The Sword and the Plough (30 page)

He wiped the sweat from his eyes. Already the
temperature was rising rapidly and he was sweating profusely.

He turned and looked at the young woman
who had come up from the hollow behind him where the
Defiant’s
lifeboat had
landed.

“Well, this is it,” he said. “What I call
home.”

The young woman looked about her, her calm
blue eyes surveying the barren, black landscape. Like Lars, she was
dressed in the white field clothes of a Trionian farmer, but at her
neck, a glimpse of red betrayed the queen’s red beneath. She
cradled a Bess light-bolt rifle in her arms. A Meredith pistol hung
from her hip.

“Not much to see, is there?” Lieutenant York
muttered matter of factly. “And nothing much happening,
either.”

“
I should hope not,” the young man replied
to the latter comment. “I asked Captain Willoughby to drop us well
out from Vegar to be on the safe side.” He smiled. “You’ll find
it’s a lot different closer to town where the rock ploughs have
been working, lots of grass, lots of trees and crops, farms and
people, plenty of everything really.”

“It’s so empty, so desolate,” the lieutenant
continued as though she had not heard. “Just black rock as far as
the eye can see.”

She put up a hand to shade her eyes against
the twin suns on the horizon. “And so hot,” she added. She pulled a
disgruntled face. “I hope it doesn’t get much hotter.”

“Hey, you two!” It was Captain De Vries’s
voice. “This is no time for gossip. Come and give us hand with
this.”

He and Caroline were attempting to pull
black camouflage netting over the
Defiant’s
small spherical shaped
lifeboat. The hollow it sat in was a large lava bubble that had
swelled and burst, collapsing in a fiery spray of red hot lava and
gas, several million years before.

Four pairs of hands soon completed the
task.

“Okay, that should do it,” the captain said.
“It should look like the rest of the terrain round here to the
casual eye.”

“Do you think we got down unnoticed?”
Caroline asked.

The captain shrugged. “If Willoughby’s
plan worked,” he responded. “With a bit of luck, the
Defiant’s
low pass
around the planet should have kept those Megran fraudsters so busy
trying to look good they won’t have had time to notice us dropping
in.”

Lieutenant York gave a flat humourless laugh.
“Well, I sure hope it worked or that’s the end of us and a lot more
besides.” She looked across at Lars. “Come on then lead the way,
we’ve got a long way to go and I don’t want to be wandering round
in the dark trying to find whatshisname’s place.

“You mean, Hakim!”

The lieutenant gave a nod. “Right, that’s the
one.”

Lars checked his wrist navigation aid and
pointed. “This way,” he said.

* * *

The captain crawled up beside Lars. Ahead of
them, Hakim’s home stood black and silent in the darkness. They had
arrived at the cottage just after sunset. It had taken them the
whole day to hike the distance. The first of Trion’s three moons
was peeking over the horizon. They wanted to be safely inside
before all three lit up the night sky.

“No sign of life,” the captain whispered. ‘I
don’t like it. Does he usually go to bed this early?”

Lars shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t
think so.”

The captain turned to the others. They were
crouched down a few metres behind him.

“Spread out,” he said in a whisper, signing
the same with his hand. “Have your weapons ready, but don’t fire
unless I give the signal.”

He put a hand on Lars’s shoulder. “Lars,
you’ll have to go in alone. He knows you. But be careful.”

Lars used his elbows to worm his way forward.
He took cover behind a water trough near the house. The night was
cooling fast, but he was still sweating. He eased the Meredith in
its holster.

“
Hakim!” The harsh sound of his own voice
startled him, like a spotlight suddenly switched on. He waited,
uneasy, but no answer came.

“
Hakim, it’s Lars – Lars Kelmutt.” he tried
again a little louder.

Still nothing, his hand tightened round
the grooved butt of the light-bolt pistol…

“
Lars?” The voice from the house was low –
cautious. “Is that you, Lars?”

“Yes Hakim, it’s me. Can I come in?”

The cottage remained silent for a moment.

“How do I know it’s you?” the voice
asked.

“Of course it’s me. Can’t you tell? Let me in
and you’ll see.”

“No!” The tone was sharp with suspicion.
“Stay where you are or I’ll open fire.”

“Okay, okay, I’m staying, I’m staying.”

The house went mute again. Lars could imagine
the handsome face of his friend frowning in the darkness. Hakim
would know by now his neighbour had been taken prisoner and no
doubt feared a trap.

“What colour dress did your sister wear at
her last birthday party?” Hakim’s voice asked abruptly out of the
darkness.

“But she never wears dresses,” Lars began.
“She only wears trousers, even on her birthday... Oh!” He started
to laugh. “But of course, now I remember, you wore the dress just
to tease her. By the planets, those pink frills… The funniest thing
I ever saw.”

Hakim was laughing now too. A deep throated
laugh that echoed in the cool night air.

“Okay, my friend, now I know it’s you. Come
on in.”

* * *

“So, that’s what’s been going on,” Hakim
muttered at length, when the two queen’s officers had finished
speaking.

The five of them were seated round the table
in the main room of the cottage. The small solar lamp at its centre
cast their five shadows large upon the walls.

“
They’ve been here, of course, about a
dozen of them,” Hakim was saying. “Megran troopers, I mean. Took my
rifle. Gave me a piece of paper for it. Told me I could have it
back after it was inspected, whatever that means.” He glanced
sideways at Lars. “Yeah, I couldn’t have fired on you even if I’d
wanted.” He scratched his curly black head. “They nosed round for a
bit. Helped themselves to some of my chickens, stole all my eggs.
Even took a bottle of wine I’d been saving for a special
occasion…”

“
Then they frightened the life out of my
stock with the way they took off on those horses – motors
screaming, dust and dirt flying, not bothering to use the gate or
the road, just going straight over the fences and across my fields,
flattening everything. One didn’t even bother to jump the fence,
just fired his cannon and blew a hole to ride through. The bugger
even had the nerve to turn and wave.”

Hakim shook his head. “I didn’t try to stop
them. I figured they were just waiting for an excuse to do me
proper.”

Lars gave a nod. “I know,” he murmured.

Hakim sat up and slapped his palms on the
table. “Right! What can I do to help?”

“We need an army…” Caroline began.

“An army of farmers equipped with rock
ploughs, to rescue the hostages,” the lieutenant finished for
her.

“Rock ploughs?” Hakim’s face took on a
puzzled look.

Lars grinned. “Yeah, rock ploughs,” he said,
“They’re our latest weapon.”

“And there’s not much time to do it,” the
captain added. He checked the universal device on his wrist to
calculate the time left. He switched the timepiece mode to
relativity. They had already lost two Earth days in travel.

“
From tomorrow, when the suns rise,” he
went on, “we’ll have just two Trion days left. We have to ensure
our attack coincides with the resistance forces on Lumai and the
other planets. Sixty Earth hours, that’s all the time we’ve
got.”

Hakim rubbed his stubbly jaw and grimaced.
“It’s not enough time,” he muttered. “Not enough time at all.”

The lieutenant gave a stiff smile. “It has
to be,” she said. “And we have but the one shot at it. Twelve hours
after
our
battle
commences, two battalions of the queen’s forces will arrive to
assist. But the success or failure of the venture depends on us. If
we
fail
to rescue
the hostages, if we
fail
to hold the Megran troopers in check, then the battle for
Trion will be lost.” She looked steadily at the others. “And
perhaps the war against Ferdinand as well…”

* * *

Commander Usha Sinha sank her head in the
pillow and closed her eyes. It had been a long day. She had left
her first officer in charge and retired to her cabin. An hour’s
rest, she had told him
,
just an hour.

She had put the
Daring
and the other five ships of her
fleet – the cruisers
Indefatigable
,
Invincible
, and
Lionheart,
and the corvettes,
Valiant
and
Courageous
through their paces; attack
formations, rapid fire, and the other battle drills and
disciplines. As a new commander, she had wanted to show her
captains and crews she meant business – that only their best was
even half-way good enough. She had worn her crews out. However, it
had been just as tiring on her, as well.

The intercom blinked and her first officer’s
voice shattered her quiet.

“Commander? Admiral Arlos calling, ma’am.
Shall I patch him through to you?”

“Yes, thank you, Number One, I’ll take it
here.”

“Usha?” The admiral’s white haired head
materialised on the screen.

“Yes Admiral?” She sat up at her desk and
switched her side of the intercom on.

“
Ah, there you are.” The admiral gave a
brief smile. “And how is the
Daring
and its little flotilla doing? Are they
getting used to their new commander?”

Yes Admiral, thank you, we’re doing
fine.”

“Good, good, I’m happy to hear that.” He
paused and studied her face for a moment. “You look tired,
Usha.”

“Oh, it’s nothing, Admiral.” She gave a flat
smile. “Just the usual space tiredness. We’ve been going through
our various disciplines, building up speed and accuracy with our
gunnery.”

The admiral nodded. “Good. Your captains will
take a little time to get used to their new commander. Michael
O’Connor, the man you replaced, was a good officer. It takes time
for men to transfer their loyalties.”

“
And he was a
man
,” Usha murmured before she realised she
had spoken.

“
Yes,” the admiral concurred. “He was a man
– a man who made it no further than commander. You, Usha, will make
admiral before your time is done. You are the best I have ever
seen…

“
Commander Sinha!” he said abruptly, the
tone of his voice suddenly official. “There is an important reason
for my call.”

He hesitated, and she saw his brow crease,
thinking carefully how to phrase his next words. Then he
straightened his back and adjusted the collar and front of his red
jacket.

“Commander, I’m afraid there is no easy way
to tell you this.”

The pleasantries were over. His next words
would be official.

He cleared his throat. “Commander, I have
to tell you our queen is now at war with Megran.
We
are at war with Megran. An
attack could come at any time.” Usha’s heart froze. She held her
breath.

“
You and your six ships are our front
line,” the admiral continued. “All we have between them and us. We
need time, time to prepare. Give us the time we need, Usha. Give us
the time.”

He paused, his eyes searching hers. Usha
stared back, her mind in a turmoil; her children… her husband…

When the admiral did speak again, his voice
had softened to an avuncular tone.

“Good luck, m’dear. I know you will do your
duty.” He gave a thin smile. “And may we see you again soon, safe
on Mother Earth.”

The screen went blank. Usha stared at her own
reflection in the space where the admiral’s face had been. Her
shoulders drooped and the strength ebbed out of her. Tears pricked
her eyes, but she did not give into them.

For one long moment, Usha allowed the
weakness. Then she sat up straight and pushed back her shoulders.
She tugged the line of her jacket straight. Then she took a deep
breath and gathered her composure. She was
Commander
Sinha and worlds depended on
her.

She turned on the camera for the
Daring’s
address system,
and hit the switch for the ‘all ships’ channel. Her head and
shoulders appeared on the monitor above her.

She steeled her gaze. “All ships… all
ships… this is Commander Sinha of the
Daring.
I have just received an
important announcement from the admiralty.” She was surprised how
calm her own voice sounded.

“I have to tell you…” She hesitated, but
could think of no easy way to say it. “I have to tell you… from
this moment we are at war with Megran…”

She took another breath. Her hands clenched;
her knuckles whitened.

“Our six ships are all that stand between the
enemy fleet and our mother, Earth…”

She paused and allowed the bridge clock to
tick off a full five seconds. Then she added.

“The queen expects you to do your duty…”

Ploughs into swords
•
HMS ‘Daring’
•
The Battleship

“Right, let’s see what we’ve got.” Captain
Johan De Vries said.