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"Warrior Souls"
Rating: PG-13 Reviews and comments needed! Thanks ;) Six Malcolm scowled down at the tactical map on the table in front of him. Scouts from the front had been reporting in all day, relaying information in bits and pieces. It was his task to put those pieces into a unified whole. He looked at the physical features of the land, the known positions of the Shadows and the location of their defenses. There were many differences from that planetary scan from the Enterprise, so long ago. Or was that “so far away in the future”? He ran a tired hand over his face; it was harder to keep himself separate from this world. At least some things are beginning to make sense, he thought. The river, in this time, was closer to them. In fact, the area where the archaeological team had found Hu'fase's tomb was currently covered with meters of river water, silt and mud. That was how the tomb had flooded so easily, when he and Trip had been swept to the past. Speaking of Trip...he glanced over his shoulder at Kan'nar, the Master Builder. That man bore a remarkable resemblance to Trip, if Trip had ever become a true redhead, and grown a couple of more inches. That put him at a height even with Captain Archer--Hu'fase, Malcolm reminded himself--and right now, both men were poring over a series of sketches. “I've never seen this design before,” Kan'nar was saying. “I can't even tell you what the Shadows might use this for. It doesn't seem to be a device for transport or a kind of catapult...” Hu'fase turned to the exhausted scout who stood in front of them. “You said that they have already built several of these...platforms?” “Yes, My Lord,” the scout murmured, his voice laden with exhaustion. “At least five...perhaps more. None of the scouts saw them used...they found us before we got a chance, but I think they were trying to get them in position as quickly as they could.” “Thank you, Scout. Get yourself some food and rest. We'll need your services again soon.” Hu'fase dismissed the scout, then beckoned Malcolm closer. “Dom'ni, take a look at this. Can you tell what this might be?” Malcolm nodded and moved next to Kan'nar. The Master Builder grinned at him and clapped him on the shoulder. “Glad to see you up and about, Weaponsmaster.” “You too.” Malcolm managed a smile, then glanced down at the hastily compiled sketches. The platforms were on rollers, with a slim, cylindrical attachment at the top, propped up at a strange angle. There was a set of concentric rings at the top of the cylinder, and another set at its base, and a rectangular box at the back of the platform. He recognized the shape. A missile launcher? The Shadows managed to invent a missile launcher? How? There's nothing I've seen that would have any indication they have any such technology...the implications made his head swim. That meant someone was interfering with the native Aronians, someone was trying to destroy their civilization. The question was, Who? Then he realized both Hu'fase and Kan'nar were waiting for his answer. Malcolm phrased it carefully. “My Lord, I believe...it's a kind of weapon. A free-standing catapult, so to speak. This projectile has the ability to destroy everything within a large area. Not even stone defenses can withstand it.” Hu'fase frowned and said, “It's just a simple cylinder, how can it destroy a large area of--” Kan'nar glanced up with a disturbed expression. “Remember those charges Dom'ni used on the Bridge, General?” “Yes...as I remember, that was a precise mixture of explosive elements, ones that only we possess.” “What if you pack that cylinder with those 'explosive elements', and throw it from a catapult-like device at your enemy? Wherever it landed--” Kan'nar mimed a huge “boom”. Hu'fase turned pale. He turned to Dom'ni and said in a quiet voice, “You assured me that no one else had it, that it was all up here--” he tapped the side of his forehead. Malcolm nodded as he drew upon memories not his own. “That I did. All I can say is that the Shadows are evidently quick learners.” “Or they had help.” Hu'fase's gaze at him was unnerving. “I would never betray you, My Lord. I would never betray my wife...or my unborn child.” Hu'fase's stare wavered for a moment, then he nodded briskly. “I believe you. Now...both of you, do you think we can duplicate these...free standing catapults and their deadly projectiles?” Kan'nar narrowed his eyes at the sketches and Malcolm could see the wheels turning in his head. Yes, he was so much like Trip. Give him a new toy to play with and we lose him. The Master Builder nodded slowly. “I think so, General. We have to start immediately; we don't know how soon the Shadows will use these.” “Then get your men together, Master Builder and begin. Dom'ni--” “My Lord, I wish to consult with you in private, please.” Again, Hu'fase gave him a penetrating look. “Very well. Go ahead, Kan'nar. We will follow shortly.” Kan'nar nodded and went out without a backward glance. Hu'fase turned to face Malcolm. “What's on your mind, Weaponsmaster?” Malcolm turned back to the sketches and tapped the base of the “projectile launcher” with his finger. “If Kan'nar is right, and these are filled with explosives, they're vulnerable. What if a single person attaches a charge here, then lights it? The whole thing would go up in flames, as well as anything around it.” The general thought about it, then a smile crept across his face. “Any way to make an explosion, eh, Dom'ni?” “Well...they wouldn't have any platforms to launch their weapons from, once they go 'boom'.” They both chuckled at the joke, then Hu'fase sobered. “It would deprive them of their advantage, but if you're anywhere in the area when it explodes, you're a dead man. Leen'da would flay me alive if you die--” “It would be an honorable death, then,” Malcolm said in a quiet tone. “My wife knows the risks of my position. She would understand...and at least I've left her a child to remember me by.” He winced inwardly at the brave words, but he pressed on. “And it could be the turning point of the war, one that will save our civilization.” Hu'fase sighed and turned away from him. Malcolm could see the tenseness in his shoulders, the silent shudder in the large frame. Strangely enough, Malcolm felt nothing but a calm peace. This was the turning point, he could feel it. No matter what happened to him, they would all be safe. That is, if he succeeded in what he needed to do. Finally, the general turned to look back at him. There was no sign of the moral struggle on his face, just a cool expression. “Very well, Weaponsmaster. Take whatever supplies and whoever you need. Go quickly...the sooner you destroy their weapons, the sooner this war can be ended.” “Yes, My Lord. Thank you.” Malcolm bowed to him and went past Hu'fase to leave the tent. Before he made it outside, Hu'fase put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. “No, it is I who should thank you, Dom'ni.” He hesitated, then asked, “What should I tell Leen'da?” “Tell her...tell her I love her and I'll see her...soon.” Hu'fase nodded, his eyes full of sorrow. “I'll do that.” Malcolm smiled and left the tent, his mind racing ahead to his mission, what he would need to do, what equipment he would need. At that moment, he was no longer Malcolm Reed, but Dom'ni the Weaponsmaster. Kan'nar the Master Builder kept himself busy with the construction of the weapons platforms. Hu'fase had come by to tell him about the Weaponsmaster's mission. The general didn't have to say it aloud: it was a suicide mission and Dom'ni was probably not coming back. Kan'nar ranted about how Dom'ni was trying to kill himself again and that he needed someone to go along to make sure “he doesn't get himself into trouble.” Hu'fase gave him a sad smile. “I need you here, Kan'nar. If he doesn't succeed, we need these inventions of yours as a last defense. You have your duty, Master Builder. The Weaponsmaster has his. There is no room for negotiation.” Those last six words echoed the seriousness of their plight. Kan'nar swallowed and replied, “I understand, My Lord, even though I don't like it much.” Hu'fase sighed; only Kan'nar could say that and get away with it. The Master Builder had known the general for years; he knew he could tell Hu'fase the truth and not be punished. “Neither do I, but it's all in the hands of the Gods now. I trust you and your men won't let us down.” “No, My Lord. I'll do my part.” And Kan'nar had pushed his men to their limits. At the edge of the hills, Dom'ni's men were mixing the explosives according to Dom'ni's specifications. For his part, Kan'nar hadn't seen the Weaponsmaster; he assumed Dom'ni was already on his way to wherever the Shadows were. He's always acting as if he has a death wish. Doesn't he want to see his child come to adulthood? Doesn't he want to live to an old age with Leen'da? Even as he thought it, he knew it wasn't possible. This war took so many lives; it was only luck they were all alive now, and if Dom'ni didn't succeed...Kan'nar sighed. At least Joh'leen would protect Leen'da to her last breath. The ground shuddered faintly under his feet. Kan'nar's head snapped up, but his men didn't seem to notice. He chalked it up to his overworked imagination and walked over to oversee their progress. |
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