To Well And Back (The Deep Dark Well) (19 page)

“Any problems, Sergeant
Major?” asked the Colonel, looking out the door of the transport aircraft that
was delivering him to the large pyramid that housed the gateway to the station.

“Just a couple of
battlebots, sir,” said the Top Sergeant, his own camera sweeping the wormhole
gate chamber, and the smoking remains of two machines that had contested the
entrance.  “Company A took them out with only one casualty.  Kind of wonder why
there were only two?”

The Colonel grunted as
he looked down at the area in front of the pyramid that had been cleared by
lasers and rockets.  A trio of aircraft were set down, disgorging sixteen
troopers each, then rising into the air while the men bounded up the steps in their
powered armor.  Another trio of aircraft swept in, landed, and repeated the
exercise until another platoon was on its way up the pyramid to the entrance,
where a dozen heavily armed troopers had set up a defensive position.

“We’re getting ready to
send the first men through,” said the Sergeant Major, the camera view showing
the silvered surface of the wormhole.  “I would like to accompany the first
squad.”

“Negative, Charlie,”
said the Colonel in a growl.  “You’re too valuable to risk on the point.  Send
in two squads, and when they report all clear you can go through with the
platoon HQ.  Then sit tight until you have at least a company over there.”

“Yes sir,” said the NCO
with a chuckle.  “Don’t aim to put my hide on the line until I have to.”

“Get a battalion on
board and a perimeter set up before you go searching for trouble,” said the
Colonel, watching the ground approach as his bird came in for a landing.  “Once
we get the regimental HQ there we’ll start searching in earnest.  Clear.”

“As a bell, sir,” said
the NCO.

The aircraft set down
and the Colonel jumped out with his com and security detail.  The other craft
also carried HQ personnel, and within moments the entire staff was heading up
the pyramid steps, while more combat troops came in behind.  The Colonel looked
through the camera as men came back out of the mirrored surface and talked with
the platoon leader, while another squad went back through.

“Scouts are reporting
that there was no resistance on the other side,” said the Top Sergeant to the
Colonel as the platoon leader passed through the entrance.  “Bunch of combat
robots standing around doing nothing.  They even fired a few of the robots up
but didn’t get a response.”

So the boys in
intelligence were right
, thought the Colonel, walking quickly through the tunnel
toward the gate room, returning the salutes of the sentries along the way. 
The
robots need intelligent control to be ordered to harm sentient beings.  Not
really a bright idea, in my opinion.

And then the chamber
was ahead, and the Colonel caught sight of the silver mirror of the wormhole
gate as soon as he entered.  The stuff of legends, he was never really sure he
believed the magical gates existed, even when evidence came back from the first
expedition.  A line of troops marched through, disappearing into the mirror
surface which rippled with their passage.

The Colonel nodded at
one side of the chamber and the headquarters people began to set up their
equipment.  Soon there were dozens of vid recorders added to the built in suit
units, all sending information back to the flagship.  Companies formed up, then
went through a squad at a time, until there were two battalions aboard the
station. 

Communications were
established through the hole and the Colonel got his first good look at the
other side.  The long room stretched away on the vid, the Tori arches of
wormhole gates arrayed two high along both sides.  Most of the gateways were
empty, the incomprehensible arrays of what looked like half melted machinery
that was said to be working apparatus showing through the arches.  Some showed
the shimmering mirrors of working gates.

I wonder where they
lead
,
thought the Colonel, watching a take as one of the troopers moved down the row
of gates.  S
omeday. 
But now the mission was to secure a foothold on the
station, and maybe find a way to gain control.

“Second battalion is to
fan out and search the local area,” ordered the Colonel over the com.  “Fire
team search units.  First battalion is to move out a kilometer and establish a
perimeter.”  The Colonel turned to look at the Third Battalion commander, a
Light Colonel.  “Establish a defensive position here and outside the pyramid
with a company, then send the rest of your battalion through.  I want you to
stay on this side and coordinate the defense and any follow up units they send
our way.”

The Lt. Colonel nodded
his head and started talking into his com, relaying the orders.  The Colonel
caught sight of some naval personnel coming into the chamber, all with sensory
equipment slung over shoulders or held in their hands.  A Commander saw the
Colonel and ran over, rendering an abbreviated salute.

“We’re ready to start
over whenever you say, Colonel Johanson,” said the man, giving the wormhole a
nervous look.

Don’t blame him much
there
,
thought the Colonel, giving the mirrored surface another look. 
The stuff of
legend is kind of hard to come face to face with
.  “As soon as I get the
word that all is secure I send you over.  Right on my tail.”

The Commander nodded,
then jogged back to his men to give them the news.

“How are things coming,
Colonel?” came the voice of the Fleet Commander over the com link.  “Any
problems?”

“No, sir,” said the
Colonel, straightening his back a bit as he talked with the senior officer in
the system.  “We’ve secured the other end, and I have two battalions aboard. 
I’m getting ready to head over myself.”

“As soon as we run the
Suryans to ground I’ll send you some more men,” said the Admiral.  “I want you
to hold that station if possible.  But also get as much tech and data as you
can back here in case the position becomes untenable.  Understood?”

“Sir,” said the
Colonel.  “So far we’ve seen nothing but robots, and they aren’t doing anything
to impede our search.”

“Get as many of them
across as you can as well,” said the Admiral.  “Make sure they are deactivated
first.”

“I was going to order
them deactivated anyway,” said the Colonel, nodding.  “At least all in my area
of operations.  I don’t want them becoming active at the wrong moment.”

“Good thinking,
Colonel.  I….”  Klaxons sounded over the com, and the Admiral went off link for
a moment, coming back a minute later.

“What’s going on, sir?”
asked the Colonel, wondering if the fleet was being attacked by something he
didn’t know about, always a concern to a ground commander who depended on the
orbitals belonging to his side.

“Local emergency,
Colonel,” said the Admiral.  “Nothing for you to worry about.  Just get what we
need from that station.  And maybe, with luck, the station itself.  Gerasi
out.”

The Colonel stood for a
second, wondering what the local emergency could be, then deciding that he
couldn’t do anything about it.  He turned to the wormhole while calling out to
his HQ people.  “Red team, follow me.  Blue stay in place, and make sure I know
about anything going on this side of the hole.  Let’s go people.”

The Colonel stepped
into the wormhole, walking quickly so his nerve wouldn’t break.  He broke the
mirrored surface and felt like he was being pulled into something he couldn’t
get away from.  Then he wasn’t.  It was a moment when he didn’t exist, and he
stepped from the other side with a feeling of disorientation unlike anything he
had ever felt before.  He gathered himself and moved away from the gate,
knowing that others would be on his heels.  His eyes took in the long hallway
that had once been teeming with life, people on their way to destinations
across the Galaxy.

“Welcome to the
Donut,
Sir,” said the Lt. Colonel in charge of the defensive battalion.

“Glad to be here,” said
the Colonel, a smile breaking across his face.  He had made it onto the
headquarters of the old Galactic Empire.  And if he had his way it would soon
become the hub of a new Empire.

*     *     *

“We have an alert from
the Inquisitor’s chamber,” said the voice of the ship’s Security Chief.  “I’m
sending a team there now.”

“Why wasn’t security
assigned to that chamber in the first place,” yelled the Admiral, feeling his
blood pressure rise at the thought that the woman might be free on his ship.

“We don’t have the
manpower for everything,” said the Security Chief in a nervous tone.  “And the
Chief Inquisitor assured me they would have no problems with her.  Hold it,
sir.  We have men at the door.  Shit.  They say the door won’t open, and their
overrides are not having any effect.”

“Well, do something. 
Get some men into that chamber, and right now, or I’ll see you busted to common
Spacer.”

“Yes sir,” said the
man, his words shaking.  “I’m sending my own override at once.”  There was a
moment’s silence.  “It’s not working.  But that’s impossible.  Unless.  Unless
the Chief Inquisitor set his own code to the lock.”

“Why in the hells would
he do that?” yelled Gerasi, pounding a fist on the arm of his chair.  “I’m
sending my code through the com.”  Gerasi thought for a moment in the link, sending
the Commander’s override code that should have opened any lock, no matter who
set it.  He waited for the acknowledgement that never came.

“There must be a
disconnect in the receiving unit of the lock,” said the Security Chief, talking
quickly in the manner of one who knows he is in trouble.  “I’m heading there
now to use the physical scan override.”

The man’s voice left
the link, leaving Gerasi to fret over what was going on down in that chamber. 
At
least she’s still in that chamber
, he thought, then felt a wave of nervous
tension flow over him as he thought about that.  Given her resourcefulness
there was no guarantee that she was still in the chamber.  And if she were
loose on the ship there was no telling what damage she could cause. 
She’s a
naked and injured woman
, thought the Admiral, shaking his head. 
What
can she do?
  And the Admiral blanched as he thought about what she could do
on his ship, if she had a mind to cause trouble.

*     *     *

“They’ve found us,
sir,” called out Lt. Commander Dasha Mandrake over the local com.  The sounds
of a firefight came through the circuit.

“Get ready to pick up
and run,” said Fleet Admiral Nagara Krishnamurta through the wave of fatigue
that was threatening to drop him to the dirt.  He was tired of this running and
hiding, but didn’t see what else they could do.  Standing and fighting meant
defeat.  Maybe they could take some of the enemy with them, though it looked as
if the exchange rate would not be in their favor.  But that was little
consolation when defeat meant the enemy gained total control of this system,
and the other systems orbiting the black hole.

“I don’t think that’s
going to work this time, sir,” said the younger officer, her own voice sounding
like that of someone who had about given up hope.  “They’ve positioned
themselves too well this time it seems.  I can’t see any way of getting us out
of these caves and back into the jungle.”

“So it looks like stand
and die time,” said the Admiral, picking up a mag rifle and checking to make
sure it was fully operational. 
I would have rather died on the bridge of my
ship
, thought the long time naval officer. 
But it doesn’t seem like I
will be offered that choice.
  Satisfied that the weapon was ready he called
to the other men and women to follow him to the cavern entrances.  If it was to
be the last fight he was determined that the fanatics would learn how real
people died.

*     *     *

“Tell the Admiral that
we’ve got them,” yelled Major Dronning Dumas into the com.  Dumas looked at the
deployment of his troops on his HUD and felt his spirits soar.  He would gain
the glory in this campaign.  The command of the regiment had devolved on him
with the deaths of both the Colonel in charge and the two Lt. Colonels under
him. 
Something good has to come from walking through this accursed jungle
,
thought the Major.  And Colonel had wanted to hold a face to face with his two
senior commanders.  Unfortunately for them the face to face was right on top of
some kind of insect hive, and the creatures had swarmed and stung the three men
to death before they even realized their danger.  Even the insects were super
on this world, able to push their venom injectors through material that would
stop most blades, as the senior officers had found out.  Which left one Major Dronning
Dumas the acting commander of the fifteen hundred men in the field.

“I’ll let him know,”
said the Liaison Officer on the other side of the link.  “He’s a little busy
right now with a local emergency, but as soon as he’s available I’ll let him
know.”

“What kind of
emergency?” asked Dumas, hoping it wasn’t something that put his command at
risk.

“Something local,”
returned the Liaison Officer.  “Just handle your part of the campaign, and get
those Suryans.”