SIEGE (TRAMPS Book 1) Page 2

  Capt. Terri Hades sharp jawline tensed even more giving her a hard look. And while she was a gorgeous woman by anyone s standards, the uniform and wooded camouflage transformed her into a killing machine. At least in the looks department. And while she gave the impression of a fearless warrior, she was so terrified she wanted to set down and cry.

  Terri looked at the apprehensive and camouflaged faces wondering how many (if any) would survive this engagement. She stood up looking down the two rows of seated and buckled in soldiers and began a chant well know to all on-board.

  “They believed I feared, they believed I cowered.”

  “They took the air from my lungs and left me devoured.”

  The fleet entered upper atmosphere and began shaking in the turbulence.

  “My life was forfeit, my heart in despair”

  The crew slowly began to join in.

  “My kinfolk perished, my home no longer there.”

  “But what they cant see as I strain from the bonds, is my blood still flows, my heart still pounds”

  “ ‘till I join my brothers and sisters on the other side,”

  Outside of the glider, she lurched and jerked against the invisible currents of wind. Clouds quickly passed like fleeting ghosts lost in the daylight.

  “This side is hell and the Demon’s back I ride”

  Then each and everyone on board jerked in surprise and clenched onto whatever was nearby as hot brass ripped into the soft outer shell.

  The pilot broke radio silence to the fleet.

  “They’re on top of us ladies and gentlemen. Prepare for a steep descent!”

  The forward coalition fighters broke off and circled the fleet as Republic Banshees’ opened fire on anything in front of them.

  At 2,000 feet AGL Rand looked at the pilot in the nearby freighter. He was close enough to see the desperation in the other pilot’s eyes as his left capacitor drive smoked and spit out occasional flames.

  The small freighter rolled left and downward going under Rand’s ship. Rand pulled up hard and rolled right positioning himself behind one of the gliders.

  One of the center gliders was getting chewed by two Banshees’ when the coalition fighter finally encircled the fleet and cracked open their cannons of kick-ass. One of the Banshees exploded mid-air and looked like a battery explosion as a green fireball expanded out of the black smoke.

  Coalition fighters pulled the Banshees off the fleet momentarily for their own private dogfight as the remaining fleet continuously dropped. Some dropping off shards of metal plating and still more trailing plumes of smoke.

  The lead broke silence again. “All freighters with weapons follow close. Those of you with medical supplies form a second column and the remainder stay close to the cities edge.”

  Rand was as close as he wanted to get; after all, he could clearly see the rivet work in the rear drop doors. He checked the altimeter it showed their descent slowing and presently at 1200 feet but the rugged land above Kanten caused the altitude to fluctuate wildly. Soon they would drop over the mountain range and the ground would drop out from below them.

  As they neared the mountain edge clouds blocked the view. They were completely flying IFR. Then just as quickly, they broke free from the cloud bank. Kanten shined like a beacon, the valley glowing in brilliant blue green fields and would have been a beautiful and serene view had it not been for billowing smoke and mayhem in the far distance.

  The gliders dropped flaps for their approach and landing gear simultaneously lowered from underneath. A total of 17 small freighters that made it through followed closely as instructed when a second flight of Banshees came from the east. They strafed the landing ships and civilian ships were not exempt. Rand’s small boxy freighter took it’s share. The bullets tore through his ships outer skin and turned parts of his frame to shrapnel. He could feel the impacts through his pilot seat and into his spine. He tightened up like every other pilot in the same circumstance.

  The coalition fighter cover would have been helpful but the first wave of Banshees kept them occupied. It wasn’t their fault. Simply not enough air cover. The last Banshee wave went west then began banking for another strafe. Then from underneath the fleet from high grass came silver streaks of anti-aircraft rockets heading westward. The approaching Banshees exploded in brilliant fireballs of red and orange. A little pay-back was always invigorating. The remaining half turned to the south and dropped to ground level.

  The gliders made soft touchdowns and Rand and the other pilots set down easily and close to the exiting soldiers.

  Troopers and officers ran back toward the freighters, unarmed and unarmored.

  “What have ya got for us?”, a tall staff sergeant asked.

  Rand spread his split cargo doors wide. “Good tidings of Mariner rifles. Three crates and two crates of cells”

  “Hallelujah!” Then the Sergeant turned to a corpsman, “Document the goods corpsman.”

  The sergeant ran to the next freighter for inspection.

  The short corpsman held a portable tablet.

  “Name sir?”

  “Randall Welsch”

  “Ok, 36 mariners, right?”

  “Yep”.

  “How many cells?”

  “One hundred cells total”.

  “Good chunk of change sir, assuming you get a chance to spend it”

  The corpsman continued, “Well, I have it down. Once this gets uploaded you’ll get your credits charged on your account. You’re a freelance, right?”

  “Yes, I’m on the coalition registry”

  “Got it sir, Thanks” The corpsman walked off toward the next closest freighter as a female Captain approached.

  “Pilot, care to give us a little more help?”

  “What’s the catch?”

  “Saving lives.”

  Rand looked at the name on her uniform. Hades it read. He looked her in those luminous blue eyes. Her sharp jawline gave her a determined look but she still looked delicate. Rand couldn’t turn her down if he wanted too, and he wanted too.

  “Will you fly low to the city edge, see if you can get a load of refugees’ and take to God’s Hand?” She continued, “We’ll keep air support on you and the others”

  “I saw your air support, I think it’s lacking”

  “Please pilot, we might not hold this place”

  “It’s Rand, yeah” Rand felt his heart sink.

  “I wont forget what all of you have done for us,” she placed her hand on his chest then pulled away.

  Rand read into it way more than there was but he understood the seriousness of the situation.

  She turned quickly and Rand watched her walk away.

  A whistling noise pierced his ears and instinctively he dropped.

  The explosion boomed loudly and even with his hands over his ears it was deafening.

  Laser blasts and gunshots went off in every direction.

  Rand looked down to see if his limbs were still attached.

  ‘No blood and guts sticking out of me,’ he thought.

  One hundred yards away Capt. Terri Hades was helping to raise soldiers from the ground.

  Rand raised to a kneeling position and turned towards his shuttle, or rather what was left of his shuttle. The right pylon and engine laid on the ground like mangled aluminum foil.

  “Ahhhhhhhh FUCK!!!”

  Two soldiers ran up to him. “Sir, you alright?”

  Rand just gave them a sarcastic stare, then pulled out his Bentloff pulse pistol.

  “Mother fuckers!”

  Rand went into a rage kicking his damaged ship as the two soldiers just stood by and watched. “No good god-damned, sonuvabitchin, cock grabbin bastards....SHIT !!”

  The little ship was Rand’s life-blood, his home, his retirement and now it was just another battle memorabilia. He stomped back into the double cargo doors and re-appeared with a half empty bottle of brandy. He pulled the cork as gunfire and laser tweaks still surrounded them. He tilted the
bottle up and took a healthy gulp.

  He turned toward the soldiers, walked up and handed the bottle to them. “One for the Ol’ girl, eh?”

  “We need to get back to the battle sir, good luck”, “Sorry” the other chimed and they jogged back to the main group.

  Rand just looked back at his shuttle again and lifted the bottle to his lips. He then walked over with random shots whizzing by and sat down on his ramp.

  ###

  Terri Hades had her hands full trying to establish a front line. The Republic troops advanced with each coalition kill. The coalition troops did as much killing themselves but ground forces were four to one. Not good odds. Terri had a radio operator call the fighters in for air support but it seemed as though they might arrive too late.

  Rand was still setting on his rear ramp as a few Republic soldiers tried to infiltrate the Coalition ranks. In the mayhem of battle it was easy as the main forces engaged, for a single man to sneak through the high grass.

  Rand got up and stepped back inside retrieving his long coat. He wasn’t about to leave his coat behind. “This is all I need”, he said to himself. He slid on his coat, grabbed the bottle in his left hand and pulled his pistol out in his right.

  He turned and just in time. A shadow slowly moved up to the right side of the open cargo doors. Rand eased himself down and quietly set his bottle on the floor. He raised his pistol toward the encroaching shadow and waited.

  In the distance, with his peripheral vision he watched surviving freighters skim over the fields toward the city. But still the shadow grew and soon a dark gray helmet began to expose itself around the corner of the door. Rand’s heart was pounding but the brandy was helping to keep it in check.

  It was a Republican helmet and as soon as an eye peeked around the corner Rand was against the wall with the barrel only four inches away. He watched the soldiers eye widen as the enemy tried to re-focus into the dark shuttle. Then the soldier realized what he was staring at. ‘KZZZRRRP’.

  The eyeball popped and he fell limp next to the ramp.

  Rand swallowed hard to keep from throwing up the burning alcohol. Then he eased himself back down on the ramp.

  Terri Hades retreated her troops to the rear of the damaged shuttles and gliders affording some measure of cover, but mortars continued pounding them one by one.

  “Where’s my goddamned air cover??” She screamed

  The radio operator didn’t want to answer her but he reluctantly gave in.

  “Sir,....they’re..gone”

  And with that note of finality over 200 Republic jetpackers dropped behind the lines blocking them from medical supplies and the city..

  “Get a message to command, load the shuttles with everyone they can fill. ....It’s over.” She looked beaten. The remaining group of soldiers grouped together and sent a white flare upward.

  The remaining Banshees’ slowly encircled the group overhead and over loudspeakers gave orders to drop weapons and the usual procedures for surrender.

  Terri looked over toward Rand and he pried himself from the ramp. He tossed his bottle into the weeds and gave the dead soldier a good kick in the head.

  #####

  PERRY

  Perry was a loner but never left alone. Standing six feet, five inches he towered over most. He had no friends except for a tuxedo cat named ‘Numits’ which was accidentally named when he heard someone should call it ‘numb nuts’. But he would hold his cat all evening and stroke Numits and talk to it endlessly as though the cat knew exactly what he was saying.

  He often told Numitz they would leave the community house and go see the ocean and fish. They would fish from sunrise to sunset. No one would find them. No one to bother them or make fun of them.

  Perry was 35 and had the frame of a giant but the mind of a child. He was black, even darker skinned than most of his counterparts. He was gentle and friendly but when he was taunted he felt the pain deep inside his heart and he would sulk for days. There were those at the community center that would talk to him and the nurses were polite, but he missed the connection of one to one. A real friend, and though Numitz helped to fill that gap Perry knew it was still just a cat.

  One of the few privilages Perry was appointed was a short walk to the market to purchase candy and ‘Moochies’. Moochies were cinnamon oatmeal treats filled with sweet marshmallow cream. If not for the nurses, Perry would eat the entire box until all the Moochies were consumed. He would share his Moochies with Numits, but all the loyal cat would do is lick the marshmallow cream.

  Perry was handed a credit slip from one of the nurses. It was limited with no more than 15 credits to purchase sweets and other treats if he so desired. And like a thousand times before Perry would wear his undersized jacket over yellow coveralls and a red t-shirt. He would shut Numitz in the community center dorm and slowly go on his way.

  He would leave through the automatic doors, exit then turn right. As he walked he would notice grav cars silently slip by watching the shadows slip under his feet and wonder how they weighed less than air. He memorized every crack in the simulated granite walkway and thought over the years that he was the reason they cracked. Perry weighed close to 340 pounds but he was as muscular as he was fat. Perry watched the ground a lot as he slumped when he walked. It also helped him to avoid eye contact and to ignore snide remarks from passerby s. .

  His next turn was a right down a long alleyway that separated a warehouse from the center. He entered the next intersection and turned left. Three blocks left and he would cross the street. The dock workers were familiar with Perry and would watch closely not to run over him with grav carts. Perry as well as everyone was watched closely. There were security cameras’ around the warehouse as well as the center. Traffic cameras were evident along the roadway to assure compliance with driving regulations and misdemeanor driving offenses. Only few places were secure from prying eyes.

  If the Republic had their way there would have been a monitoring cam over every wash basin and toilet. During the first years at war with the Coalition, the Republic had become a police state. Both military and civil police authority had merged and the original Republic Constitution had been suspended with no indication of being lifted. In other words, citizens of the Republic had the right to do as they were told. Some systems of the Republic were more lax but Terra (earth) remained the stronghold and made it a prime example for the other systems to follow. Crime was nearly non-existent; so was freedom.

  Perry waited for the green light to cross. He caught the attention of older teenagers grav boarding but they only watched him and spoke in hushed tones to each other.

  Perry managed crossing the street and entered the shop. Sweet smells of molasses, honey, cinnamon and fresh bread and rolls permeated the air. Trevor’s boyish grin was always welcome there and the proprietors were always friendly and welcomed him. In their own minds, credits had a language of it’s own.

  Perry tore one of the thin bags from a hanging roll and began filling it with candy sticks, and gumballs. Even after hundreds of years gumballs were still around. The hot ones were his favorites as well as the sour ones. Perry always showed everyone at the center his goofy look after eating a sour gumball.

  A small elderly woman behind the electronic scanner forced a smile when Trevor made it to the counter. He dropped a bag full of candy and a box of Moochies on the counter and stared at her with his goofy smile.

  “Hello Perry,” her voice cracked.

  “Hello Mrs. Lady,” he bellowed in his bass voice.

  “And how are you today?”

  “Mmmm, I dunno.”

  “Well, it’s a beautiful day, don’t you think?”

  Trevor turned and looked out the windows then turned back around.

  “It’s sunny.”

  “Yes Perry, it is that.”

  “That will be eleven thirty eight credits.”

  Perry handed her the slip from the community center.

  She handed back the slip and a recei
pt.

  “Now be careful going home.”

  “It’s not home,” Perry answered.

  Perry continued, “I’m just staying there.”

  “Oh, and where’s home?”

  “I’m going to the ocean.”

  The little woman raised an eyebrow, “Which Ocean?”

  With a straight face Perry replied, “The one with lots of water.”

  “Oh, I see. Well, be careful.”

  “I will Mrs. Lady.”

  Perry took the larger bag and slumped toward the door.

  He walked out and winced in the blinding sunlight. Dampness immediately formed on his forehead replacing the earlier moisture lost in the air conditioned shop.

  The little woman reminded him of his mother who had passed many years earlier and a wave of melancholy swept over him. He wanted to escape but had no way of knowing that soon his escape was going to be much farther than an ocean.

  The grav boarders watched and began following him down the street. The thugs were also aware of the cameras but intimidating Perry was too much of a temptation to pass up. They followed him at a distance not to draw attention from the dock workers. They watched as he rounded the corner of the warehouse, then they swiftly glided from behind. Perry never heard a sound except for his own large feet scuffling gravel. Grav boards made no noise and with the sun in his face no shadows gave a clue that the three older teens were right behind him.

  Hey, what’s in the bag?”

  Perry kept walking, so one kicked his feet on the ground and circled Trevor blocking his path.

  “Hey dumb-fuck, I’m talking to you.”

  Perry stepped to the side but another one of the teens came up along side.

  “ You mute or somethin’?” Asked the second.

  “Yeah, he’s somethin’,”.said the first. “He’s a retard.”

  “Lets see what you got gorilla.”

  The third punk from behind bumped his board into the back of Trevor’s right leg.