Starlight Gleaming Ch. 21 Pt. 03

"Mangadeen, here."

Lieutenant Mangadeen was Jay's Second.

I explained there were firemen and medical personnel from Capisco volunteering to lend a hand during the current crises. We would be given basic electronic records from the City of Capisco. "Have the Seven Nations' volunteers scanned for explosive devices and given a sniff by one of our special dogs. If they pass that, issue them temporary ID cards and lanyards, and get them assigned High Guard partner units. Be on the lookout for those files from the City of Capisco. They and their files should be arriving within the next few hours."

"We'll take care of it, Commander," he promised.

"Anything I should be aware of?"

"We are stretched beyond thin, Commander. You should know that Ground Security is reeling. It was discovered earlier this morning that Commander Jaykoor, his family, and all their servants perished from smoke inhalation. Apparently, after their emergency shelter lost power, the smoke poured in and they couldn't escape. Captain Terkouri is still at the hospital in critical condition, and an hour ago it came over from Dispatch that Captain Chochoonitsi was injured by burning debris while helping with rescue efforts. His current status is unknown at this time."

Jaykoor was CO of the 1267, my counterpart at Ground Security. We weren't close, but I had liked the man and we'd gotten along well. Terkouri was Doyya's counterpart, and Chochoonitsi was the head of their CID company and Bennet Kilyana's boss.

"Seven hells. All right, have Dispatch convey to everyone our condolences on their losses. Do the best you can, Mangadeen. I'm still off my phone till these talks are completed. We are in the process of getting fresh water restored, hopefully by the end of the day. If you need to get a hold of me, send over a cruiser."

"Water would be most welcome. Lieutenant Raltikon is out in the field, helping with search and rescue at the Naval side. Apparently, most of their officers are at sea and many of those ashore were hard hit with the attacks on the Repair Yard. I'm here until relieved by Lieutenant Fortri. He is expected to arrive later this morning. We'll muddle through till you and Captain Lovyanchiti are back, sir. " He hung up.

As Izel and I moved back to the conference table, she murmured, "I overheard some of what you and the Captain were talking about. When it rains, it pours. Your Second, she seems to be a competent officer."

"If anyone can bring our people home, she can. She'll find them." Then I smiled at my wife. "I think you'd like her."

Giving me a heartfelt smile, she said, "I look forward to getting to know her."

During the discussions, the Second in Command for Kitam's company arrived. After he set about waking up his tired men, I stepped aside to briefly confer with him.

Arrangements were made to meet with the Utility Commissioner's rep to refine the details of the water connection project. To speed the process, our people would first clear the work area and a hundred yards around of any mines. Once that was done, they immediately started surveying, updating their plans as the huge trench was dug. The goal was to dig from both ends and meet in the middle.

The mobile construction officer told me, "The crane's moving to the Main Gate as we speak. Capisco is bringing in the pipes from their reserves right now. We're putting in shut-off valves at both ends, and setting up a booster pumping station near the Main Gate to increase the water pressure. It might leak, but if we really work fast, we can get it laid and connected by the end of today."

"Safety first, Lieutenant. I especially want you to be thorough with ensuring the mines are cleared. I don't want any accidents for Sergeant Kitam or his crew or for the Capisco utility workers." The lieutenant, Kitam, and his tired crew departed.

"I think I'm going to owe them a lot of beer," I muttered.

Izel chuckled and squeezed my hand under the table.

I let Izel open the next stage of talks while I called the Ground Service hospital, and with a little browbeating, eventually spoke to someone in administration. I explained I needed a list of supplies necessary to continue medical operations and to send it to my email address. The clerk promised it would be done.

While it was a given that the regular shipments of food would continue, emergency food and supplies were needed to feed the displaced survivors.

It was then the Seven Nations state reps revealed part of what they wanted. Our advanced tech. Especially in the manufacture of our solar panels and batteries as well as the medical nano-tech. If it had been up to me, we'd work out something to sell them the solar tech. However, my hands were tied with both.

On the other hand, our initial deal of treating one patient a month at cost had gotten Emilo and the kids clearance to travel to High Guard. I countered by offering the treatment of more patients. Another two hours, and it was agreed that for the next ten years we would treat a total of six patients from the Seven Nations each month, three patients were to be at-cost and three patients would be treated gratis. In return, we would have the national and state custom duties on all items purchased for the next year reduced to one percent before returning to previous price levels as well as clearing the legal niceties to make all these talks pass without interference.

Izel and I continued working through the morning with different parties. Around ten hundred, someone must have realized Izel and I needed to eat, and hot plates of food and bottled water were put in front of us.

Emergency food, blankets, clothes, and the like were loaded for delivery even as we spoke, with a fair portion of the supplies even being donated. The pictures of the damaged schools, the battered bodies of dead children, and the burning hospital had raised a lot of sympathy within the Seven Nations. The cost for purchasing additional supplies and for moving the goods to High Guard I paid for out of pocket. Twenty-seven thousand credits.

After that, I had to check my balance. Just on the plus side of eighty-three thousand remaining.

About an hour after noon, the personnel files from Capisco came through and I forwarded them to Mangadeen. He let me know that Captain Lovyanchiti and Lieutenant Ja-See had found the entrance rat hole and were investigating, but would be out of direct radio contact. I raised my eyebrow at that but figured if my Imperial Security aide was helping, that would be a good thing. As for reinforcements, there were two platoons of power-armored mechanized infantry and three platoons of regular infantry assisting, one with war dogs and one with recon drones. Supporting the ground soldiers were two platoons each of type-M and Type-G ChoCacs. He had no other news than that. I thanked him and hung up.

I said a quick prayer to whatever friendly gods that would listen to watch over Doyya and the rest of my people, and then focused on the business at hand.

Sammi kept her own cameras rolling the entire time. While it seemed that sometimes she made note or two, she didn't stay through the negotiations. Instead, she and one of her two cameramen periodically came in and watched from the sidelines, then made sure there were no issues with the video recording. The Air Service media specialists went off to do things at C&C.

The most urgent supplies -- except for medical -- were thankfully quickly taken care of. It was nearing noon and Izel and I were worn and in danger of losing our voices. Even with another pair of stim tabs each, Izel and I were dragging. Even with stimulants, you can only push yourself so far before you fall down and have to sleep.

The Seven Nations agreed to take a break for four hours.

I called Sergeant Kitam for an update, and to my surprise, he said that the booster station was in place and they were in the process of cutting the final piece to join the two lines of pipe. The city had brought in a second crane to help lay the pipe, and over two hundred workers with shovels and a dozen civil engineers were moving at a rabbit's pace to meet in the middle. A few minor injuries, but nothing serious, and thankfully, no injuries from the mines. The survey crews had been continually making adjustments so the pipes would meet as intended. They expected the work to be completed for initial testing within the next few hours. He sounded distracted so I thanked him for the update and hung up.

Izel beamed in delight when I told her the good news.

When I checked, there was still no email from the hospital. After setting my alarm for when we needed to be back at the table, I sent a reminder, including a copy to Dr. Jehantli, that I urgently needed a list of the most critically needed medical supplies. However, I realized this lack of response might be the result of the attack and not the fault of anyone in particular. Then I logged off and put away my laptop.

With a little searching, Izel and I found an empty barracks adjacent to us. We passed on the rows of bunk-beds and went straight to the NCO quarters with its private room and too narrow bunk. Troopers Grannok and Jomin took up his station outside our door. At my instruction, one was to take a two-hour nap and switch off while the stood guard.

After closing the door, we kicked off our shoes and laid down together. I had to do some shifting to get the keys from digging into my leg. The cot was really narrow, and we were forced to take off the vests and hold onto each other so as not to fall off.

As she settled against my chest, I murmured, "Thank you, Izel. I literally could not have done this without you."

Pulling up the single rough-spun blanket, she snuggled into the crook of my arm and found room for her leg by draping it over mine. "My pleasure, Husband. You accepted my advice... with respect... so proud... your wife."

Exhausted, Izel was already asleep, gently snoring against me.

"I love you, Mrs. Kandikan." The last thing I remembered was giving her forehead a kiss.

* * * * *

Part 15 -- Kirfan

* * * * *

Ranji! Danger!

I bolted upright, looking around.

One of the troopers yelled, "Stop! No visitors allowed in here! Halt!"

A stunner was fired, immediately followed by several shots, some of them punching through the thin walls. A long-empty coffee cup shattered on the desk.

Rolling us off the cot, I landed partially on Izel, causing her to cry out. Reaching up, I barely got one of my arms into my vest when a round slammed into my side. The vest held.

"Izel! Get up! Hide in that corner!"

With a combination of a lift and a shove, I put her behind me. Tossing over the cot, I put it crossway in front of the doorway; not to bar the door but rather as an obstacle to prevent easy entry. Tossing Izel her vest, I snapped out, "Put it on!"

Pulling the wheeled steel chair in front of me, I pulled the Caiman into a standard 70/30 grip and flipped off the safety. If they had stunners, the metal would deflect most of the charge, grounding it out and rendering it ineffective. Or so I'd been told.

Eyes wide with fear, Izel huddled in the corner. "Ranji? What's happening!"

"I think your brother found us. Get your vest and helmet on, stay down and stay behind me."

Barely a second later the door crashed open and she yelped in alarm.

Several men in blue, red, and white livery and armed with heavy stunners tried to push in. The makeshift barricade didn't stay in place, but it sure created a bottleneck. Several stunners pointed our direction went off, but while my limbs tingled, the chair did its duty.

Shifting targets, I rapidly emptied the magazine, brass casings bouncing on the concrete floor. Even as they were killed, their bodies were yanked away, and more tried to get us.

Yells from the other room.

As the last round ejected, I dropped it and drew the Talon. Muscle memory kicked in, and the safety disengaged as the pistol was charged. Chainmail was cheap and commonly-used body armor, but flechettes allowed me a greater target area, the needle points penetrating the rings with ease as the spinning fins shredded flesh.

More yells and curses as more men charged the door and fell.

The second magazine was mostly empty with the survivors finally falling back. The air stank of spent gunpowder. If I saw anyone still alive in the doorway, I shot them again. I counted five dead, plus who knows how many dead and wounded were pulled away. The Caiman held twelve rounds while the Talon held twenty-five.

More shots began punching through the thin walls.

A new voice angrily yelled, "Stop, you idiots! No guns. Stunners only!" There were sounds of a scuffle, and then two more shots.

"Ranji!" Izel cried out right behind me. "I'm scared!"

"Stay down, Izel! They want you alive, and I intend to use that to our advantage."

Meanwhile, during the temporary cease-fire, I replaced both spent magazines and switched back to the Caiman, chambering the first round.

A voice called out, "It's Lady Ocotépan we want! Send her out and we'll let you live!"

"You come in here weapons blazing and expect me to believe that shit?" I yelled back. "This is an Imperial War Base, you morons! Anyone can see that this fuck-up has all the hallmarks of that good-for-nothing idiot Kirfan!"

I reasoned if they thought I was crazy they might hesitate at a critical moment.

A different voice replied. "Who's there? Is it that self-important prick, Kandikan?"

"Kirfan, if you killed my troopers, I'm breaking both your legs and then I will see you before a firing squad for the traitor you are!"

"You can't touch me, you Vedan bastard! I'm the ruler of all Nahua and you are trapped! If you want to live, send out my sister!"

"Not bloody likely!" I shouted back. "Were you born this stupid? Insults, threats, and now lies you don't intend to keep. On top of that, you demand this, demand that, and not even a single word of congratulations! Bet you forgot to bring the wedding present, didn't you! Kirfan, you are the absolute worst brother-in-law in the entire world!"

"What? It was you?" His voice rose in rage. "You--you defiled my sister, you Vedan filth! You have shamed my family! Shamed it!"

"Kirfan, is it true you fuck chickens? And is it something you do by choice or is it that you see a feathered butt and can't keep your dick in your pants? I gotta know!" I decided to use both pistols at the same time, keeping the heavier Caiman in my right hand.

Izel gasped out, "Ranji!" Then she exclaimed, "Kirfan fucks chickens!" and started giggling. The helmet's audio boosted the volume of her words.

"Stop saying that! Stop it, I say!" Kirfan screamed, then yelled, "Ten thousand credits to the man who kills that bastard! Kill--!"

Just as I raised my weapons, I heard a crash from the other side of the building, immediately followed by the distinctive sound of dozens of heavy stunners going off, furniture crashing, and in between, a few short distinctive bursts from heavy assault rifles.

A megaphone barked out, "Down, down, down on the ground, hands away from your body! Imperial Ground Service! In the Emperor's name, surrender at once or die! At the count of three, anyone still standing or holding a weapon will be shot!"

"I am Lord Kirfan Tenochta, ruler of Nahua State! You cannot detain me or my men, and you cannot arrest me!"

"That's where you are wrong! Lord Kirfan, by direct order of the Base Commandant, you and your men are under arrest! You are charged with murder and treason. If you resist, you and your men will be killed right here and now! The count is now two!"

Glancing back at Izel in the corner, I saw my reflection in her helmet's visor. Rising cautiously, I peeked to see what I could into the outer room.

"All right, all right, we surrender! Don't shoot! You'll regret this, all of you! I know the Minister of Imperial Security personally! You hear me? Personally!"

Lifting my head up, I looked over the bodies barricading the doorway. Ground Service stood about in heavy battle armor, their assault rifles covering the men getting onto the ground, and at least five aiming their weapons at Kirfan.

Those 8.5mm full-metal jacketed rounds make awfully big holes in bodies. When a man is hit by one of those bad boys, he tends to stay down for the count.

An officer instructed, "Sergeant, cuff him! And no need to be nice about it either."

"Yes, sir. Hands behind your back, you treasonous bastard!"

"Captain, I protest!" Kirfan exclaimed.

"Sorry, I meant to say, hands behind your back, Lord Treasonous Bastard." The sergeant roughly jerked Kirfan's hands behind his back and cuffed him.

Flipping the safeties on, I holstered both weapons. Picking up the empty magazines, I put them back onto their respective slots upside down to denote they were empty or only partially full. Then I took a full breath, exhaling slowly.

That had been a close call.

"Is it safe now, Ranji?" Izel asked. "Can I get up?"

"Yes," I replied, helping her stand. "But I need you to stay behind me."

"Yes, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir--"

"The way you spoke to me, I felt like I had to. Can I take the helmet off now?"

"Yes, but hang onto it."

"Yes, sir." When she took it off, she looked so vulnerable.

Holding out my arms, she glommed onto me, burrowing into my chest.

"Oh, gods, I was so scared! And you were so brave defending me!" She trembled as I held her.

Squeezing her tight, I chuckled. "Wife, I just got you to fall in love with me. You think I'm going to let you go so easily after that?"

That elicited a snicker of amusement. "Yes, I suppose that would be counter-productive, Husband," she admitted. Then she lifted her face and we kissed, our emotions flaring. When we broke apart, her fear had been replaced with intense desire.

Giving her another kiss, I said, "I'm going to check things out. You keep behind me, understand? Anything happens, you go back to that corner, put the helmet on, and you stay there till I say otherwise."

Taking a calming breath, she fussed with my neckerchief, "Yes, Husband." Then she whispered, "Is it okay to let you know I really want you again?"

Chuckling, I gave her a wink. "Yes, it's okay. Note to self -- wife wants more personal time later, clothing optional."

"Like we did in the bedroom last night?"

"Amendment to note, make that hard and fast and definitely no clothes. And maybe more than once."

Biting her lower lip, Izel giggled again as her face flushed.

A Ground Service corporal in powered-assisted combat armor pulled bodies away, pausing when he spied us there. "Captain! I think it's Commander Kandikan and some lady!"

Once the bodies were out of the way, I lifted the cot, moving it back to where it normally resided.

The captain gave me a salute. "Commander Kandikan? Lady Kandikan? Are either of you injured in any way?"

I shook my head. "No. It was a close call, but we're unhurt."

"Thank the gods," the captain said. By his unit patches, he and his men were part of the 851st Mechanized Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade. "My orders from the Commandant were direct and clear. If either of you were injured or killed, I was to kill every last one of them. I'd rather not have the headache."

Nodding, I replied, "I completely understand. This is my second firefight in twenty-four hours and I am so far behind in required action reports, it'll be a week before I see daylight."

The corporal barked a short laugh, but at a glance from his officer, he mumbled, "Sorry, sirs."

The captain gave us a short bow. "My lord and lady, Generals Rikoletsi and Barankoshto send you their greetings. Both of them stressed their desire for your safety."