “weird” stuff? That’s all you want to report?

Com Dude is at rigid attention, not looking happy.

Com Dude: Sergeant Mulenax told me to report it, sir!

Major Schakowski: Well, let’s just run away and hide, then, from a late report and a blip!
Dismissed!

Com
Dude turns and runs back the direction he came.

Capt Waxman: Just nervous, sir. Not sure what’s going on, why we broke tech levels. They’ll settle down as soon as we’re back on the move.

Major Schakowski: I don’t care WHY they are being stupid, I just don’t want to hear about it or see it! Damn morons!

CUT TO

INT
- DAY - Cargo bay ramp

The ramp is low enough for the APC auto cannon to have free side-to-side movement when firing. Through the open ramp the twisting and curving canyon roars by, its rough rock blurred by speed. There is a straight stretch with a notch ahead showing sky. They are fast nearing the end of the canyon.
They fly through the canyon mouth out onto an open plain, close to the ground, closer than any sane starship has a right to be. The circles of armored and light vehicles are clear in the near distance and closing fast, their circles looking almost flat from the oblique angle. The moment the canyon wall is past, the cannons start firing at full speed, spent brass cascading out from the ejection ports and blasting back and away in the wind. Faint exhaust trails from missiles being launched at the laagered vehicles streak away from them. Vehicles in the battalion group start erupting in flames and smoke. Nearly every round being fired is hitting something among the closely spaced vehicles.

CUT TO

Tajemnica
Bridge

Helton: Perfect! Swing around them if you can, keep us bow on! Make two full circle passes, then on to extraction!

Bipasha: (Into mic) Camp Meliora! Come in! Kiv are in tech violation, abandon position! Raptus Regalitor is destroyed! Load up and drive west NOW! Come in Camp Meliora!

Lag looks at the screens and rapidly identifies some of the most critical vehicles to hit, he taps on them on the screen, launching missiles at them to make sure they
are hit and the guns on the ramp hit one target after another.

CUT TO

EXT - DAY - Kiv battalion position Alpha

All around the three officers vehicles start blowing up or showing damage, one after another, in rapid succession. Mounted guns, missile launchers, transports, supply vehicles, and tanks take hits, mostly on the side
Tajemnica
is racing past, but also on the far side or in the middle after tracers streak though the formation. They watch as their command is reduced to ruin in mere seconds. Suddenly Maj Schakowski jerks violently and collapses. The other two hit the ground, then stare in surprise at the mangled body of their fellow officer, his upper chest opened and shoulder blown away from the 25mm shell hitting him. In the background,
Tajemnica
sweeps around the outskirts of the battalion, battering it relentlessly from all sides, flying so low and sideways it’s kicking up clouds of dust, looking like a hot rod driver drifting on a dirt track as it circles the Kiv doing a giant doughnut around them, spitting out flares here and there as it rolls and rocks it way around the perimeter, leveling small high spots and dipping into swales a bit. The incoming missiles stop hitting the battalion, but shells are still ripping through the formation, reducing its firepower by the second. A few of the Kiv vehicles start to return fire, mostly to the effect of making them a higher priority target for incoming shells. A missile streaks from a launcher close to
Tajemnica
, passing by, plowing through a flare and exploding on the rock face. Tankers explode, missiles detonate on their launchers, communication vans with lots of antennas take rounds, APC turrets get holed. Nearly every round fired by
Tajemnica’s
ramp weapons take a vehicle out of action or damage one. But there are numerous vehicles in the two circles and many have heavy armor. Some of them start to get their act together and move to return fire at the large moving target that is
Tajemnica
.

CUT TO

EXT - DAY -
A kilometer or so from the Kiv battalion position Alpha

Against the background of the cliffs
, crags and canyon mouth, the circle of military vehicles is aflame. Most of the vehicles have been hit. Most of the heavily armored tanks have only superficial damage, and are starting to return fire in volume, if inaccurately.
Tajemnica
finishes her sweeping turn around the circle of burning vehicles, straightens out, and pulls away quickly in reverse, still firing both guns on full auto from the open ramp that is now at the back of the ship. The arcs of the tracer rounds rapidly rise as it pulls away, then stops firing as the range becomes extreme. Finally, she closes up her bow ramp, spins around while still moving at high speed, and heads off low and fast, then angles up and out of sight.

CUT TO

INT - DAY
- Forward cargo ramp

The ramp closes, the wind dies.
Spent brass covers the downhill edge of the ramp deck, jammed into corners or stuck. Soldiers swarm out from behind as the doors slide open, checking tie-downs on the steep incline and clearing away brass, while others hand more ammo up.

FADE TO BLACK

Fast Load

FADE IN

EXT - DAY -
Tan expanse of open ground with scattered grass and bushes

A small convoy of wheeled military vehicles roll through across the plain at high speed. They are in a loose cluster,
bouncing, swerving, disorderly. They are mostly APCs, a few fast wheeled gun platforms. Soldiers and gear are hanging on the sides as they race along kicking up a lot of dust. There is a sudden explosion not far from one. They charge along, fleeing the shots being fired at extreme range from somewhere behind.

CUT TO

INT
- DAY -
Tajemnica
bridge

Quiritis, Helton, Allonia, Lag, Bipasha at normal positions.

Their screens show the speeding convoy far ahead but closing fast.

Lag: If we stop to load, they get shot.

Bipasha: Can’t they keep driving?

Helton: They can’t run forever; l
ow on gas, overloaded, and the plain ends soon.

Allonia: Any way to load them without stopping?

Helton: Can we lower the ramp and have them drive on, on the move?

Lag: Not with all their wheels powered.

Quiritis: Cargo loading arms?

Ship AI: (
Avatar on screen) NOW yer talkin’, lass! Bring me along side, an’ we can give’em the ol’ heave-ho inn’a’th hold!

Helton: Is that safe? Can you do it?

Ship AI: (Piratically) Stow that “safe” talk! O’course I kin do it! I be usein’ sensor-driven dynamical real-timey numeric Newtonian approximation and adjustment.

Helton: (
Pause while he figures out what that means) …So, you’re winging it?

Ship AI: (
Piratically, avatar grinning demonically) Like a hummin’bird in a hurricane, Cap’n. That’s wha’ makes it so exil’ratin’!

CUT TO

EXT - DAY - Aerial view from behind and to the side of the stern ramp

As the ramp is lowered, the side arms fold out, now with pincers in place of the pallet loading forks or guns. Directly ahead of the speeding ship is the loose convoy of vehicles, charging recklessly along in a cloud of dust. A shell explodes near one of them.
Tajemnica
flies in low over the convoy and slows to match their speed directly above them. The ramp lowers as far as it will go, nearly to the ground, right in front of the last in the convoy, with most of the remaining shielded in her shadow. The dust cloud it kicks up is tremendous. The last APC, rolling at high speed with a dozen guys clinging to the back of it, comes up behind the ramp. The arms reach down and at maximum extension can
almost
reach the sling-loading shackles atop the APC. The ship settles lower, and further back. The APC commander’s head sticks out of the small turret, looks to each side, then yells something into his helmet mic. The APC gradually goes a little faster, closer, closer, then the loading arm pincers grab the center lifting shackles. The whole APC is lifted and tossed forward into the cargo bay, ahead of the steeply angled ramp. The men riding on the top are jostled about, but don’t fall off. The APC bounces and rolls forward on the momentum as the driver gets his foot on the brakes, going from a groundspeed of over a hundred KPH to zero in a moment. A soldier from the base rapidly waves them forward to where another couple of soldiers are standing, signaling them where to drive. Hastily organized but efficient enough to get them forward, around the piles of gear, and out of the way for the next vehicle.

A
shell lands on top of
Tajemnica
, making noise but doing no damage, as the vehicles underneath crowd a little closer together, trying to hide underneath her protective bulk.

Tajemnica
lifts up and pulls ahead to the next APC in the group, then lowers down in front of it, dust and wind blasting sideways around the lowered ramp. The arms reach back down for it. This APC with a minigun and grenade launcher on its turret has fewer troops clinging to it. It also has a still-smoking hole in a strapped-on crate. The ship and arms are now in sync, and the next APC is grabbed and flung in quickly, rolling a bit further forward than the first one, then waved forward to park and unload the wind-blasted troops off the top-side. Another shell explodes just behind
Tajemnica
and shrapnel whizzes evilly. Inside, near the ramp, a soldier spins and falls clutching his leg. The ship rises and moves ahead to pick up the next one.

DISSOLVE TO

INT
- DAY - Middeck passageway, looking through a forward window into the cargo bay

All
windows are closed and the sounds from the now crowded cargo bay deck are muffled, but there is a cacophony of smaller sounds surrounding her from the crowd of soldiers aboard. Allonia is watching the last vehicle pitched aboard, an 8-wheeled highly mobile medium gun platform, stuffed in with little room to spare, and the ramp starts rising behind it. The deck is packed with soldiers, vehicles and gear wedged everywhere. Some are clearly injured and exiting recently loaded vehicles. The scene is crowded and chaotic. Bulkhead screens are all covered with directions and information. Vehicles are being secured with tie-downs to the deck by able-bodied crew. Ammo is handed up from side stacks to vehicle crews. Gear is being redistributed and secured or tied down.