Clouds Of War, page 12
part #3 of The Descendants War Series
With no supporting fire, she had a long trip ahead of her and no real cover to speak of. She kept moving, making her turns erratic as she headed across to the awning where her allies had started their approach. A series of pops to her right drew her attention. More of the black clad soldiers blasting away at the buildings around her.
They could easily have torn me down. I guess they are helpful. Their presence boosted her confidence. The number of shots tossed at her seemed to lessen. At least I can make it now. One of the shots grazed her leg just above the knee. It startled her more than hurt, compelling her to pick up the pace. Now's the time to sprint, lady! Go! Go! Go!
Chapter 7
Kivda arrived on the bridge to check in. They were rapidly approaching their next destination, coming in on the planet with the next temple on a pilgrimage. He'd done some research about the practice while they onboarded more soldiers, reading up on what amounted something that had been considered out of date.
Or more to the point, impractical.
Since the war began, open travel had been much more difficult. Few of their people traveled unnecessarily outside their borders. There was no reason to visit different temples anyway. Whatever colony they found themselves on had plenty religious offerings to maintain their spirituality.
The old method took their people all over the empire. This was long before they entered open conflict with other cultures though a large war broke out shortly after the last recorded pilgrimage. Back then, temples were set up to allow an individual to experience many different environments and ecosystems.
They would travel to the world, offer their respects to the priesthood, then tour the area. Forests and mountains, deserts and oceans, all of them provided the seeker with a new perspective on nature and their place within it. Kivda found it most interesting how the modern church forsook that particular part of the practice in favor of the crusade.
Instead of focusing on how a Kahl made up one part of a long chain of creatures, the priesthood discussed how they should dominate other species. The chain still existed, only it represented control of the world around them. Not only the other sentient beings but worlds as well.
He found that changed around the time their science allowed them to modify planetary atmospheres to accommodate life without bio-domes or environmental suits. Few of their people rushed to live in these barely hospitable colonies so the religion changed to urge them on, convincing them to contribute to the cause appropriately.
Genius really. Push them with the thought of divinity. Kivda didn't understand why the people weren't compelled through the excitement of scientific discovery and change, of pitting their wills against nature. He always struggled to comprehend the masses though. Individuality faltered in light of the group.
He had to equate it to the military. After training his soldiers, they became a unit. The individual part had to be left behind for the good of the squad or battalion. Perhaps years of militant living altered the way the civilian populace thought as well. Had they drilled it in them so severely? Effectively brainwashed them into it?
Must've. Otherwise, they'd want to take on these projects. These efforts without the threat of divine wrath.
Kivda always maintained what he considered a healthy suspicion in regards to the priesthood. He hated the idea of threatening people to do good work. If they weren't willing to step up on their own without that, then their culture should've undergone a radical change. Something big enough to alter their drive.
Something that didn't require a God to oversee them like they were slaves.
Vhel helped pioneer the use of slavery from the other cultures. Kivda never agreed with the practice though he hadn't been in any sort of position to refute it. Having prisoners do their base work took away a valuable tool for their younger people. Having them perform the tasks of mining or building structures provided them with much needed character.
Slaves gave them a superiority complex that was not deserved.
Kivda sat in his seat, staring at the viewscreen in thought. Movement to his left didn't stir him until the person nudged him. He looked up at Vhel who grinned down at him.
"Did you want to go back to your quarters?" Vhel asked. "Get some more sleep? I think we've got some more time before we arrive."
"No, I need to speak with Renz when he gets here."
"What were you up to?"
"I got our replacement soldiers hooked up with their commanders then ensured they were ready to go upon arrival. We may need to send them down to the planet's surface. Have you got any data about where we're going?"
"It's an abandoned colony," Vhel said. "I can't imagine anyone survived. Not in a state we'd recognize. I don't even have an accurate date on when we left them. It's been that long. So whatever we discover will likely not be too much of a problem. Unless they somehow developed technology without us."
"I wouldn't put it past them," Kivda replied. "Necessity may have driven them to do a great deal. Are we able to perform a long-range scan? Find out if there's anything high-tech in the area?"
"Worried about enemy vessels? Inda's on it. She said we'll have a good scan about an hour out. Plenty of time to prepare for a fight if that's on the plate."
"Excellent." Kivda worried the Prytins may already have come and gone. "If we arrive too late, what's our recourse? Can we get the data we need without that key?"
"Possibly." Vhel shrugged. "It comes down to the state of the place. Some of these were built to last but not all. The colonies from our past are of varying degrees of quality. There was a time period where we dropped prefabricated units down, strip mined an area, then moved on."
"But surely this isn't such a place."
"No, the records made it very clear this was a hub of sorts. One with a real temple. Probably why it's at the start of the pilgrim trail. Every step should represent an increased hardship. Back then at least. These days, they'll all present different miserable challenges, I'm sure."
Kivda smirked. "You don't seem excited."
"I'm not a fan of uncharted planets," Vhel said. "I hoped General Renz's special mission involved something behind enemy lines. Battles. This... wasn't expected."
"Ah. Regretting our company then?"
Vhel chuckled. "No, sir. I just don't like what these places represent. We're embarking on a mission that has too many variables. A lot of unknown factors that we can't account for. There are simulations for fights with the different cultures. We can't predict anything about what we're going to do here. And that... will not work very well for our commander."
"Renz?"
Vhel nodded. "I'm sure you know better than I do that he's traditional. And so far, I haven't seen him adjust his thinking. He seems to be under the impression we can handle this the same way we would a battle with the Dahs. Which is ridiculous. I need your help to convince him to be more open-minded."
"Good luck," Kivda muttered. "I'll help as I can. You know how he is. Stubborn."
"We're not only his subordinates, we're his friends. If anyone can turn him around, it'll be us."
"What're we discussing?" Renz's voice made Vhel jump. "Something important, I trust?"
"Our destination," Kivda said. "And what to expect." He explained what they knew about the abandoned colony. "So as you can see, we may be visiting a ruin or it could be something far more interesting. Either way, I'm glad we reinforced our soldiers. I'm expecting a ground operation."
"They need to do better," Renz replied. "We can't have them faltering the way they did on our last operation against the Prytins." He took a seat. "Do the two of you believe we'll encounter them?"
"I suspect we'll just miss them," Vhel said, "coming or going."
"I see." Renz turned to Inda, speaking loudly. "Do you have scans of our destination yet? I was under the impression we would be within range soon."
"Very soon, sir," Inda replied. "The long-range scanners are operational and will have the data we need shortly."
"Good." Renz adopted a smug expression. Why, Kivda had no idea. "I want a full workup of the technological status of that world. Any history would also be beneficial."
"We know some of that," Kivda said. "I can give you a brief rundown." He explained that the colony had been one of their larger ventures before the most recent rise to power. It had been considered a trade hub before a great war. They were abandoned as the Kahl people retreated to their own territory again.
"Which war are we referring to?" Renz asked. "This was long before the Prytins, right?"
Vhel fielded that one. "Did you ever take the ancient history class? They discussed how we came to be in our current region of space. Why our homeworld is so inhospitable and what it took to build it up. The idea was simple. Their research suggests two factions back then with us being one of them. Which helps assert our superiority."
Kivda wouldn't have gone to that last part but he knew about the two faction theory. It had been a popular one when it came to seeded worlds. He even heard people mutter about the galaxy being one civilization splintered into two factions. That they all came from the same place but such talk was considered blasphemy in the current paradigm.
After all, they couldn't be superior if they were technically the same. But whether or not they were was academic. No one had any proof either way. So it was a topic for debate and philosophy. It may have kept the scholars busy too if they'd been allowed to explore such ideas.
"I did not take that course," Renz said, "but that's a fascinating point. So these worlds date back before we encountered our current adversaries. Long before, in fact. What strikes me as most interesting is how little our language has changed in all that time. Any thoughts about that in particular?"
Vhel shrugged. "Mostly, we added things to it. Perfected it, some would say. Our writing has changed more significantly. Fortunately, we have all the old lexicons stored. Which is how we can translate what we found on that temple. These are ancient, though we obviously maintained some consistency."
"Indeed." Renz scowled. "I hope our enemies lack the same information."
"We know they have it," Kivda replied. "They have scholars dedicated to understanding us. There are those among their people who think we might even find peace." Because they don't understand the crusade. You'd think they would study the religion first and realize how fanatical we really are about that.
"Absurd." Renz rolled his eyes. "Utter foolishness. After all we've done, the things they would demand... it would be a temporary ceasefire at best for them. No, I believe we've gone well beyond the point of no return. One side or the other must be annihilated and so far, we are winning. The Dahs are almost gone. The Rhulins will be next."
Then the Vorka, Kivda thought. Though no one wants to discuss what it will take to finish off the Prytins. Not to mention the fear that they might finally get everyone organized. If they can get the Rhulins to stop being impulsive, put the Vorka on making weapons, then mobilize their own forces, we might be overwhelmed.
Warmongering didn't come easy to some of those cultures. Even when it came to defending themselves. They weren't cowards per se, but they had a different focus. One that made them somewhat easy pickings for Kahl invasion. The new culture, the one that fielded the Triton, worried Kivda.
If we have another culture like the Prytins, that may well be a serious problem. Kivda rubbed his forehead as he considered the ramifications of a second warlike faction. Perhaps we should hunt them down sooner. Find out where they're at. Hit them before they become a threat.
He had made such a suggestion before at an officer's meeting. The crusade forbade attacking cultures that were not technically ready for the fight. There was no glory in the defeat of the totally helpless. Kivda didn't understand the point. They wanted to exert their superiority. If they were better than the culture, then they should've finished them.
Playing games was dangerous. Many Kahl lost their lives as a result. Had they attacked the Dahs when they first encountered them, they would've crushed them quickly. Instead, they let them build up their military force, prepare their colonies, dig in... and as a result, the Kahl fought dozens of battles, all of which resulted in losses.
They even lost a few of the conflicts which meant entire starships were lost along with the crews and soldiers besides. Prisoners had been taken. Some of them were transferred to the Prytins for interrogation. Which led to that culture readying themselves for bigger fights. Ultimately, their hubris and need for glory led to harder battles in the future.
And the priesthood claimed that forged them by hotter fires. It made them even better as they ascended to masters of the galaxy.
What happens when they're all dead? Kivda thought about that question a lot too. He never voiced it, not to his closest friends. When we've won and all the empires are ashes around us, what then? We're a culture bred for conflict and war. It'll be a matter of time before we square off on each other and start again.
Until every sentient being in the universe was dead and buried in the memories of glory.
"Sir!" Inda called. "I've got an initial scan!"
"You sound excited," Renz said. "Is it good news or bad?"
"There's a starship there for certain," Inda replied. "Something modern. I don't know the make yet."
Renz turned to Vhel. "You were saying?"
"We're still a half hour out," Vhel replied, "they could be gone by the time we arrive."
"Porth, get in touch with our destroyers. Make sure they're ready for battle." Renz stood. "Bring is in at the outer part of the system. I want a better scan of that vessel before we engage. Once we know who they are, we can advance at warp to close the gap."
And give them a chance to escape. Kivda bit his tongue. I need to prepare my men for a trip to the surface. They'll have to acquire the data we need. He turned to Vhel. "Do you have any advice for the ground crew? Anything they should know before they depart?"
"I've updated their scanners," Vhel said, "it'll look for the temple and they can record everything when they arrive. Other than that, they should be good. I'll help monitor their progress with you though it seems we'll be in a fight when we arrive." He frowned. "Which might complicate things dramatically."
"Because they'll have a ground force of their own?" Kivda asked. "Or are you thinking of something else?"
"Yes. We'll be dealing with indigenous life and a modern force. That'll make it harder."
"I'll assemble an appropriate number of people to make that easier." Kivda turned to his comm. "They'll muster in the hangar for a quick departure." So we can have some victory here, even if the enemy manages to escape. The thought of losing a fight to them remained a possibility as well. I'll have to trust Renz and Porth to keep that from happening.
Kivda rarely doubted his friend's ability in the past. Right then, he found himself struggling to believe in their chances. He's becoming too emotional, too arrogant for his own good. Those factors worked against easier prey but not the Prytin nor this Triton vessel either. If it's them, we may be in trouble.
But that wasn't his problem. He focused on his responsibilities. The rest... would happen one way or another.
***
Rhys leaned forward in his seat, staring at the viewscreen. They had a fantastic overhead view of the action taking place. When the building went down, it looked particularly dramatic, blocking out the city from their sight for a good five minutes before the wind dissipated the mess.
Scans used the orbiting satellites to help triangulate the landing team's positions. As they broke off, Violet separated the screen into two sections so they could keep an eye on them. When the strange creature burst out of the building, they only had a brief, aerial view of it before it became crushed.
However, Violet managed a full scan. The outline of the thing appeared on their personal terminals. She needed an in depth, up close scan to get into the biology of it though they didn't much need it to see why Lysa freaked out on the comm. The beast's neck alone was fifteen feet long. Tough scales covered the entire body, keeping it safe from even blaster fire.
Violet started working on a method to injure them in the event they needed to fight another one off. Rhys already knew they needed different weapons than were available to them. The shuttle likely had the firepower to take one down. They'd need to call Andrews in to hit the next one.
Then another one bounced into the situation. They didn't have a visual on it but the report came through that it rampaged up a flight of stairs after some of the enemy soldiers on the surface.
"This is a nasty firefight," Rhys muttered. "Do you think that new faction are on our side or is that a coincidence? A little convenience?"
"Can't say," Titus replied. "As long as they're not shooting our people in the back, I'm okay with them. We'll worry about their intentions when that becomes a problem."
I'd rather have a plan immediately. Rhys kept the comment to himself. How many factions were they dealing with? And would they all react to the city effectively coming under siege? As far as he could tell, the place had been pretty calm before they arrived. And now, we've brought at least one building down with another on the way.
So much for leaving a small footprint.
"They haven't even gotten close to their destination before all this hell went down," Rhys said. "Sir, I think we should mobilize a larger force. Get more troops down there. It's clear they need the support. We can't expect so few people to survive with all that, even with air cover."
"Agreed." Titus nodded. "Mobilize another strike force and get three shuttles out there besides Andrews. That'll give us an advantage and we can relieve them. I'd hoped a smaller group wouldn't have attracted attention. Doesn't seem like they had a chance to keep things stealthy though. Not with those creatures down there."
Rhys agreed that a larger unit would've been a problem. Deploying a larger group always meant a bigger spectacle. But with all those forces running around, they needed some numeric superiority. Or at least more people with advanced tech to protect the men and women already in place.
