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Description
The mansion was surrounded by a handful of Sparkmen and nearly fifty converted Luddites. Leading this unnatural collection was Orent. At his side was Foln and Hysyth. Upon arrival it was Foln that called upon the Luddites inside to come out only to be seized by the trailing Sparkmen and converted in full view of the prisoners inside. Those screams weren’t going to be forgotten for any reason by anyone.

With eerie glowing blue eyes Orent glared at the front door from his spot fifty feet away. He had enough will left in him to indulge a grudge he held with one person in particular in the mansion. “Funa! I’m here for the priestesses. Don’t be the damn, dangerous fool you’ve shown to the world. Things will be made right again under my brother’s rule. Release them, and I promise the conversion of the others will be as painless as possible.”

“You’re the damn fool, Orent!” Premier Funa yelled back from an open window. “It’s your Luddites that invoked the Shield and resurrected an ancient evil. We will never submit, and your brother will be rightfully damned by the Gaia the All-Mother, just like the Despot.”

“Blasphamey! For that I will kill you in front of the others and then have them made into Sparkmen under great pain. Don’t count on those little crystals to keep us out. Soon one or more of the priestesses will waiver in their faith.”

“Let me be the one that kills him,” said Hysyth. “For corrupting our youth with radios I will rip his ears off.”

Orent ushered Hysyth back with an outstretched arm. “So, what will it be?” he demanded.

“If Hysyth’s arthritis is up to it, he can have my ears anytime,” taunted Funa.

“You contemptible corrupter! I’ll…” Hysyth was interrupted by the sounds of two windows being broken, quickly followed by two more. Looking about both he and Foln saw two figures running from behind a section of well-manicured bushes that surrounded the property. His crystal controlled brain noted the intense blue glow from the figures’ chests, showing that they were endowed females. He pointed at them like a dramatic prosecutor in court. “Men!” he yelled, “get those two priestesses!”

The converted Luddites nearest the intruders ran towards them only to inexplicably fall to the ground just yards away, hands clutching their faces in apparent pain. Breaking apart, the two figures went after clumps of Luddites. As they entered a certain range the men fell down to the ground like lifeless dolls. Foln saw who it was that was causing such havoc in his ranks. “Those aren’t priestesses! It’s a pair of space women! Men, shoot them!”

With weapons raised the Luddites couldn’t fire despite the compulsion of the crystal slivers in their eyes. They felt their will weaken as the women came closer even as the pain of denying the crystals grew until, like the others, they fell to the ground. The Sparkmen, however, were another story. While they couldn’t employ a rifle using them as improvised clubs was within their ability. Such was their compulsion these Sparkmen actually got within swinging range despite what had to be multiple crystals the women were carrying. For an observer it was like seeing children trying to swat down glowbugs right after sunset during early summer.

Distracted, Orent and his companions didn’t notice that Daytona and three other priestesses had rushed from the mansion and were now right behind them. The crystals in the holy women’s hands shown a strong blue, making the trio of men come about to face the source. A surge of pain filled Orent’s chest as the crystal that was implanted there began to heat up. Foln and Hysyth likewise felt like their eyes were on fire as the crystals in them reacted to the much larger ones carried by the priestesses. Nearby, Foln’s men covered their eyes and yelped in pain, fingernails cutting into their scalps in an effort to mitigate the torment they were feeling. They all collapsed with Orent being the last, for he had torn the crystal out from his chest and saw it blacken before he went unconscious.

Then something happened. Sparkman after Sparkman were taken out by the two space women. Once grappled the animated, ancient dead men were exposed to the full power of the crystals mere inches away. Unable to pull away their crystal eyes burned out and changed to a dark, murky color. Sensing this change the other Sparkmen ran away in the direction of the central pyramid but two more where knocked out as the space women threw a crystal each at the retreating forms, nailing them directly on the back of the heads.

Funa, flanked by Jeln and Nalt, came out of the mansion with the others, joining Daytona and seeing for themselves the scattered clumps of fallen Luddites and burned out Sparkmen. The two space women approached and were immediately identified. “Blessed Gaia, it’s Carson and Grazia,” said Funa. He embraced Carson’s forearms in greeting. “How did you get here? I’d imagine the area would’ve been covered by Luddite patrols.”

Even as the glow of the blue crystals she carried faded it was clear that Carson had been someplace both dusty and grimy for her uniform looked the worse for wear. “If there are any left, Premier. Sparkmen are out and about. We were trapped in the western pyramid. So, in the holding room both me and Grazia removed some of the flooring to access the restored Neo-Atlan sewer system. I knew about it from the tour I was given of Hadala…”

“Esty!” It was Jeln that broke into the conversation but more by lifting up the little woman, embracing and bending backwards and kissing her like a sax player in a prolong solo. He didn’t mind the dust and grim one bit. The crystals Esty carried, both in her pockets and cleavage, glowed intensely for a moment.

Jeln lowered Esty back down on the ground. “To let you know, Esty, I’ve been closing my eyes and imagining your chest quite a bit tonight.”

Esty felt herself succumbing to an urge and ran a finger over Jeln’s now dust-covered shirt. “After this is over you won’t need to imagine.”

Being a Marine, Emma took the initiative and embraced Nalt, her bosom also briefly glowing brightly from the remaining crystals she held in her cleavage. After a passionate kiss she waited for her man to catch his breath.

“It wasn’t like we were gone all that long,” Nalt said, relieved and quite happy.

“You looked like you needed it,” Emma admitted.

As much as he liked seeing the young couples express their affection like characters in an action romance novel Funa brought them back to the matter at hand. “What is the plan, Carson?”

The lieutenant quickly, but reluctantly, left Jeln’s embrace. “There’s a rescue force coming from Silvertown by air and should be here in two hours. We need access to a powerful radio to make contact with the planes to inform them of what’s happening here.”

“Can’t you contact your satellites with…” Funa tapped the side of his head with his right forefinger.

“They’ve been destroyed by the Shield, Premier. My wetware comm has a limited range when satellites are not involved. That’s why I and Emma will go to the radio station to contact the planes. We’ll also check on Omaha at the airfield and find out what progress has been made to clear the runway.”

Funa nodded. “The people in the dining hall have to be rescued as well.”

“Assuming they haven’t been converted like those poor devils.” Emma motioned with her arm over the fallen Luddites.

“They’re still alive,” said Daytona, kneeling on the ground and cradling the head of one young Luddite on her lap. “Whatever process was involved didn’t have enough time to make them full Sparkmen. We can’t leave them here to their fate.”

Esty looked around and saw that more and more Luddites, even Orent, Foln, and Hysyth, were showing signs of life. Though they had brought about the events leading up to this scene Esty couldn’t imagine any punishment would be worse than what had happen to them earlier. “Very well. Premier, I request that these Luddites and whoever you can spare be taken to the campgrounds two miles north of Hadala. It’s on the main road that leads to Woodshop, so any road-based transport from there can reach it. As for the rest half will go with some of the priestesses to the dining hall. Now that we have the crystals the Sparkmen will either flee or be destroyed and any recently converted person can be saved. Daytona and the rest will go to the north pyramid and wait while I’ll go with Emma to the radio station.”

“You’ll need someone to operate the radio for you, Miss Carson,” said Nalt. “Compared to your technology it’s downright primitive, and you might break it if you attempt to use it.”

“I’ll come along too,” added Jeln. “Time is critical. It’ll be faster to use a truck instead of sneaky around in ancient sewer tunnels.” He pointed to the open-bed truck the Luddites had appropriated from Hadala’s motor pool.

“You both have valid points. But we’ll need a crystal just in case.” Esty turned to Daytona. “Can you spare one of your crystals?”

“I will, Miss Carson, but you’ll take one of my priestesses along. She has the talent to fully utilize a crystal, so there won’t be any need to grapple breast to chest in order to destroy a Sparkman, much less cause one to run away.”

Unexpectedly the sound of crying came from the Luddite resting on Daytona’s lap. He held his hands over his eyes as his crying become downright sobbing. “I’m blind! Oh All-Mother I was so blind! Can you ever forgive me for being so willfully intolerant?” He was joined by other Luddites, crying more for what they had believed and brought into being than for the actual blindness they had. What surprised Esty and the others was that Orent, Foln and Hysyth were sobbing as well. For such men to realize what fools they’ve been was heartening, but if only had it happen earlier and without the crisis they brought down upon the world.

“Let’s go,” Emma said. “The radio isn’t going to work itself.

********

The tactical officer in the Stroud’s bridge forwarded new information to Captain Ichiba’s main repeater screen. “Pirate ship has changed course. It’s now on a direct heading for us. Speed is point zero five c. They’ll be in our 70% fire control solution in fifteen seconds.”

Ichiba looked appropriately grim as he read the screen. The Stroud could only manage half that speed, so if the Ching Shih still wanted to fight then it had to be accepted. “Tactical, use all available weapons against that ship. Helm, do whatever you can to keep us out of their frontal arc. Priority is to get fire onto that ship’s portside.” He heard the acknowledgements but his eye was on the Ching Shih’s icon. The huge ship looked appropriately scarred and pocked with hull breaches. As for the repair status of the spinal grazers it was unknown. Unlike particle weapons, grazers gave no indication that they were armed since the small nukes used to create the gamma radiation were housed in detonation containment chambers. Still, there was chance of a misfire, and in the time it took to reset a chamber a particle beam would have fired multiple times. In combat those that got in more punches that the other guy often wins.

Range closing and both ships twisting and turning the Stroud inflicted more hits than it took in reply from the Ching Shih. At a million kilometers range both ships were on parallel courses. The huge pirate ship reached out with a tractor beam. It connected to the navy ship, yet it didn’t attempt to pull it closer. Rotating on its axis, the Ching Shih showed its underside. It was a strange maneuver for the ship had more intact standard gazers on its starboard side. A particle beam raked the relatively untouched ventral armor. The reason for this maneuver became very clear.

“Inbound missiles! Point defense engaging!” yelled the ship’s defense systems officer. Ichiba’s ‘ware gave him the information directly, bypassing his eyes. The missiles used the tractor beam to greatly improve their fire control solutions, but in the same turn the Stroud’s point defense systems knew where they would be coming from. Even so some of the missiles got past. With almost no shields the nuclear or antimatter warheads in those missiles would’ve damaged the ship. Yet a handful of missiles exploded when their proximity fuses functioned, showering the Stroud’s starboard side instead with flechettes designed to kill fighters. As for the others they dramatically slowed as inertia-cancelling drives kicked in. So instead of slamming into the ship’s hull like rotten fruit these missiles impacted more like thorns into skin.

“Those weren’t missiles, Captain,” said the tactical officer. “They were of a new type of breaching pod. Five pods are imbedded in the hull. Each one has at least fifteen pirates.”

Ichiba hit the ship’s address system override on his console. “All hands, this is the Captain. We are being boarded by pirates. Take any measures necessary to kill them. There will be no prisoners taken. In two minutes all compartments except those designated by the security chief will be depressurized and countermeasures engaged. Be brave and stand your ground. Gaia’s citizens are still depending on us. That is all.”

“Captain,” said the bridge sensor tech, “the Ching Shih has disengaged its tractor beam and is moving off and engaged in erratic maneuvers.”

“Helm, pursue at best speed. Tactical, continue to engage until further notice.”

“Aye, aye. Sir, I have the impact sites on the main screen,” said Tactical. “One is at the starboard bow near the wrecked pair of missile launchers. Debris will slow their egress. Number two is at escape pod section beta. The third is at the starboard pinnace bay. Number four is one deck below Antimatter Power Plant Alpha.”

“We cannot allow them to shut it down or, heaven forbid, cause them to detonate that power plant. Inform Colonel Kosiba to send marines to secure both power plants.” Ichiba then remembered something. “Tactical, where did the fifth pod impact?”

“Amidships, on the same deck and section containing Damage Control Central.”

Ichiba snapped his fingers despite the shipsuit gloves he wore. “If they get control of that, they will be able to monitor which systems are critical to the functioning of the ship. The can direct their boarders with clear routes and selectively override security systems with the damage control subroutines. Have Kosiba send a platoon to Damage Control Central. Who’s in that compartment?”

“Just one officer. Ensign Proskel.”

Description
The mansion was surrounded by a handful of Sparkmen and nearly fifty converted Luddites. Leading this unnatural collection was Orent. At his side was Foln and Hysyth. Upon arrival it was Foln that called upon the Luddites inside to come out only to be seized by the trailing Sparkmen and converted in full view of the prisoners inside. Those screams weren’t going to be forgotten for any reason by anyone.

With eerie glowing blue eyes Orent glared at the front door from his spot fifty feet away. He had enough will left in him to indulge a grudge he held with one person in particular in the mansion. “Funa! I’m here for the priestesses. Don’t be the damn, dangerous fool you’ve shown to the world. Things will be made right again under my brother’s rule. Release them, and I promise the conversion of the others will be as painless as possible.”

“You’re the damn fool, Orent!” Premier Funa yelled back from an open window. “It’s your Luddites that invoked the Shield and resurrected an ancient evil. We will never submit, and your brother will be rightfully damned by the Gaia the All-Mother, just like the Despot.”

“Blasphamey! For that I will kill you in front of the others and then have them made into Sparkmen under great pain. Don’t count on those little crystals to keep us out. Soon one or more of the priestesses will waiver in their faith.”

“Let me be the one that kills him,” said Hysyth. “For corrupting our youth with radios I will rip his ears off.”

Orent ushered Hysyth back with an outstretched arm. “So, what will it be?” he demanded.

“If Hysyth’s arthritis is up to it, he can have my ears anytime,” taunted Funa.

“You contemptible corrupter! I’ll…” Hysyth was interrupted by the sounds of two windows being broken, quickly followed by two more. Looking about both he and Foln saw two figures running from behind a section of well-manicured bushes that surrounded the property. His crystal controlled brain noted the intense blue glow from the figures’ chests, showing that they were endowed females. He pointed at them like a dramatic prosecutor in court. “Men!” he yelled, “get those two priestesses!”

The converted Luddites nearest the intruders ran towards them only to inexplicably fall to the ground just yards away, hands clutching their faces in apparent pain. Breaking apart, the two figures went after clumps of Luddites. As they entered a certain range the men fell down to the ground like lifeless dolls. Foln saw who it was that was causing such havoc in his ranks. “Those aren’t priestesses! It’s a pair of space women! Men, shoot them!”

With weapons raised the Luddites couldn’t fire despite the compulsion of the crystal slivers in their eyes. They felt their will weaken as the women came closer even as the pain of denying the crystals grew until, like the others, they fell to the ground. The Sparkmen, however, were another story. While they couldn’t employ a rifle using them as improvised clubs was within their ability. Such was their compulsion these Sparkmen actually got within swinging range despite what had to be multiple crystals the women were carrying. For an observer it was like seeing children trying to swat down glowbugs right after sunset during early summer.

Distracted, Orent and his companions didn’t notice that Daytona and three other priestesses had rushed from the mansion and were now right behind them. The crystals in the holy women’s hands shown a strong blue, making the trio of men come about to face the source. A surge of pain filled Orent’s chest as the crystal that was implanted there began to heat up. Foln and Hysyth likewise felt like their eyes were on fire as the crystals in them reacted to the much larger ones carried by the priestesses. Nearby, Foln’s men covered their eyes and yelped in pain, fingernails cutting into their scalps in an effort to mitigate the torment they were feeling. They all collapsed with Orent being the last, for he had torn the crystal out from his chest and saw it blacken before he went unconscious.

Then something happened. Sparkman after Sparkman were taken out by the two space women. Once grappled the animated, ancient dead men were exposed to the full power of the crystals mere inches away. Unable to pull away their crystal eyes burned out and changed to a dark, murky color. Sensing this change the other Sparkmen ran away in the direction of the central pyramid but two more where knocked out as the space women threw a crystal each at the retreating forms, nailing them directly on the back of the heads.

Funa, flanked by Jeln and Nalt, came out of the mansion with the others, joining Daytona and seeing for themselves the scattered clumps of fallen Luddites and burned out Sparkmen. The two space women approached and were immediately identified. “Blessed Gaia, it’s Carson and Grazia,” said Funa. He embraced Carson’s forearms in greeting. “How did you get here? I’d imagine the area would’ve been covered by Luddite patrols.”

Even as the glow of the blue crystals she carried faded it was clear that Carson had been someplace both dusty and grimy for her uniform looked the worse for wear. “If there are any left, Premier. Sparkmen are out and about. We were trapped in the western pyramid. So, in the holding room both me and Grazia removed some of the flooring to access the restored Neo-Atlan sewer system. I knew about it from the tour I was given of Hadala…”

“Esty!” It was Jeln that broke into the conversation but more by lifting up the little woman, embracing and bending backwards and kissing her like a sax player in a prolong solo. He didn’t mind the dust and grim one bit. The crystals Esty carried, both in her pockets and cleavage, glowed intensely for a moment.

Jeln lowered Esty back down on the ground. “To let you know, Esty, I’ve been closing my eyes and imagining your chest quite a bit tonight.”

Esty felt herself succumbing to an urge and ran a finger over Jeln’s now dust-covered shirt. “After this is over you won’t need to imagine.”

Being a Marine, Emma took the initiative and embraced Nalt, her bosom also briefly glowing brightly from the remaining crystals she held in her cleavage. After a passionate kiss she waited for her man to catch his breath.

“It wasn’t like we were gone all that long,” Nalt said, relieved and quite happy.

“You looked like you needed it,” Emma admitted.

As much as he liked seeing the young couples express their affection like characters in an action romance novel Funa brought them back to the matter at hand. “What is the plan, Carson?”

The lieutenant quickly, but reluctantly, left Jeln’s embrace. “There’s a rescue force coming from Silvertown by air and should be here in two hours. We need access to a powerful radio to make contact with the planes to inform them of what’s happening here.”

“Can’t you contact your satellites with…” Funa tapped the side of his head with his right forefinger.

“They’ve been destroyed by the Shield, Premier. My wetware comm has a limited range when satellites are not involved. That’s why I and Emma will go to the radio station to contact the planes. We’ll also check on Omaha at the airfield and find out what progress has been made to clear the runway.”

Funa nodded. “The people in the dining hall have to be rescued as well.”

“Assuming they haven’t been converted like those poor devils.” Emma motioned with her arm over the fallen Luddites.

“They’re still alive,” said Daytona, kneeling on the ground and cradling the head of one young Luddite on her lap. “Whatever process was involved didn’t have enough time to make them full Sparkmen. We can’t leave them here to their fate.”

Esty looked around and saw that more and more Luddites, even Orent, Foln, and Hysyth, were showing signs of life. Though they had brought about the events leading up to this scene Esty couldn’t imagine any punishment would be worse than what had happen to them earlier. “Very well. Premier, I request that these Luddites and whoever you can spare be taken to the campgrounds two miles north of Hadala. It’s on the main road that leads to Woodshop, so any road-based transport from there can reach it. As for the rest half will go with some of the priestesses to the dining hall. Now that we have the crystals the Sparkmen will either flee or be destroyed and any recently converted person can be saved. Daytona and the rest will go to the north pyramid and wait while I’ll go with Emma to the radio station.”

“You’ll need someone to operate the radio for you, Miss Carson,” said Nalt. “Compared to your technology it’s downright primitive, and you might break it if you attempt to use it.”

“I’ll come along too,” added Jeln. “Time is critical. It’ll be faster to use a truck instead of sneaky around in ancient sewer tunnels.” He pointed to the open-bed truck the Luddites had appropriated from Hadala’s motor pool.

“You both have valid points. But we’ll need a crystal just in case.” Esty turned to Daytona. “Can you spare one of your crystals?”

“I will, Miss Carson, but you’ll take one of my priestesses along. She has the talent to fully utilize a crystal, so there won’t be any need to grapple breast to chest in order to destroy a Sparkman, much less cause one to run away.”

Unexpectedly the sound of crying came from the Luddite resting on Daytona’s lap. He held his hands over his eyes as his crying become downright sobbing. “I’m blind! Oh All-Mother I was so blind! Can you ever forgive me for being so willfully intolerant?” He was joined by other Luddites, crying more for what they had believed and brought into being than for the actual blindness they had. What surprised Esty and the others was that Orent, Foln and Hysyth were sobbing as well. For such men to realize what fools they’ve been was heartening, but if only had it happen earlier and without the crisis they brought down upon the world.

“Let’s go,” Emma said. “The radio isn’t going to work itself.

********

The tactical officer in the Stroud’s bridge forwarded new information to Captain Ichiba’s main repeater screen. “Pirate ship has changed course. It’s now on a direct heading for us. Speed is point zero five c. They’ll be in our 70% fire control solution in fifteen seconds.”

Ichiba looked appropriately grim as he read the screen. The Stroud could only manage half that speed, so if the Ching Shih still wanted to fight then it had to be accepted. “Tactical, use all available weapons against that ship. Helm, do whatever you can to keep us out of their frontal arc. Priority is to get fire onto that ship’s portside.” He heard the acknowledgements but his eye was on the Ching Shih’s icon. The huge ship looked appropriately scarred and pocked with hull breaches. As for the repair status of the spinal grazers it was unknown. Unlike particle weapons, grazers gave no indication that they were armed since the small nukes used to create the gamma radiation were housed in detonation containment chambers. Still, there was chance of a misfire, and in the time it took to reset a chamber a particle beam would have fired multiple times. In combat those that got in more punches that the other guy often wins.

Range closing and both ships twisting and turning the Stroud inflicted more hits than it took in reply from the Ching Shih. At a million kilometers range both ships were on parallel courses. The huge pirate ship reached out with a tractor beam. It connected to the navy ship, yet it didn’t attempt to pull it closer. Rotating on its axis, the Ching Shih showed its underside. It was a strange maneuver for the ship had more intact standard gazers on its starboard side. A particle beam raked the relatively untouched ventral armor. The reason for this maneuver became very clear.

“Inbound missiles! Point defense engaging!” yelled the ship’s defense systems officer. Ichiba’s ‘ware gave him the information directly, bypassing his eyes. The missiles used the tractor beam to greatly improve their fire control solutions, but in the same turn the Stroud’s point defense systems knew where they would be coming from. Even so some of the missiles got past. With almost no shields the nuclear or antimatter warheads in those missiles would’ve damaged the ship. Yet a handful of missiles exploded when their proximity fuses functioned, showering the Stroud’s starboard side instead with flechettes designed to kill fighters. As for the others they dramatically slowed as inertia-cancelling drives kicked in. So instead of slamming into the ship’s hull like rotten fruit these missiles impacted more like thorns into skin.

“Those weren’t missiles, Captain,” said the tactical officer. “They were of a new type of breaching pod. Five pods are imbedded in the hull. Each one has at least fifteen pirates.”

Ichiba hit the ship’s address system override on his console. “All hands, this is the Captain. We are being boarded by pirates. Take any measures necessary to kill them. There will be no prisoners taken. In two minutes all compartments except those designated by the security chief will be depressurized and countermeasures engaged. Be brave and stand your ground. Gaia’s citizens are still depending on us. That is all.”

“Captain,” said the bridge sensor tech, “the Ching Shih has disengaged its tractor beam and is moving off and engaged in erratic maneuvers.”

“Helm, pursue at best speed. Tactical, continue to engage until further notice.”

“Aye, aye. Sir, I have the impact sites on the main screen,” said Tactical. “One is at the starboard bow near the wrecked pair of missile launchers. Debris will slow their egress. Number two is at escape pod section beta. The third is at the starboard pinnace bay. Number four is one deck below Antimatter Power Plant Alpha.”

“We cannot allow them to shut it down or, heaven forbid, cause them to detonate that power plant. Inform Colonel Kosiba to send marines to secure both power plants.” Ichiba then remembered something. “Tactical, where did the fifth pod impact?”

“Amidships, on the same deck and section containing Damage Control Central.”

Ichiba snapped his fingers despite the shipsuit gloves he wore. “If they get control of that, they will be able to monitor which systems are critical to the functioning of the ship. The can direct their boarders with clear routes and selectively override security systems with the damage control subroutines. Have Kosiba send a platoon to Damage Control Central. Who’s in that compartment?”

“Just one officer. Ensign Proskel.”