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Authors: Stephen W Bennett
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injured warriors
behind. They were of course aware of the command change, and as they were
reloading, the new commander described the weak spots of the disabled truck the
humans had just used to ram the Clanship.
He pointed into the darkness, where the warm glow of hot
engines revealed the two oncoming threats, explaining what they meant. He had
time, so he led them to the front of the dead truck and fired several
demonstration rounds into the exposed lines, so they would know how to stop the
massive trucks.
Instead of waiting for the trucks to get closer, he sent a
band of warriors out to meet each of the enormous enemy transports. These would
not reach his ship.
The shooting commenced as the shadows approached, and as
before, the engine sounds became louder as the trucks labored to keep moving as
they lost the fluids that were their life’s blood.
Except that the rumble and vibration of their approach had
not lessened, it was increasing. As they came near, he saw that the outline
looked different. At first, he thought these were a different kind of large
transport. Then he realized the simple and effective thing the humans had done.
The giant trucks were in reverse, a large pile of rocks in the back and the
nearly indestructible tires were the only targets for their weapons.
He used his com set to order them to run around to the front
side, to shoot at the hydraulic lines he had told them to hit. However, it was
already too late to prevent them from reaching the Clanship. They were not
moving as fast in reverse as the first truck had been in forward when it had
started, but they were going to hit straight on this time.
Then, in a surprise action, one of the Clanship’s heavy
lasers blazed across the short distance to one of the trucks. Daktor was elated;
his K’Tal had obviously been preparing for the repositioning operation, and had
seen the threat.
The ravening beam vaporized several warriors that had
climbed onto the vehicle in an effort try to change its direction. Those were
acceptable and honorable losses. Except the beam merely shattered a few the rocks
from sudden thermal expansion, slagged some dirt, and melted soft spots in the
huge truck’s thick metal bed where the edges were exposed. It could not reach
anything vital below that heavy deck.
He realized they couldn’t stop them. Daktor was forced to
step aside, firing his pistols without effect as one truck swept by him and
crashed thunderously into the Clanship. That was followed a second or two later
by an equal crash on the opposite side. If anything, the second impact may have
prevented the toppling of the ship. The heavy laser cut off, as the K’Tal no
doubt was rushing down to see the damage.
Daktor didn’t need a K’Tal to tell him that the Clanship
wasn’t going to lift after these more damaging double impacts. He could see
damage to the main thruster column down the center of the Clanship. He ordered The
K’Tal stop at the third deck and open the hangar bay for the stored shuttle. He
would use that small craft to search out the humans, carry extra ammunition,
and bring the fusion bottle powered, portable plasma cannons this time. His now
grounded warriors would root out and savage any human they could find.
It was a tribute to the new leader’s fierce desire to exact
revenge that he initially ignored a question from one of his octet leaders. It
was also a weakness in leadership. One which led to his downfall.
Insistent, the octet leader repeated his question, as
ammunition was unloaded to be placed inside the shuttle once it was out. “Where
are the humans that drove these giant transports? There are no bodies inside
the small control rooms.”
“They must have jumped out,” Daktor suggested.
The octet leader didn’t think so. “The transports changed
direction to stay on track to strike the Clanship and they accelerated. They
did this when they were close enough we would have seen humans leave. Where are
they?”
Daktor had
behind. They were of course aware of the command change, and as they were
reloading, the new commander described the weak spots of the disabled truck the
humans had just used to ram the Clanship.
He pointed into the darkness, where the warm glow of hot
engines revealed the two oncoming threats, explaining what they meant. He had
time, so he led them to the front of the dead truck and fired several
demonstration rounds into the exposed lines, so they would know how to stop the
massive trucks.
Instead of waiting for the trucks to get closer, he sent a
band of warriors out to meet each of the enormous enemy transports. These would
not reach his ship.
The shooting commenced as the shadows approached, and as
before, the engine sounds became louder as the trucks labored to keep moving as
they lost the fluids that were their life’s blood.
Except that the rumble and vibration of their approach had
not lessened, it was increasing. As they came near, he saw that the outline
looked different. At first, he thought these were a different kind of large
transport. Then he realized the simple and effective thing the humans had done.
The giant trucks were in reverse, a large pile of rocks in the back and the
nearly indestructible tires were the only targets for their weapons.
He used his com set to order them to run around to the front
side, to shoot at the hydraulic lines he had told them to hit. However, it was
already too late to prevent them from reaching the Clanship. They were not
moving as fast in reverse as the first truck had been in forward when it had
started, but they were going to hit straight on this time.
Then, in a surprise action, one of the Clanship’s heavy
lasers blazed across the short distance to one of the trucks. Daktor was elated;
his K’Tal had obviously been preparing for the repositioning operation, and had
seen the threat.
The ravening beam vaporized several warriors that had
climbed onto the vehicle in an effort try to change its direction. Those were
acceptable and honorable losses. Except the beam merely shattered a few the rocks
from sudden thermal expansion, slagged some dirt, and melted soft spots in the
huge truck’s thick metal bed where the edges were exposed. It could not reach
anything vital below that heavy deck.
He realized they couldn’t stop them. Daktor was forced to
step aside, firing his pistols without effect as one truck swept by him and
crashed thunderously into the Clanship. That was followed a second or two later
by an equal crash on the opposite side. If anything, the second impact may have
prevented the toppling of the ship. The heavy laser cut off, as the K’Tal no
doubt was rushing down to see the damage.
Daktor didn’t need a K’Tal to tell him that the Clanship
wasn’t going to lift after these more damaging double impacts. He could see
damage to the main thruster column down the center of the Clanship. He ordered The
K’Tal stop at the third deck and open the hangar bay for the stored shuttle. He
would use that small craft to search out the humans, carry extra ammunition,
and bring the fusion bottle powered, portable plasma cannons this time. His now
grounded warriors would root out and savage any human they could find.
It was a tribute to the new leader’s fierce desire to exact
revenge that he initially ignored a question from one of his octet leaders. It
was also a weakness in leadership. One which led to his downfall.
Insistent, the octet leader repeated his question, as
ammunition was unloaded to be placed inside the shuttle once it was out. “Where
are the humans that drove these giant transports? There are no bodies inside
the small control rooms.”
“They must have jumped out,” Daktor suggested.
The octet leader didn’t think so. “The transports changed
direction to stay on track to strike the Clanship and they accelerated. They
did this when they were close enough we would have seen humans leave. Where are
they?”
Daktor had
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