The Fight for Peace (27 page)

Chapter 30

CADET CORIANNE HEYLOR

ASSAULT ON CRYSTAL CITY

Bullets fractured the darkness before Cori settled her platoon’s transporter into place. Emery worked the guns, cursing that he couldn’t tell what he was shooting at. Beyond the darkness glowed a city impossibly beautiful with its illuminated glass. Corianne’s biggest problem was keeping her attention on the controls and not staring at Crystal City.

The lights on the dash of the transport turned green. Cori set it down as gently as she could, although the heavy beast thunked on something high, listing the entire machine.

“Sorry!” she called, straightening the transport and easing it down again, this time with thrusters and landing gear on auto. This time they stayed level.

“Out, out, out,” Pyotr yelled, opening the side door and shooting into the darkness.

The transport had been packed, holding at least three platoons, on the flight from a cold and desolate workcamp three hours outside of Crystal City. They’d holed up there for a few hours, catching a little sleep until orders came to move out. Pyotr had been quiet, looking out at the camp where bare ground between snowdrifts hinted at the coming spring.

“You were here before?” Cori had asked.

Pyotr kicked the ground. “Yeah, with Derrick. They kept the workers in the long building there. Kept them locked in like prisoners and no one I met in Crystal City cared one damn about it.” At that he’d turned and walked inside the transport.

Now all of the soldiers spilled out, leaving only Cori in the cockpit, and Liisa at the controls for the shield. Emery even abandoned his station at the transport weapons control for what they were about to do, there wouldn’t be power to run their systems. Cori pulled herself free of the webbing on the pilot chair and hurried to Liisa’s side, walkie in tow. Outside the night flashed with artillery fire, the sound like a storm of bullets that offered death.

“Are we in the right place?” Liisa asked, voice unsteady.

“According to the computer. I can’t see a thing out there,” Cori answered, flipping on the walkie to report they were in position and ready to deploy the shield.

“But the GPS doesn’t work,” Liisa muttered. “How?”

“The techs programmed it in based on aerials. We’re there. We’re fine.”

They didn’t sound fine. Bullets smacked against the transport’s sides. A scream of pain cut off in mid yell. Glancing up, Cori caught Pyotr stopped in the doorway. Their eyes met as he hit the control. The door slid closed between them before she could say anything. She choked on her desire to sob as the last transport plane radioed in.

“Deploy the shields on my mark,” Lieutenant Eldridge said over the walkie.

Cori ignored the tinking of bullets as she listened to the countdown, holding her breath when Derrick hit three. Liisa flipped on the shields as Cori revved the engines to power the expanding field. The motor’s whining drowned out the battle, but that didn’t make her feel better.

“That doesn’t sound right,” Liisa said, hand hovering over the shield controls. “I don’t think the engines can handle it.”

“Hold,” Captain Vries yelled over the walkie, halting the doubtful comfort Cori meant to convey. “Transport nine adjust two hundred feet south. Transport fourteen relocate three hundred feet to the west.”

“Not us,” Cori said when Liisa glanced at her.

Which was good. It meant not only had she arrived at her location, she didn’t need to leave the rest of her platoon outside fighting. How torn the two other pilots must feel ripped through her, mixing with dozens of writhing fears, hopes, and worries.

“Increase power again,” Lieutenant Eldridge clipped.

Cori let out a shaky breath at the tension in Derrick’s voice. She whispered pleading sweetness to her plane and the shield as she pushed the engine’s power higher. The hull vibrated under her feet, rattling up the sides. A minute passed. Nothing exploded, but nothing improved. The transport felt like it would shake itself to death at about the same moment the engine flew apart from the roaring strain.

“Something’s not right,” Cori admitted, agreeing finally with Liisa.

She stepped away, hitting the button to slide open the plating covering an overhead window. It didn’t budge. All of the power was diverted into the shields. Cursing every word she could think of, Cori wedged her fingers on the tiny lip and forced it open.

Over their heads an aura of light stretched upwards, snapping with unstable arcs. High overhead where it curved toward the city, it pulsed, stretching upwards and falling back. But not completing the dome of a full shield.

“We need more power,” Cori whispered, wondering what would happen to them if the shield failed suddenly. Worse, what would happen to the soldiers outside of the transport?

“We don’t have any more power. All of the transport planes are already being used,” Liisa said, voice cracking. “It isn’t like the FLF will give us any from the city.”

“Not transports,” Cori said, having the thought at the same time she saw the lights of a dactyl drop toward them. “Quick, get the cables for hooking this thing to a dactyl.”

A light streaked down on the far side toward a transport opposite hers. There were two transports designated as gateways and Cori was standing in one of them. Of course Captain Vries and Lieutenant Eldridge would choose to go to those two.

Liisa wrestled the cables free as Cori hit the button, and then shoved open the stuck rear door. A dactyl landed a foot away, blasting wind into the transport interior.

“Go plug the other end into the generator and make sure everything is set to intake power, not send out,” Cori ordered Liisa as she took the opposite end and ran toward the opening hatch of the dactyl.

Derrick stood there, nearly unrecognizable in his military uniform. “Good job, Cadet,” he said, taking the cables from Cori.

She handed them off, knowing he didn’t know her but that wasn’t important. Actually it was a benefit. She didn’t relish the idea of seeing the thought she’d had an affair with his father cross his face. Instead, Cori ran down the ramp to make certain Liisa was ready for what they were about to do.

“Ready,” Lieutenent Eldridge said over the walkie.

“Shit. Just go,” Captain Vries said. “It is starting to fail at the top.”

Over her head, the edge of the glowing shield was falling, snapping and writhing as it hurtled toward the ground. Derrick throttled his dactyl to full power. The machine bucked under the load it pushed to the transport, which in turn flickered every relay and light. But the systems kicked back on.

Looking like it was only fifty feet over their heads, the shield’s descent slowed and stabilized. It even inched upwards.

“Adding power now,” Captain Vries said. “Everyone else, give it all you have.”

This time the shield slid upwards like it had during the training sessions. Maybe not as fast as, but it didn’t slow so much that she thought it would collapse. This time Cori knew it would work. The moment the dome closed high overhead, the engine strain died, replaced by a deeper thrumming.

“We did it,” she whispered.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Liisa said.

“Later. I think we need to help our platoon.” Cori turned and grabbed guns, handing Liisa hers. Beyond Liisa, Lieutenant Eldridge walked the short distance to their transport.

“Go ahead, I’ll unhook and sort things out here,” he ordered. “Help your mates.”

Cori didn’t need to be told twice. At least this time there was power to the door when she banged it to open.

Outside, the shooting had lulled. Considering the glowing barrier that arced around and above the city, Cori could imagine that a brief moment of wondering what the hell had just happened made sense. It certainly helped her and Liisa make the run to the closest cover. With relief, Cori found the Guard soldiers nearest the transport was her platoon, and that everyone was still there.

“We had to keep you protected, babe,” Tony said as Liisa dropped beside him.

Iva rolled her eyes. “Had nothing to do with the fact you were generating the shield that our mission is supposed to protect. Nope, it was just because you were both in there.”

Pyotr chuckled, a warm glance falling on Cori before he returned his gaze to Crystal City. Kneeling beside him, Cori leaned against his leg.

“How bad was it out here? It sounded horrible,” she asked.

“We were mostly staying low and shooting back,” Pyotr answered. “I think it was too early for an organized assault. Whatever was going on with the shield looked a lot worse than what we were up against.”

“Not enough power,” Liisa answered. “We had to hook in the dactyls.”

“Wait. No one is on patrol above us?” Emery asked, sitting up. A bullet whistled over his head.

Jess grabbed his flak jacket and hauled him down. “Idiot. We are in the shield. No one would be on patrol above us anyway.”

“That is a good point.”

Cori swung around to find she was pointing her rifle at Lieutenant Eldridge. She nearly dropped it in her attempt to lower the muzzle as fast as possible.

“Sorry, sir.” She wasn’t the only one meekly saying it, which made her feel slightly better.

Derrick snorted. “Good thing I’m not the FLF.”

“There are Guard stationed on the outside of the shield too, sir,” Pyotr replied. He would be the one to feel natural enough to speak to Derrick almost as an equal.

“Good thing the FLF didn’t get through them and sneak up on you then,” Derrick answered, look pointed.

“Simmons, Iva, watch our backs,” Pyotr ordered.

This time Derrick chuckled. He leaned on a knee, gaze following the same line as Pyotr’s toward Crystal City.

“The military base and school are both inside the shield,” Pyotr said to Derrick. “Most of our fighting is going to be in here.”

“I know. They did some initial testing of our forces. They are organizing now. There I agree with you. Once the orders are given, all hell will break loose in here.”

Cori shifted so she could wipe her palm on her pant leg. Pyotr glanced down at her, but said nothing. The lights of Crystal City outshone the moon as if every light had been turned on to spite the siege on the city. It gave enough illumination for Cori to see the nervous faces of her platoon mates while casting the rocks, trees, and snowdrifts in stark relief.

“Why are all the lights on, sir?” Tony asked, squinting toward the glowing towers.

“Because we are looking into the light. They’ll be looking at us in the dark. Gives them the advantage,” Derrick answered, tone matter-of-fact. Cori doubted she’d ever be so blasé about fighting. At least part of her hoped not. She really wanted the war over with this operation.

“Power comes from the hydro plant. We could take it out?” Pyotr asked.

Derrick’s answer consisted of a frown for a minute. “It will be well defended,” he finally replied. “We should have taken it out with a dactyl before we put up the shield. Now it isn’t worth pulling soldiers off defense to try for it. Unless ...” Derrick’s calculating gaze fell on Pyotr.

Pyotr swallowed before answering. “Sir?”

“The FLF is getting organized and figuring out what the shield is. We have a brief window,” Derrick said. “What about some of the other youth you hung out with? Do you think they are as disaffected as they pretended to be?”

“Enough to fight against their families? I’m not sure. But,” Pyotr gave Derrick a smile. “I know the maid and cook who worked for the Novikoviches would happily shoot them. I know where they live along with the other workers.”

“We’ll take your platoon. Five minutes,” Derrick said, clasping Pyotr on the shoulder. He stepped away from their position, pulling out a walkie. “Captain, we have a bit of a plan that might help.”

“I was wondering why I hadn’t seen your dactyl in the air,” Captain Vries answered.

“I’m used to ground fighting more than air, and it is going to get hectic in here pretty quick,” Derrick answered. “But we were thinking of asking some of the workers in the city to voluntarily switch sides and help us out.”

The walkie hissed static. “An hour,” Captain Vries finally said, “and keep me up to date with reports.”

The tension in Captain Vries’ voice made Cori think the decision had been a difficult one for many reasons. That Derrick held the walkie to his lips, but didn’t respond spoke of problems and fears that she didn’t really want to know.

“Yes, sir,” Derrick finally answered. “We need to get going,” he said to Pyotr as he picked up his gun. 

One platoon sneaking along the edge of Crystal City sounded crazy to Cori, but she trusted what she’d heard of Derrick’s service. He’d survived enough she’d follow him into battle. Including this one. Especially if Pyotr said it would help.

Staying low and spreading out, the platoon slipped into the silent darkness that lay between the transports and Crystal City. It felt like they negotiated a no man’s land rife with barely imagined dangers.

Pyotr led them around the city, skirting the light. Finally, he aimed for a section with low buildings pierced by small windows rather than sides of glass. Before they were within a few hundred yards, Cori smelled something she recognized.