Richard and Mark each had seven colonists under their command and neither of them had found any signs of the Aldebrans that evening, and so the next morning they set off again in search of the Aldebrans. Richard`s team was walking along the trail to the south west of their camp and moving towards the prairie, their pace was even slower than usual. It was just half an hour after setting off that they heard noises that could mean only one thing, they were near to an Aldebran camp. Richard had taken point and so he was the first to hear them, and they appeared to be striking camp; it took but a moment for him to reach a decision, it was just as the rain began to fall, drenching them all yet again, but also making them more difficult to spot.
“There is a squad of troopers up ahead, they appear to be about to move camp, if they come this way we should be able to take them all out. Spread out and move into the undergrowth, only open fire when the leading trooper is opposite me, I will take my place at the far end of the line.” Richard ordered. “If they go the other way then we will have to follow after them until reinforcements arrive.”
The Aldebrans did indeed move toward the colonists` camp and it was just three minutes later that the forest was full of Phaser bolts whistling through the air and the cries of the dying troopers, then all was silent. Richard and his team were once again elated after their victory; however the silence that descended upon the forest hung heavily. They slowly moved back onto the trail to see if any of the troopers had survived the powerful energy bolts, but not one of them had survived. As they looked down at the bodies of the dead troopers they felt a deep sadness at the sheer waste of life, but even this feeling of empathy for the dead was not allowed to last for much more than a few seconds. They pulled the bodies off the trail and after collecting the troopers` weapons, they moved on up the trail to where the troopers had camped. Here Richard decided to rest up a while; he did not want to run into more troopers on the open trail while his team was tired. After an hour`s rest they moved on, they had been moving in a direction that would have taken them to the Ark, and although Richard was curious to know the situation there, he changed direction. He decided to take a more direct line to the prairie; for he thought they had a better chance of meeting up with more of the troopers this way.
Mark`s team also had a quiet evening, but this changed the next morning when the skies opened and the rain fell in torrents. It was in this foul weather that they literally ran into a squad of troopers, a fire fight ensued which saw deaths and injuries on both sides, this changed when the troopers broke and ran, those troopers all died from energy bolts hitting their fleeing backs.
It was now that Mark received separate calls from two of his four other teams, one led by John McIntire and the other by Rogé Patel. They both told him the same thing, twenty four troopers had just struck camp, making a total of forty eight trained men, and all of them were heading in a direction that would take them towards the colonists` camp, they would be there within four hours at the speed at which they were currently moving. Mark immediately ordered his two teams to follow on behind the troopers, ready to attack them from behind should the troopers actually locate their camp, otherwise to await reinforcements that would be on the way in minutes. He now called Richard and then his other two teams of colonists, he told them of the danger to the camp, he asked Richard to head back to the camp while the other two teams were to join up with the teams led by John McIntire and Rogé Patel who were both currently trailing after the troopers. However, he warned them to liaise with the other two teams for up to date information regarding the positions of all the people on the move and to take care that when they attacked the Aldebrans, to warn their people in advance or risk being fired upon. Mark now had to tend to his wounded, two men were walking wounded and two had been killed, these he and his team quickly buried in shallow graves. Thankfully, the injured men were conscious and able to help defend themselves against whatever danger threatened them, so he could leave them behind.
“Malcolm, Peter, I am sorry but we have to leave you here, as you heard the camp is in danger of being overrun by Aldebrans and I need to be there. You have food, water and all our team`s medical supplies, I am also leaving Helen and John with you to see to your wounds, and do not worry, we will come back for you, good luck.” Mark said.
“Go quickly Mark, safe our people, safe our wives, we will survive for now.” Malcom McCuskey replied.
“Go now Mark but don`t you forget where you left us.” Peter Hughes added in an attempt at humour which was followed by a groan as his wound reminded him of his injury.
Mark nodded at the two men. “Don`t worry Peter, we will be back sometime, today, tomorrow, sometime.” He jested. “If we remember where we left you.”
He then turned to the two colonists left to guard their injured comrades. “Look after them and look after yourselves, remember to keep the noise down to a minimum, we do not know if any more Aldebrans will come along this trail.”
His team had just finished cutting some of the smaller branches down from the nearby trees, these they put in front of their friends, to hide them away from any passing Aldebran forces.
With this done he and the remainder of his team turned around and headed back to camp along a very narrow but overgrown animal trail. Mark and his team were moving fast, with only their rifles to carry, having left everything else behind with the others. He hoped that they would get back before the troopers found the colonists` camp, if these two squads were part of a large scale campaign, it meant that the two squads that his and Richards` teams had just taken out had also been heading there. Mark knew that he had been wrong in thinking that the loss of their starships would cause the Aldebrans to retreat; he now saw that their commander was pinning everything on a last throw of the dice. The odds were that any other squads of troopers would be behind his and Richard`s teams, they certainly should not be ambushed while hastening back to ensure the safety of their friends and loved ones. There were fifty six men and seventy four women back at the camp, but would it be enough colonists to repel an attack, should the remaining troopers attack en masse, the result would surely prove fatal for many on both sides.
**********
Captain Larson had just finished positioning his forces when the rain began to fall over the camp, it was a cold rain that fell, but at least the wind was light. He knew that they had more than enough Phaser rifles to go around, should any of the Aldebrans be brave enough to continue the war and continue on towards the camp. He prayed that by the end of the day the Aldebran threat would be finally over once and for all, they would then only have the possible Genesis threat to worry about. Larson smiled grimly as these thoughts went through his mind, but the thought that they had already accomplished the impossible against the Aldebran military gave him cause to feel that they would live through whatever Magnus Smart threw at them. Larson had 130 men and women at his disposal; they were divided into nine teams, four forward teams of twenty five colonists positioned at the four narrow trails that entered the camp. Three on one side of the river, to the north, the west and the south of the camp and one on the other side of the river to the east of the camp, any of these four teams would most likely be the first ones to engage the enemy. Then there were the four smaller teams of four colonists acting as tripwires, and finally there was the balance of his force who were acting as his strategic reserve. Larson hoped that he would not have to call upon them to go to the aid of one of the forward groups, but he also knew that by the end of the day everyone within the camp might well be involved in the fighting.
He personally took command of the strategic reserve; which was based in the cave which held their prisoners, the Aldebran had been given food and water and left in their cell; Captain Larson had warned them that if they caused any trouble then he would execute the lot of them, regardless of who was the trouble maker.
Crouched down behind a large tree sitting in the middle of the western defensive position, Robbie pulled his wet weather clothing tightly around him; he
was attempting, unsuccessfully, to keep out the rain. He was in command of this team, he had been given seventeen women and seven men, Captain Larson had told him to ensure that their lives were not thrown away needlessly, and Robbie had promised to look after them. He had spread them along just one side of the narrow western trail, in this way they would not accidentally kill their own people. He did not know that it was upon this trail that John McIntire was following twenty four troopers who were still coming their way; Robbie thought that the Aldebrans were unlikely to choose this trail as it was not suitable for their armoured personnel carriers, he would soon find out that he was wrong. For he did not know that Commander Oshiro was now fighting an anti-insurgency war which meant that he had decided against the use of his armoured vehicles and had purposely sent his men along this sort of trail in search of the enemy. However, Robbie felt that if they were attacked then with the moral of his people being quite high, the chances of them winning through were also quite high, especially as they were all keeping silent, the wet making even the most talkative amongst them quiet but just a little chilled. They would also have the initial advantage of any firefight, should it occur, hidden as they were behind trees, or in fox holes or underneath large shrubs. There was also the strategic reserve waiting within the main part of the camp, there to back up any of the teams that needed assistance. The moral of the troopers though must be rock bottom by now, Robbie thought, and there was every chance that the troopers would surrender as soon as they were fired upon by such a large force who also had the advantage of surprise.
Mark and Richard`s teams after a long tiring trek back had met in the centre of the camp, Richard having entered from the south and Mark from the east, and Richard was shocked on seeing that Mark only had three other colonists with him.
“My god Mark what the hell happened, where are the others?” Richard exclaimed.
“It is not as bad as it looks Richard; we had to leave two injured people behind along with two more of my team to guard them.” Mark explained. “The two who were injured will be all right as soon as we can get them back to camp, however two more of my team were killed when we walked slap into an Aldebran patrol who were moving as silent as we were along the track.”
With this they sought out Captain Larson to offer their help, it was just as Robbie`s team opened fire upon the troopers moving along the trail towards them. Fourteen colonists moved as one to help their friends, the first thing that Mark did was to seek out Robbie.
“Robbie, John McIntire and his team have been following on behind these troopers, they should soon be attacking them from behind, so warn your people, to take care that they do not fire upon them.”
“We know Mark, John just called in to tell us to watch out for his team.” Robbie replied and then let loose another Phaser bolt at an unfortunate trooper.
Knowing that another twenty four Aldebrans were approaching from the north, Mark left their western flank in the safe hands of Robbie, Richard and John. He took the remainder of his team to bolster the twenty five men and women spread across the northern trail, the one whose entrance had been hidden from the main trail, he was just in time. Oshiro had entered the narrow Northern trail below the camouflaged entrance, using the same overgrown track to reach it that Mark had used just days before.
**********
What Oshiro did not know was that he was expected, twenty nine colonists to the front and ten colonists led by Rogé Patel to his rear. As he moved ever forward his anxiety increased, for he could not contact two of his teams, ones that he now expected no longer existed. It was at this point that he received a call from the sub-officer in command of the two squads moving in from the west.
“Commander, we need help immediately, we have been outflanked, we are under attack by superior forces on all sides, my men are being cut to pieces.” Sub-Officer Go-lang screamed.
“I am almost at the northern edge of where I believe their camp is located, it is less than half a mile from your position, I will crush them like an egg shell. This should relieve the pressure on you, for they will have to send some of your attackers against my men, take heart Sub-Officer Go-lang.”
Oshiro had said this more in hope than belief, as without the other two teams his force was relying on surprise rather than overwhelming manpower. As his troopers moved warily forward they were met with a long banshee scream as twenty nine Phaser rifles fired almost together, all around him he saw his force cut down. He hurriedly slipped behind a stout tree and tried to think of an alternative to death that seemed to be waiting for him; unfortunately he could not think of one. Determined to meet a warrior’s end, for he could only expect to be sent to a Gulag if he surrendered and was allowed to return home, he rose from his position behind the tree and cried out to his remaining forces.
“Forward into history men, fame awaits us, forward to victory.”
He now made to charge forward, however three Phaser bolts exploded against his body, and his expensive body armour that he had been so proud of was not up to stopping the powerful energy bolt that came from Mark`s rifle, it tore through it to find the soft flesh beneath it. He fell down onto the soft undergrowth, around him he heard the sound of battle coming to an end, “We have won, the glory is all mine.” He screamed out before dying.
On seeing their commander fall to the ground the other troopers either surrendered or ran, those who ran were cut down by the Phasers in the hands of Rogé Patel`s team. Mark as usual had all the Aldebran weapons collected for safe keeping and stored in the armoury.
To bring an end to the senseless death Mark looked for and found the troopers` radio, he now took this, and the Aldebrans who had surrendered, to Commander Lu-Song and begged him to bring the killing to an end.
On hearing from the trooper who manned the radio, of the death of so many of their fellow comrades, and that little more than thirty or forty troopers still remained alive, all of whom were approaching the deadly killings fields that surrounded this camp, Lu-Song agreed to call all of the survivors and order them to lay down their arms and return to the death bed of the two downed starships on the edge of the prairie. All the three Sub-Officers he spoke to were shocked to hear just how many troopers had died that day, and they all agreed to turn around and march back to their old camp, there they would await the victors of this one sided war.
Sub-Officer Go-lang and his remaining men had been pinned down, and when the help failed to materialise he had surrendered, and so they lived to see another day. Robbie remembering past orders had all the troopers` weapons collected from wherever they lay and had them taken to the colony`s armoury.
**********
Mark sighed with relief, they had won through against the Aldebrans, and against all the odds, some thirty good men and women had died during the battle for New Caledonia, but this undeclared war was now over. The Genesis cult, if they were indeed up there in orbit around New Caledonia, had still not shown themselves, now one thought ran through Mark`s mind, was Magnus Smart simply waiting for them to show themselves on the prairie before he commenced his attack on a people he hated with all of his dark soul. First though he sent John McIntire back out with a team of ten men to collect their injured comrades and to collect the bodies of the two who had fallen, they would be reburied here in the camp of the ancient temples. Later the body of Karl Meiser would be buried here, as soon as the chances of being attacked by this or that enemy was truly over.
Of course one other major problem also remained, what were they to do with those Aldebrans who had survived the battle of the temples, as Mark now called it. Joyce Marley now walked over to him; and she seemed to know just what he was thinking.
“Mark, the Aldebran prisoners, we will soon have more than we can deal with, if we treat them as such. Over the coming days and weeks some of them will rebel and there will be more deaths amongst both of our peoples. From what you have told me about them, if we allow them to return to their home they will be sent to a Gulag, that or executed as traitors
or cowards, Mark, please think about another solution to the problem, one that I now offer up to you. We release them and ask them to become part of the population of New Caledonia, one that would include our own people, the prisoners and the Aldebran farmers.”
“You are willing to forgive the death of your husband, Joyce, he was not just killed, he was tortured by their commander until he died.” Mark replied.
“To forgive is said to be divine, do we not strive for perfection?” Joyce Marley asked looking directly into Mark`s eyes.
“We do, poorly, but we do Joyce. Have you mentioned this act of forgiveness to anyone else?” Mark asked.
“No, I thought that after you had thought the matter over, we would approach Lu-Song together and then speak to our people. However Mark, we do not have too much time to ponder on the matter, the Aldebrans waiting for their gaolers by the Ark might soon take it upon themselves to scatter into the forest and then attack our farms after we have set them up, a problem that you admitted was a dangerous possibility not too long ago.”