Taming a Planet (Trapped in Time Book 2) (34 page)

They arrived at the top of the cliff and pulled up heavy ropes that they anchored to the top. Soon they had hundreds of ropes anchored and hundreds more were being pulled up. The next wave of boats began leaving the ships and warriors arrived and scampered up the ropes. Andy looked at Mark and he tilted his head; these men were in great shape and were well trained. Andy looked below and saw a boat coming toward the ship that had something in it with large wide wheels. Andy pointed below and Mark flew with him to take a look.

Some kind of large device was mounted on a swivel in the middle of the wheels. The boat arrived on shore and fifty warriors rushed out in the surf and lifted the strange device out of the boat and carried it to the beach. They put it down and it rolled easily over the sand to the cliff wall.

The warriors attached ropes to it and a large group of warriors on top of the wall began pulling it up. The device actually rolled up the wall as they heaved against the ropes. Once the thing was on top of the cliff and set up, a warrior on top of the cliff launched a rocket. It created a huge explosion high overhead and then the boats began coming from the fleet in staggering numbers. The men on top of the cliff were still anchoring ropes to the top and Andy estimated they had close to eight hundred hanging down the cliff. Suddenly, Andy heard a loud shuddering sound and looked back at the cliff top.

The wheeled device was blowing smoke out and the trees two hundred yards from the cliff were exploding. Many of then blew apart and others simply collapse and fell to the ground. Only the giant trees remained standing but many of their branches were blown off. This was the gun Zeck spoke about. He saw that the strange weapon blew the forest apart a hundred yards to either side of the Destroyer landing. He saw Mark wave out of the corner of his eye and turned to see him pointing below. He looked down and saw four more of the wheeled devices being brought to shore. They came prepared. He worried that his plan was in jeopardy. He looked at Mark and pointed back toward the Community. Mark nodded and used the updraft to circle higher and then turned north.

The landing operations went on all night. The four wheeled devices were pulled up and three of them were lowered to the land side of the cliff. They were moved out and took positions between the forest and the cliff wall. Then the warriors began repelling down the wall and forming up into their units. At random times the four wheeled guns would open fire on the forest and one of them would fire up the clearing north of them. It appeared they were taking no chances of being attacked by invisible enemies. He continued to circle through the night and knew he would have his answer in the morning. He could not act until he knew.

• • •

The Warrior Commander was angry. The landing had taken much longer than he anticipated. More than two thirds of his forces had gotten over the cliff before midnight and had an opportunity to rest. The others had to be exhausted. But he couldn’t delay and allow this enemy time to organize. He had more than twenty thousand warriors on the sand and four heavy spitters. He called the commanders of the four heavy guns together at daybreak and said, “You’re clear on your orders.”

One Commander said, “We will spray everything on the sides of our formations as we advance north.”

“That’s exactly right. We’ve brought enough ammunition to keep you supplied. If anything gets through your barrages you will be punished. Now move your guns and start firing. We’re moving out.”

The Spitters began firing at the forest and up the beach. The warriors pulling them move forward at a fast pace. They were relieved every hundred yards by new warriors to pull the guns. Suddenly, the Spitter to the right front of the advancing formation turned the barrel toward the cliff wall and opened fire. The Warrior Commander looked on in horror as fifty of his troops fell to the sand with wounds from bullets that ricocheted off the stone cliff. All twenty thousand warriors hit the sand.

The Commander ran screaming at the Spitter Commander yelling for him to cease fire but he couldn’t hear over the roar of the gun. He arrived at the shooter and slammed his rifle butt into his head, killing him. The Commander screamed, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!”

The Spitter Commander stuttered, “You told us to shoot on all sides!”

The Commander lifted his rifle and shot the Commander in the head. The other Spitter Crews saw the Commander’s rage and they cringed, expecting him to shoot them as well. “Are you clowns that stupid!”

One of the shooters said, “They could be hanging from ropes off the cliff.”

“Then shoot just below the top edge and cut the ropes. If we hear anything fall and hit the ground we’ll shoot at the noise.”

The Spitter Shooter said, “Yes, Sire. Shoot at the top.”

“Everyone on your feet and get moving!” The huge formations stood and prepared to march behind the guns. The Commander looked at the shooter closest to the wall and pointed ahead of the formation, “Shoot at the top about twenty yards ahead of us. That way any ricochets will go away from us!”

“Yes, Sire.”

• • •

Andy watched the exchange and saw the strange gun closest to the cliff start firing at the top as it advanced. He had seen enough. He flew back along the Destroyer formations and estimated it was about five hundred yards long. It filled the space from just inside the cliff wall to the tree line. He caught an up draft off the cliff and flew out over the trees. He could hear the roars of dinosaurs being hit by the heavy bullets fired into the trees and his eyes narrowed. Animals that were no danger to them were being massacred. He flew back north and saw the warriors waiting on the sand outside the south wall. He dove and landed where Maxius and Mark were standing, “They’re eight miles away and moving about five miles an hour. The plan is a go and we’ll not go in the trees. Stay at least ninety feet below the top of the cliff. Their formation is about five hundred yards long.”

Maxius and Mark went to their team leaders and began shouting instructions. Thousands of archers began running up the beach. Andy watched and hoped he was right.

• • •

The Destroyer forces covered five miles and he saw three scouts he had sent ahead running back toward him. He raised his hand and the huge formations called a halt. He could hear the order being relay back and it brought him pride to see his troops respond so quickly. The scouts rushed up and said, “There are thousands of Dinosaur tracks in the sand ahead of us and there is a wall running from the cliff to the tree line and beyond.”

“How long is it?”

“At least three miles.” The Commander now knew where the missing cliff was located. The Scout caught his breath and said, “We’ll have to cross the river to go to the end of it.”

The Commander didn’t like that. He knew from experience that rivers were extremely dangerous. Some of the creatures were giants and could take you in a second. “How tall is the wall?”

“About thirty feet.”

The Commander turned and looked at his second in command, “Did you bring the climbing gear?”

“Yes, Sire.”

The Commander thought furiously and then said, “We will keep the wall clear with the Spitters while our climbers go over the top. Be prepared to throw hand bombs over it if necessary. Have the climbers report to the front of the formation.” He turned to the Scout, “Did you see any human tracks?”

“There were some, Sire.”

“How many?”

“Not many and they were scattered around in different places.”

• • •

Andy watched the Commander talking to his scouts and thanked Melody for her wisdom. She and the women had taken the Cursors out of the pen and ran them back and forth on the clearing. This Commander was dangerous. He pulled his blaster and if he moved to the front right gun, he was going to shoot him.

• • •

Something was tugging in the back of the Commander’s mind but he couldn’t pull it out. He started to go to the Spitter Crews but the Climbers arrived and he had to reassure them that they would be covered when they made the climb.

His second ordered the formation forward and they marched by him as he issued instructions to the climbers. He heard the Spitters firing and the trees, the cliff top and the clearing in front of his troops were exploding. He decided to stay with the climbers. He might have to shoot a couple to get them to do their job. He walked along with them and saw one of them had climbing spikes on his belt. He shook his head; he had seen climbers hang from those spikes hundreds of feet in the air four hours earlier. A thought crashed into his consciousness and he knew what he had not been able to grasp. He ran forward through his formations toward the Spitters screaming for them to rake the cliff walls but they couldn’t hear him. Then, he saw the front of his formation hit by hundreds of red beams and the warriors exploded into an orange mist that blew toward the cliff before it suddenly shot into the sky. He saw a beam hit the warrior next to him and sweep toward him…then there was nothing.

• • •

Rory hung from his heavy cutter that he had stuck in the wall and turned off the blade. He had pushed a spike into the hold and the jagged edge bit. He pulled out the camo-swing from his pouch and hung it over the spike. The spike was grey and matched the color of the cliff. He hung there and looked at Tamara hanging next to him.

They hung there for an hour whispering their love to each other before they heard the approach of the Destroyer forces. The guns in front of them were loud and getting louder. The archers were spread out hanging on the high cliff wall. They were packed in close together. Rory had to wait until the majority of those in his section had climbed up. He was strong…but lifting his body weight a hundred feet was all he could do. They saw the clearing in front of them being torn apart by thousands of bullets and the trees were exploding. They waited and finally they saw the front of the formation approaching. Andy watched the progress of the Destroyers and when the rear of the formation passed the end of the archers on the wall, he whipped the glider into a tight circle.

Every archer had their eyes glued on Andy and when he made the tight circle, they pulled the triggers on their red blasters and swept them across the Destroyer formation. The large gliders that had left the attack on the ships flew along the tree line and fired down on the Destroyers furthest from the cliff. In a moment, an orange fog rolled and boiled over the clearing and then blew briefly toward the cliff before the hot air lifted it. It blew out over the trees toward the vast plain beyond. It settled to the ground and for the next five years, the Community’s crops were the best they had ever been.

Forty six archers were hit by bullets fired by the Destroyers at the source of the red beams. Thirty eight of them died from their wound. But twenty thousand Destroyers were gone. The Community would bury their dead with heavy heart but would later celebrate the victory.

• • •

Andy completed the turn and pushed the glider higher. He saw the large gliders had joined the archers and that the attack on the fleet was underway. He circled higher and dove at the top of the cliff and was jerked high into the sky by the hard wind blowing up the cliff. He soared over the ships and saw orange clouds blowing off the ships. The fight was still going on but he could tell by the boom of the rifles that it was quickly ending.

The Droppers arrived on the ships and swept the decks clear. Once they arrived at the stern of their target ship, the Fliers came soaring in on gliders and joined them in the fight. Two thousand Fliers and five hundred Droppers then fought their way below decks to take on the warriors still below. One warrior ignited the powder magazine and the fifteen fliers on board died with the ship. But by the end of the day, some of the Destroyers turned on the others and assisted the Fliers taking the ship.

Dottie and John had instructed the Droppers and Fliers that there was no reason to take prisoners. The Community had taken its first and last slave. The Fliers made sure the Destroyers were dead. It took two days from start to finish but the last warrior died trying to get to the powder magazine. He was shot by another Destroyer and the Fliers allowed him to live.

At the end of the day, a hundred and twelve Destroyer Warriors surrendered after assisting the Fliers and were welcomed into the Community.

• • •

Andy landed on top of the cliff and dropped his glider. Annelise ran over to him with fear in her eyes and Andy smiled, “Relax. Everything is under control.” Annelise blew out a breath and sat down. Andy put his hand on her shoulder, “Your crews were outstanding.”

“Thank you.”

“How long will it take for the fifty ships we captured to be ready to sail?” Annelise looked up at him with a furrowed brow. “I have a date with a certain Commandant and I don’t want to keep him waiting.”

“If you will allow some of my sailors to take command of those ships we just captured, I can have a hundred ready in about six days.”

“I want to leave in five.”

“Then seventy can be provisioned.”

“Isn’t there enough provisions on them now? The former occupants won’t be using them.”

“Yes, but I assume you will want to return.”

Andy tilted his head, “Touché, the words of the Master. Get them ready.” Annelise nodded and Andy picked up his glider. He leaped off cliff and soared toward the south wall. There was a beautiful blonde waiting on him there and he couldn’t allow her to worry any longer.

• • •

Harvey presided over the funerals and the Community wept for the ones killed in the fighting. He knew the losses were felt deeply but he allowed himself to stop fearing the future. The Celebration that started immediately afterward as the lives of those lost were celebrated and remembered with drums and dancing. He saw Andy talking with Annelise and knew the expedition was leaving in a few days…but he was not going to allow himself to fall back into depression over what lay ahead. You only had today and he was going to live in it and taste it to the fullest.

Zeck watched the funerals and celebration that followed and saw the heart of the people. The Destroyers burned those that died and treated the remains as trash. He looked at Ophelia standing with the woman named Lyla and she wasn’t smiling. If he could save her younger sister, he might see that smile one more time. It was worth dying to make that happen. He had little else to live for. His ribs were killing him but he would go with the ships. He would heal on the voyage…but first he had to get on a ship. He steeled himself to show no pain until he was on board. He saw Ophelia glance at him and raise her glass to him. She looked away and getting up from bed to attend tonight was now made worth the effort.