The Wild Ba’Neesh Chapter Twelve ©2019 Fay Thompson All Rights Reserved

The operatives and guests on all five of the DireSec ships seemed to inhale at the same time, the moment extending with tense anticipation.

Elias gestured with his head. “They are going to risk it, Mick.” He said. The satellite feed was showing the floaters reforming and heading toward the backside tunnel entrance.

Mick looked up and yelled. “Sons of bitches.”

“And, that’s why I opened a channel to DireSec.” Elias said, “We need the help. They see what we see in the tunnel.”

Mick still didn’t like it. “I don’t trust you Elias!” He yelled, but secretly he was happy they weren’t totally alone in this part of the fight. Temporary allies? He promised himself to remain vigilant, not let his guard down too far.

Kirsan ordered two of his five floaters to head toward the main tunnel entrance, the crash site now burning, the other three toward the back where Tule Soc was re-grouping. “We outnumber them but they must have incoming. Get me more reinforcements.”

“We can’t get between them and the back entrance.” Jordy said. “They are guessing the blast filled our end with too much rubble for us to recover our floater. Maybe they hope the blast killed the floater. They are willing to race for the prize as we are still minutes away, if we dare the blue hand. Do we dare the fucking blue hand?”

Elias looked at Mick. Both shrugged, both stared at the depleted Vrill in the multiplier. Time. How long before it refilled?

“How long does it take the multiplier to recharge?” Mick yelled out, thinking, why be sneaky about the question now?

That told Kirsan what he had wanted to know. The blue hand was powered by the multiplier. “Take us in close to the tunnel entrance. Get the bio-suits we have and drop the bio-suited operatives, the tunnel is deadly. Expect traps. Kill anything that moves and roll in the sensors so we can air test ongoing.”

“Is anyone going to tell us the answer?” Mick fumed, “Asshats. These are supposed to be your buddies, Elias.”

“They are coming in.” Elias answered grimly. “What do you expect from them, Mick?”

“So, we get a new attack from down tunnel plus your buddies pretending they can’t talk to us. Are you blocking the incoming? Fuck. Turn it on so we can hear them too.”

“How long does it take for the multiplier to recharge?” Mick asked again, as if the absence of response was purely mechanical. He wasn’t sure if it was or wasn’t.

Kirsan was inclined to continue ignoring the boy. Proprietary data and the kid’s less that glowing review of Kirsan’s design abilities.

“It is already re-charging. To what level do you require?” Mael answered unexpectedly, his tone civil, even friendly.

“Hell if we know. Who are you?”

“Mael Strom. And, you?”

“Mick Huxley. Can you guys blow their transports out of the sky out there?”

“We have some capability. However, analysis suggests that their willingness to confront superior numbers means they have nearby reinforcements. We are still five minutes from the main tunnel entrance. Will the blue hand be used against us, Mick Huxley?”

Kirsan and Jordy were both glowering at Mael. He had zero rank here. Still, he was interfacing with their target in a way that was direct and calm. He was acting like their target was a friendly and it seemed to be working.

“Do you really have Glucene stuck to your skull?” Mick asked aloud. “Oh, Elias thinks it unlikely, at least not instantly.” Mick answered. “We can’t offer any promises though.”

“Yes, I managed to get Glucene stuck to my skull.” Mael answered wryly. “We will accept not instantly. Can you tell if the tunnel is completely collapsed? Is your floater operational?”

“Mael, we got major ceiling cracks at our location, debris but smaller. We appear to have escaped the blast area far enough to be functional. All of our systems are mostly intact.” Elias ran off his incoming diagnostic list.

“Mostly?” Kirsan interrupted.

“We have potential exterior seal breach in an area about one foot in diameter. Lead edge closest to the main tunnel entrance.”

“Fuck? Those biologicals are getting inside?” Mick yelled out, near panic.

“It’s a double seal, Mick. We are okay for the moment.” Elias answered.

“You still have minis?” Kirsan interrupted again.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Get a few out to look at you from the near outside.”

“Risky.”

“Now.”

Elias released two more small drones before Mick could stop him.

“That opened us to two more seal breaches.” Mick yelled. “You stupid bastards. It’s not your life getting ready to be dead, now is it? Eww. Elias, what are those sacks?” Everyone stared at the sticky weblike sacks clinging to various spots on the hull. They were undulating and creeping along to expand over the hull.

“Never seen those before.” Kirsan acknowledged aloud.

“They look like insect egg sacks. See the small globes inside. Likely we don’t want those to deploy.” Elias answered.

“How do we get them off?” Mick was nearly dancing in frustration. “Is there exterior spray jets with insecticide? Come on, tell me this bucket has something to defend its hull.”

Kirsan flinched again. The boy was right. No thought of this type of defense had been considered in the design of the defensive floaters.

“We have liquefied coolant. I can spray them manually.” A new voice offered. “I’m rated for biological warfare.”

“Who’s talking?” Mick wished he could see into the ship with the voices, it was frustrating to be given only voice chatter.

“I’m Brad the Pirate.” Brad answered.

Mick looked at Elias, “Seriously, this guy thinks he’s a pirate?”

Elias was grinning. He hadn’t known Brad was nearby. “He is a pirate.” He answered.

“What makes you a pirate?” Mick asked.

“I like to destroy stuff and wreck havoc and generally break or bend the rules.” Brad answered.

“Seriously?” Mick instantly liked the guy and the bone was telling him this guy was trustworthy. “Well, get in here and get these spider things off us, they are growing fast.”

“Tule Soc is moving toward the far tunnel entrance.” Jordy interrupted. Deployment of next attack likely imminent.”

“Order everyone we have in a thousand miles to head toward us now.” Kirsan yelled. He was getting too excited and he knew it. “Get me an open com to Tule Soc. Now.”

“That’s the boss, isn’t he?” Mick said to Elias. “Is this really his floater?”

“Yeah.” Elias was probing the tunnel area toward the main opening carefully, looking for escapees. “Man up Mick. They will come in hard and fast. If you see an exo, don’t shoot unless it doesn’t respond to a hail.”

“An exo?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Yeah, the pirate will be wearing an exo. You can’t miss him.”

“Tule Soc, Eric Felsen?” Kirsan turned to the shielded open channel. “You are ordered to stand down. You are attacking a floater belonging to DireSec. We will defend our property.” Kirsan’s voice had a distinct Vrill edge to it.

“You don’t think…” Mick asked Elias, gesturing toward the multiplier with his head.

“Let’s not think DireSec is attacking us. How about that?” Elias hedged carefully.

“Not think?” Mick parroted. “You mean…” He blinked. Elias was suggesting Kiena would attack based on who they identified as the enemy from within their own thinking. Scary. He knew his thoughts were all over the place.

The people on the DireSec ships were trying to cut through this obvious half talk between Elias and Mick, what were they not quite saying?

“Yeah. Let’s do that.” Elias nodded. Then there was another wave of bugs and both of them went back to blasting and yelling.

Eric Felsen had his own problems, the abrupt com connection with DireSec didn’t improve his mood. “Tule Soc is chasing a known International terrorist that has already caused damage, injury and death. We exercise our right as a world citizen defensive organization to defend the planet.” Eric Felsen spoke firmly, hoping to hide his deep misgivings over the current state of this situation. Two of his ships down, forty-two trained operatives killed, more in the tunnel and the floater seemed uninjured, its occupants alive and well. What the hell had attacked his people and was it waiting to do so again?

“Fuck.” Kirsan answered, most unprofessionally. Obscenities were contagious.

DireSec touched down as close to the tunnel entrance as possible. They used their floater’s doubled airlock system to release Brad and ten operatives suited up for biological warfare. Several pre-packaged containers trundled out from the lower part of the floater, fast assembly containers. The floaters lifted off again, retreating to a safer distance, cautious of Mick Huxley’s inadequate assurances. The operatives split into groups. Brad thundered into the tunnel at a noisy full run and a secondary set of small holographic screens appeared around the inside top of Elias and Mick’s stolen floater, showing views from various new devices, including the front-facing system on the exo-suited Brad.

“Considerable debris, a big crater, but passable, if slow. Lots of devices. Some bodies. Some live devices, go to channel sixteen elle and scan for identifiers.” Brad’s voice boomed out of the speakers. “Three containment areas recommended, one for biological devices, one for explosives and a third for dead bodies.”

Behind him the suited operatives were fast assembling containers that could withstand a tank without breaking seals, once sealed. They were open ended at this point for fast fill.

“Tunnel is compromised. Fast acting, likely lethal biological agent detected, layering over knock down gas. No where to escape. It will pool low to the floor as it is heavier than the air. Recommend the Wind if Mael can manage it.”

“Great idea.” Kirsan nodded. “You up for it Mael?”

Mael was already backing up into the circle of Ba’Neesh. They closed around him facing outward, antlers and horns interlocking or touching. “Tell Elias to shoot bolts into the tunnel floor and to put the floater in reverse.” Mael ordered. “On my mark.”

“Shit? What does he mean, the Wind?” Mick yelled out, continuing to shoot at the swarming mechs.

“You keep shooting, the mechs will continue to attack until they can’t.” Elias answered. “I’m locking us down.” Huge thuds and jerking pulled the floater tight to the tunnel floor. “Tell me when Jordy.” Elias yelled out, his finger on the throttle.

“The bugs are two or three times what I can shoot.” Mick yelled, suddenly alone in shooting the bad guys. Die you roach maggots!” Mini explosions popped as Mick took out any arachnid he saw. He knew they were the top weapon for opening the hull. He didn’t want the hull opened. The creeping web was beginning to distort the external camera systems. “Fuck you fuckers. I fucking hate bug mechs. Stupid robots. Send one of your miserable cowardly handlers in here you scum. Die. Die.”

“Now, Elias.” Jordy yelled.

“Hold on Mick.” Elias yelled as the floater went to full throttle, as if it weren’t currently pressure bolted to the tunnel floor.”

“A tornado of spinning air scrubbed past them collecting the light mechs like so much rubbish.” Mick gaped. He felt like the floater would for sure pull away to be sucked along with the mechs but the bolts held.

“We have blow out on the other end.” Jordy reported happily. “Damn, look at them scramble, too bad we couldn’t direct the wind at those transports.”

The shuddering of Mick’s floater stopped.

“Is it over?” Mick asked, his eyes wide, pupils hard and tight with reaction. He could feel the tension in his face, like every muscle was pulled hard. More than wind had passed through them. Wind and Vrill?

“They will send in another wave.” Jordy answered. “The Wind is over.”

“That was that Turtle guy, wasn’t it?” Mick asked. “His name, I should have guessed. Mael Strom, a dangerous turning stream, like a sideways tornado. His name is a god-damned storm. No fucking wonder. Ultra wicked shit man. Can I do that if I learn hard? Damn.”

“Elias, disable the hull heating auto. Take it manual.” Brad’s voice brought Mick’s head around to stare wide-eyed at a massively large exo-skeleton encased man.”

“You’re Brad the Pirate?” Mick asked.

“You got it.” Brad lifted a hose and pointed it at the floater. “You keep the bugs off me and don’t shoot me either. I don’t want to be holed with this much bio crap around.”

Mick wanted to climb into a suit like that. A giant mechanized man. It was rather massively the dub. Then there were bugs and rats and spiders and targets everywhere. He dove back into blowing the bastards to the tenth level of hell, all accompanied with lurid obscene descriptives. Brad focused on freezing off the sticky webbing being careful not to allow any of it to touch his exo. The webbing was trying to escape and attack him. Clearly, it was being directed by someone hiding far from the battle front. Cowards. Brad discovered he was yelling at the web too. It made it better. He would recommend yelling in battle from now on.

The DireSec operatives still stuck inside their ships were yelling equally loud and often much worse expletives, calling out encouragement and derision at Elias and Mick when they missed or exploded something.

The Command Ship wasn’t quiet either. They were organizing the recovery of every bit of Tule Soc tech they could, sending mechanicals out to assist the haz-suited operatives who were running in and out of the tunnel entrance, dragging rolling carts. It required several dart in and drop missions for each of the transports, each time they retreated back to a safe distance. It looked like chaos. Kirsan sent two of the floaters around to harry the Tule Soc ships to limit the ground attack if possible. The other two were busy positioning operatives as mech directors, an expensive decision as it would slow any physical deployment of the operatives as ground troops. Like Mick said, DireSec wasn’t prepared. But, Kirsan reasoned the tunnel wouldn’t be safe for man or Soek until Tule Soc was gone, and they were digging in from the look of it.

“Hull is visibly clean. I am going to spray sealer on that damaged area. Do continuous seal checks as micro-small devices may have been in those sacks. We can’t be sure we got them all.” Brad’s voice broke in on Elias and Mick. I’m heading back to pick up a few deterrents. I’ll be back.” Brad ran back toward the main tunnel entrance.

Mick immediately felt abandoned. “Where’s he going?” He yelled. “Die you bastards. Dark Gods they are coming in fast. Is a deterrent a weapon?”

“Likely. Hopefully not math problems.” Elias yelled back.

“What do you mean math problems?” Mick fired at a larger clump of insects and then realized it was something new, it kept coming. “Fuck, what the hell is that?”

“Armored mule. Surprised they didn’t use them earlier.” Elias answered, “Brad is a Master of Math.” He laughed. “Can’t say I’m impressed at Tule Soc’s strategy here. They obviously thought we would be easy meat so they didn’t plan well. Stupid.”

“What’s a mule?”

“It carries others into the fray. It will try to bypass your perimeter and then dump its cargo.” Elias answered.

“Fuck fuckers. Too fucking many. I can’t shoot the little ones if the big ones are there so the little bomb carriers are getting past.”

“Me too!”

“Hold on, I’ll be there in three minutes tops.” Brad’s voice boomed.

“Ain’t got three.” Mick yelled. “No fucking concussion grenades or disruptors. Kirsan you putz, build better weapon and defensive systems.”

A blue light crawled out within range of the external viewers. Both Elias and Mick leaned forward, then together they stared at the multiplier, it was still low. Then Elias noted a thin blue line heading off toward the main tunnel entrance. “Oh shit.” He said.

“You got uhhh… incoming.” Elias warned DireSec.

“What?” Jordy asked?

The tunnel floor heading toward the massing bug assault lit up with eerily familiar curved lines.

Everyone in the Command ship was as close to a viewing screen as they could get. What the hell was happening? Blue was bad. Blue was very bad.

“Didn’t you say your multiplier was low?” Kirsan yelled out.

Mael pointed toward a barely visible line racing toward the Command ship. “Too late for evasive action, Kirsan.” He said. The line turned the inside of the cabin into a soft blue glow and then the floater shuddered to Vrill life.”

“Yep. I did boss.” Elias said without looking away. He’d stopped shooting. He watched the wave front shape appear in front of them with no eye. Just a wave. What was she doing? Electronics, she liked electronic disruption. An electronic wave front?

“Grab something and hold on Mick, you too Brad if you are in the tunnel. Everyone down. Looks like an electronic wave front heading toward Tule Soc. Shit. We will get the reverse shock wave and this tunnel will act like a rifle barrel. We are so screwed.”

The wave blasted forward accompanied by wild laughter, an electronic nightmare of Vrill fury. It didn’t make the tunnel curve well and that’s what saved the Tule Soc from total destruction. The shock wave rolling backwards from the event horizon hit the floater. It was still bolted down from the wind or it would have been blown into the collapsed rubble at the explosion site. Brad, like every other operative inside the tunnel was flat to the floor. He was heavy enough to only get tossed a few hundred feet resulting in a few dents and damaged systems, nothing important to life. Three other operatives became splatted when they hit the massive supports at the tunnel entry. The men outside tumbled hundreds of feet but weren’t killed outright. The DireSec floaters, not being attached to anything, blew around but to their pilots’ credit, didn’t crash.

“Fucking A.” Micks voice recovered first. Awe in his voice, a sentiment shared by all.

The Ba’Neesh inside the Command ship were screaming and honking, having been knocked to the floor. The Channels stored in the lower level storage area had come massively and loudly to life, roaring outward unlike their normal careful radiance. Stolen Vrill. Demand without compromise.

Mael picked himself up off the floor, noting his several bruises and considered himself lucky. Anya jabbed him in the shoulder with her horn, a nasty gore. “We have a problem.” She articulated carefully in the noisy chaos. He nodded. Clearly, the situation wasn’t exactly as they had imagined. He’d never heard the Channels roar before. He was pretty sure he never wanted to hear it again.

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