Putkwyz, Ch.13, "Aldeman"

13



Aldeman


For the mission to Radimeer, Mawgri and I both donned all our armor and helmets and prepared our weapons. I had thought I would have a surprise for him. After my adventure on Mount Zaput, I had taken Hennessey’s force-field belt, cleaned it, replaced the batteries and set it to charge. Yesterday, I tested it and found it unusable; the centuries had turned it into little more than an amusement—a greenly, intermittently flickering belt that gave no protection. Nonetheless, I resolved that if we got into a deadly situation, I would take him into my sphere of protection.

Instead, Mawgri had a surprise for me: Luvark had joined us on orders from Sacacon, and had been taking lessons in flying Mawgri’s ships. Mawgri’s ships were completely digital, so learning to fly them was more a matter of inputting data than actually steering, except for landings. Our ship was a lighter from the freighter and carried supplies for the rebels and the four of us: Mawgri, Luvark, Adelman, and me. Luvark was our pilot.

When I saw Luvark’s strong green-and-yellow-scaled form armored and armed, I wanted to run to him and hug him, but I knew that would embarrass him. Instead, I saluted and said, “Luvark, I’m glad you’re coming with us. I feel more secure now.”

“Thank you, Za Malcolm. It is my honor to serve you.”

“Have you heard anything more of the war?”

“Yes, we have beaten back the Radimeen at Milisaca, and they are running away and fearing our attack. They are running from Kunwyz, too. And on their own continent, they are making no more headway against Sobimeer and Polimeer.” I can’t swear to this, but I thought I saw the slightest hint of a smile on his lips.

However, I had no more time to chat, for Mawgri began to review our operation. “It’s fairly simple. We go in at a rendezvous point, drop Aldeman to his supporters. Then we unload all the boxes in the hold. Then we leave as quickly as we can—in and out. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble in flight because our approach should be stealthy. What little radar Radimeer has is concentrated along the coasts facing its enemies. I don’t think we’ll be spotted in the air.”

“If trouble happens on the ground, our instructions are the same: unload and get away. But, you may shoot back if fired upon.”

Luvark got into the pilot’s seat. Mawgri sat next to him as copilot and commander. Aldeman and I sat in back. Aldeman had no personal armor, but Mawgri insisted that he put on an armored vest and helmet. “We don’t want to take unnecessary chances.”

Mawgri gave Luvark the altitude he wanted and the direction and then gave him the landing coordinates. Luvark put all that data into the lighter’s computer. When all was ready, he pushed a yellow button and we began to ascend smoothly into the quickly darkening sky.

I asked Aldeman how big his organization was.

“It is bigger than you might think. The Emperor Kra of Radimeer has imposed a harsh, militaristic rule for many years. He has been particularly harsh on minorities, so any Polimeens, Winimeens or Sobimeens inside his borders have no love for him. In the place we are going is a large minority called Takimeens that have been particularly brutalized. I know; I am a Takimeen. Then within the general population, there are millions who hunger for freedom. Also with us are millions who worship Zacon, not the official religion. The Emperor says, ‘You are with us or against us’; many say, ‘If so, then we are against the emperor.’ But we are suppressed, exiled, beaten, imprisoned or killed. We have had enough and are willing to fight back. Now is the right time because we will have aid and support from strong allies who are enemies of Radimeer.”

“Good luck.”

”Thank you. I know you are risking your lives on this mission.”

Then I felt the ship slow and begin its descent, and the land below was lit by the light reflected off the large moon Huppof. As we descended, I could see that the territory of the Takimeen was a prairie of rolling grassy hills with forests around lakes and rivers and streams, a kind of violet Kansas. Then I could discern the segmentation of farms and small towns.

Luvark settled us gently into a recess surrounded by hills.

We all unbuckled, Mawgri opened the hatch, and he and Luvark went out. He motioned for us to follow. Luvark opened the cargo hold, and we all laid aside our weapons and began pulling the heavy boxes out and stacking them on the ground.

Then Aldeman shouted a greeting. I looked up and saw about twenty Putkurs descending toward us from the northernmost hill. These set about helping us with the cargo, so in just a few minutes, all the boxes were stacked on the ground.

One box had been opened, and automatic assault rifles were being passed around until all the arrivals were armed. Then ammunition and hand grenades were distributed. Mortars and rocket launchers were also taken and carried away. More Putkurs poured in from the other hills. Soon over a hundred had been armed and were leaving. The first group to arrive was the first to leave.

Aldeman came over and said, “I am going now. Thank you, Mawgri. We will never forget you.” The two licked each other, and Aldeman joined the first group as they exited the hollow.

Over the hill came others in lines and bunches, for the supply of ammunition and weapons was not exhausted.

Mawgri stepped beside me and Luvark and said, “Ok, our job is done. Let’s get out of here before it gets hot.”

Luvark said, “The sun will not rise for many hours.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

At that very moment, a shot rang out and a bullet whizzed by us. I looked from where the cracking shot echoed and saw that over the western hill was a squad of uniformed soldiers heading toward us. Their gray uniforms were highlighted by the moonlight from Huppof. A patrol had found us. More shots rang out. More bullets zinged overhead.

We all pulled our weapons and fired back, but I was unable to see any effects. I knew that at that range my pulse gun was not lethal because the pulse would spread, but it would cause disorientation and a feeling of nausea and weakness in all the soldiers. Suddenly from the northern hill erupted a staccato of bullet fire that ripped like a hailstorm into the small Radimeen patrol squad and silenced it quickly and left sprawled gray bodies upon the plum-colored grass. Luvark, Mawgri and I hurried into the lighter, closed the hatch and got ready. Luvark pushed the yellow button and the craft ascended straight up to several hundred meters.

“Stop here,” Mawgri said and checked his visual screen, selected night vision mode and scanned the area. To the west several kilometers away, we could see a line of some forty armored vehicles coming down a road. Some were tanks; others were troop transports. “This is not good. I think we’re going to have to perform some direct intervention. We can’t have the rebellion squashed before it has a chance to get started.”

He picked up his communicator and spoke quickly, ordering two of his ships that had been hovering above us to descend. Still high above us, the silver ovals halted and began to shoot laser beams at the convoy. One hit the first vehicle and one hit the rear vehicle; both vehicles exploded and burned. Then both beams walked from opposite ends slowly to the middle of the trapped convoy until every vehicle had erupted into flames. Then the ships disappeared upward as quickly as they had come.
“That evens the odds. The Takimeens have a fighting chance now. Let’s go.”

Actually, as it turned out, that one mysterious decimation of a Radimeer fighting column more than evened the odds. Because the Radimeen had such a low literacy rate, most of the soldiers were prone to superstition. The survivors of that attack claimed that Zacon had shown his wrath against the Radimeen for starting the war and also showed that Zacon was superior to Za, the god of the emperor. This rumor spread quickly through the Radimeen ranks despite the efforts of the officer corps to squelch it. This sea change in belief gave the believers in Kandizam hope; many illiterate troops converted and brought their weapons with them. Every enclave of Zacon worshippers became an armed camp.

Moreover, the victory, claimed by the Takimeen, spurred that ethnic group to greater efforts. Now armed and reinforced by their sons who were deserting in droves from the emperor’s military and bringing their weapons with them, the Takimeen attacked outpost after outpost in their territory until the depleted Radimeen ranks were driven out. The final Radimeen post, a major airbase and army fort, was abandoned without a fight. Now the Takimeen had a small air force and artillery. Most importantly for the war, the Takimeen territory was the breadbasket of Radimeer; without its food, hunger rose as a specter throughout the rest of the empire.

Heartened by these events, the other minorities—Sobimeen, Polimeen, and Winimeen—also deserted, returned to their home territories, and rebelled against their oppressors. Because of food shortages, even the Radimeen faithful became disgusted and desperate, and food riots began. The Empire of Radimeer became a land of chaos; the emperor, a prisoner inside his palace in his capital.

The return of the defeated fleets intensified the anger of the disaffected. The ally Ladimeer, understanding what was happening to Radimeer, sued for a separate peace and withdrew its forces from Cosimeer. Within days, the Empire of Radimeer was no more as various ethnic and religious groups established their own states and minorities related to other states joined their regions together.

Not knowing that any of this would happen, we soared up and back to the island where our command ship waited.

When we arrived, we were very hungry and had the ship cook fix us smagos chops with taloos and rul nuts and nectar fruit. After everyone had belched and sighed, we retired to our quarters for a nap.

End of Chapter 13.

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