. 03

Starlight Gleaming Ch. 21 Pt. 3

Summary

This partial chapter takes place the morning immediately following the end of Chapter 21.2.

Thanks to TerrytheTraveler and StoshB for lending a hand with catching errors. Any gaffs, typos, dropped words, usage errors, omissions, commissions, permissions, WTFs and OMGs are totally my fault. Enjoy!

* * * * *

Part 13 -- Mounting Casualties

* * * * *

It seemed I'd just closed my eyes when my phone rang. Disentangling my arm, I pulled it out.

Glancing at my watch, I saw that I'd actually managed to get half an hour of sleep. "Kandikan here."

"

Commander, please, we need help! We can't get them out and there's no air getting in!

" It was Mack.

Sitting up, I cleared my eyes. "Can't get who out?"

"

The bomb shelter. They're trapped in there with our babies. We've tried to get to them but some of the stuff is just too heavy. We need help!

"

"Have you called Dispatch for help?"

"

They have no one to spare, sir. It'll be at least an hour or more before anyone can come. The air system's stopped working. We don't think they have that long.

"

"Ranji?" Izel stirred, murmuring, "What's going on?"

"It's Mack and Akama," I told her. "Something's happened at their home. I'll deal with it. Go back to sleep." I shifted the focus back to Mack, carefully disentangling myself and sitting up. Ran my hand through my hair to try and wake up. "All right. I'll be there as soon as I can. Hang on."

"

Thank you, sir! Thank you!

"

Rubbing my eyes, I pushed myself to my feet, then grabbed my trousers and stepped into them.

Izel got up with me.

"What are you doing?" I asked. Sitting down, I put my socks and shoes on, then stood.

"Husband, this is a disaster. You need everyone available. I don't know what I can do, but I want to help." Izel replaced the sleeping shorts with a pair of loose exercise pants and found a fresh tee-shirt to wear. Reaching into the large handbag she'd brought back with her, she pulled out new socks and deck shoes.

I glanced at my new wife. "It might take a while and it's likely to be dirty work."

"I'm the wife of an Air Service commander. It's being made to feel dirty inside that I dislike, Ranji, not the sweat and dirt of honest labor. Cholan is still out there working, helping restore communications. Your other women have had a year to get to know you. I have a lot of ground to catch up on."

Frowning, I said, "It's not a contest, Izel. Each of you has your own place in my heart, and rest assured, there's room for all of you."

"There, you did it again! That is why I'm going with you. I need to know more about this man who makes me feel full of love and hope."

I smiled. "All right."

Zinja raised her head. "Commander? What's going on?"

Kneeling down, I kissed her temple. "I'm going to where Mack and Akama live. Their emergency shelter is blocked and the vents have stopped working. Izel's coming with me. Stay here and take care of everyone, especially your officer. She's in pain and needs help. With everything in chaos, there may be looters so don't leave alone or without a weapon. There are security troopers topside, but if you need anything, give me a call. I'm leaving the rifles here. The shotgun's over there."

"All right. Stay safe, Commander," she murmured.

Standing up, I tucked my shirt into my trousers and tightened my belt. Shoes next. Weapon belts. Lanyard. Keys. Mask for the smoke. Grabbed my vest and put it on. Made Izel wear her vest and mask as well.

Lieutenant Durie was set up at the dining table, hen-pecking on his tablet while speaking on the radio with the patrols. He jumped up when Izel and I entered the kitchen from the garage. "Hold on, Rover 6. Something the matter, Commander?"

"Mack and Akama just called. They need urgent help at their place and Dispatch has no one else available. Emergency services are at their limit. How many troopers do you have here?"

"Ten, sir."

"Perfect. I'll take a cruiser and two volunteers with me. You and the others stay here and protect my family. I want you to continue getting updates on the homes in this area, and note anyone that's trapped but not in immediate danger for later rescue. Send updates to the Watch Commander so they can build a neighborhood profile."

He swallowed. "Yes, sir." Stepping into the family room, he called out, "The Commander is going out on a rescue mission. He wants two volunteers."

From ten volunteers, Durie picked out Troopers Jomin and Grannok. I drove one cruiser, while two troopers followed behind us. Izel produced two stim tabs. I nodded, and silently each of us swallowed one of the bitter pills. In no time, we approached First Home, the first of the two communal homes set aside for women troopers with children.

I glanced out the window, looking for the starlight gleaming above us. With the smoke and some clouds, most of them were hidden. As I silently cursed the Atlanteans, it occurred to me the Second Hell was one of darkness, heat, and smoke.

When we arrived, it took me a second to take everything in. Izel gasped, and both the troopers looked on in stunned silence.

Two-thirds of the once-huge two-story residence had been obliterated by an energy blast similar to what had barely clipped my own place. What remained had collapsed and was still burning. The houses on both sides were also fully engulfed in flames. Disturbingly, there were no families out front of those burning homes. Without water, there was nothing we could do but helplessly watch them burn.

As we pulled up, the headlights revealed a bedraggled Mack and Akama struggling to lift a heavy beam blocking the shelter entrance. The second cruiser parked beside us, further illuminating the scene.

The women abandoned their efforts and rushed over, both crying with fear and relief. "They're inside! They stopped responding to our attempts to communicate!"

Getting out, I opened the boot and retrieved some rope and two pairs of gloves from each vehicle. One vehicle was turned around while the troopers and I tied off the rope to the beam. Trooper Jomin climbed onto the beam and using his belt knife, hacked away at the thick wood creating a notch. I had Grannok get behind the wheel while I made a knot and secured it to the rear towing hitch.

Once we were done, Jomin jumped down and I patted the hood. "Slowly now."

As the cruiser edged forward, the rope went taut. Slowly adding juice, the wood creaked. Tires spun in gravel before digging in. Suddenly the beam snapped exactly where we had needed it to. Once the beam was pulled away, the rest of us dove in, working until the rest of the debris blocking the doorway was removed.

Going to the access pad, I tried to get it to open, but the panel itself appeared to be dead. Which shouldn't have been the case because the main AI is buried underground next to the shelter.

Trooper Jomin brought over a flashlight for us to work by while Grannok used a screwdriver to open the panel. I looked but I was stumped. There were small light diodes alive so I knew there was power, but the panel itself was simply dead, responding to neither touch nor keystroke.

Moving clear of the garage, I pulled out my phone and called Cholan. Izel came over and stood next to me.

Cholan picked up on the second ring. "

Hey, how are you?

" Then she coughed.

"All right myself. Where are you right now?"

"

Are your ears burning? You're just the person I was thinking about. By the gods, I'd give anything to be in your arms right now. At the moment, I'm about eighty feet up in the air in a bent tower that is being held up by temporary cables and I'm not afraid to say I'm scared shitless. I'm in a safety harness, but it's not really helping. I've got my eyes closed and pretending I'm on a big swing that I need to stay on. The plan was to see if we could erect guy wires to hold up the tower, but I looked and the electronic systems are totally fried. This second tower is a total write-off. I'll be home as soon as I can. I can't wait to get a hug from you!

"

"You're a brave woman, Cholan. You stay safe! I'd like to give you that hug, but I'm not home. I'm at the first Women's Home and I'm calling for your expertise. The front access pad is unresponsive. We need to get the door open, and we don't have any heavy gear to breach the locks. Any suggestions?"

"

Hmm. The house shelters are designed to protect. They aren't like a military bunker. Lemme think a moment. I think it's the same series as what you have. I seem to recall there's an emergency switch in the lower-left corner. It'll look like a fuse breaker. It'll be tough to move, but once you move it to the off-position, it should cut the power and cause the locks to retract and allow you to break the seal.

"

Going back toward the door, I noticed the signal strength dropped considerably. That probably meant there was a seriously strong electrical field nearby. I pointed to the switch and turned to Grannok, the trooper with the screwdriver. "Use it to push that switch to the off position."

He pressed with some effort, then it snapped over. There was an audible click immediately followed by bolts moving, the release of air, and the door moved inward an inch.

"Thank the gods!" Akama, with a flashlight in her hand, rushed down. Mack was hard on her heels.

Gesturing to the troopers to follow, I stepped back away from the structure and the signal rose again.

"Thanks, Cholan. That was brilliant and worked perfectly. Are you coming home soon?"

"

I hope everyone's okay! I'll be home as soon as I can get down and get a ride. It's been one heck of a long day.

"

"You need a lift home?"

"

No, sir. Sergeant Kitam is here on site. He's promised to personally drive me home once we're done here.

"

"Outstanding. You sound a lot better than when I last saw you. Zinja took you to the hospital. What did they do for you?"

"

Dr. Jehantli put me into a nano-tank and ran me through diagnostics for about three hours. They discovered some nasty chemical in my body, sir. Can you believe it? They said it was a machine lubricant that's now banned because it's so toxic. The nanobots in the tank cleaned me right up. Meanwhile, Dr. Jehantli designed a shot full of nanobots and he gave it to Zinja. She was pretty sick with nausea and cramps for about half an hour, but after an emergency latrine visit, she was back to her normal self.

"While waiting for her to recover, I checked around. Commander, the only place in all of High Guard that still uses that old-style lubricant was the desalination plant. Somehow the contaminant was getting into our water supply. Every time we drank, showered, or used water in cooking, we were taking that poison into our bodies. Dr. Jehantli said it explained why there were so many complaints of migraines and worse the past few months. Everyone is going to need a shot to purge the poison. To think we used to tease Ixma about drinking bottled water all the time. The rest of us kept tap water in the fridge to save money and recycling.

"

"Janetta needs one of those shots. She can barely function."

When they're rebuilding the desalination plant, we're going to need to look for where that contamination is taking place. Upgrading to a newer system sounds even smarter.

"

Yes, sir. I asked if I could take the shot home for her, but he said she had to come in for it. They only have a few of the syringe guns on hand. He also said those types of nanobots have a working life of about ninety minutes. These are coded to go to where the lubricant toxins are accumulating in the body, move them to the intestines where the nanobots die, and everything gets flushed from the body together. He was giving shots to all the staff when we left. That was just before lunchtime.

"

"All right, look, I need to go. Thank you for your expert help! I love you, Island Girl. Bye!"

Putting my phone away, I turned and jogged back over to the shelter and descended. Izel followed me.

The first thing I noticed was how hard it was to breathe. The troopers were working to revive some of those not responding and were themselves beginning to struggle.

"Not here!" I shouted. "The air's bad! Everybody out, babies first! Upstairs! Now!" Then I grabbed the nearest woman, slung her over my shoulder, and headed upstairs.

Izel scooped up a baby and raced after me.

Finding a spot on the grass, I laid the body out. "Stay here, Izel. Do you know rescue breathing? Okay, here's my phone. Call home and speak to Durie. Tell him to get some oxygen breathers and an oxygen tank from the hospital and get them here now!"

After the second trip, I told Akama and Mack to stay there and work on rescue breathing. "If they start breathing, turn them onto their side in case they puke and move on! The rest of you, take three deep breaths before you head back down!"

It took several gods-awful minutes to clear the shelter. Jomin got the bright idea of loading up on babies and toddlers while the other three lined up and darted up and down the stairs. Then we worked on carrying up the adults.

About the time the third cruiser arrived with two more troopers, we were bringing the last of the women upstairs.

At that point, I was convinced we had lost a few. Five adults and six of the kids. Mack and Akama kept working on the babies, trying to get them to breathe while Izel and the other two troopers gave drinks of bottled water and helped reunite mother and child. To comfort them, breasts were freed and scared children suckled.

The new troopers had brought one large oxygen tank hooked up to four breather masks. Those that kept coughing were ministered to first.

Calia had arrived with them. She hurried over to one of those not responding. In the dark, she told Mack and Akama, "Those not breathing, bring them to me! I need to touch them!"

While those watching her prayed to whatever benevolent god would listen, Calia closed her eyes. Then with a muted cry, she fell over. Three adults and five kids suddenly jerked and started coughing. Two grateful mothers joyfully scooped up their crying babies, holding them close and rocking them while the others were tended to.

"Give them oxygen!" I ordered.

Moving to Calia, I checked her pulse. Slow but present. Whatever she'd done, she'd worn herself out. With no clue what to do other than to let her rest, I pulled her up into my lap and held her close.

Izel settled next to us. Putting her arm around me, she caressed Calia's face, murmuring, "She's truly a gift from the gods."

"Lady Calia is a genuine healer!" Akama declared as she rocked her emotional daughter.

"We lost Sofana and her daughter, Vaela," Mack remarked sadly, Tambo sucking needfully at her breast. "But without Lady Calia, we could have lost everyone!"

The others looked at Calia in awe, taking in the events they'd just witnessed.

Looking around, I noticed some of my missing troopers sitting around us. Haytam. Laylandi. Cooma. Vaniksl. Feena. Awalli. Sooksa. A few others that I knew by sight if not by name.

"What happened?" Cooma choked out, clutching her son, Bejo.

"The commander and Lady Calia saved you!" Mack declared.

"No, this was a group effort," I asserted. "Izel, Jomin, and Grannok all pitched in. You, too, Mack and Akama! When you couldn't get help from Dispatch, you didn't give up and you called me. All of you are heroes.

Llam nuqan

! Well done, everyone. Well done!"

The women continued to calm their children.

Of course, my phone rang again. I looked at it, but didn't recognize the number.

"Who is this?"

"

Commander Kandikan, this is Sammi Reo. No, I'm not trying to get a story. At least, not at this particular moment. Look, we both know your people need help, and if you don't take steps, you'll have a lot more casualties.

"

"What sort of help?"

"

Everything's on the table, Commander. Drinking water. Food. Medical supplies. Building supplies. Mortuary services. Whatever you need is open for discussion.

"

"You have my attention. When?"

"

Within an hour. We just aired another story showing rescue workers pulling out the bodies of little kids at the elementary school. Even at this late hour, ordinary citizens are calling in, outraged, and offering to help. I had to do something, so I've been waking people up. The Deputy Governor of Hassenyeet State in Tellumgu and the City Manager of Capisco and their aides will be participating. We also have some prominent business leaders willing to help. If you can't make it, please tell me who to contact.

"

"No, I'll be there. Where is this meeting taking place?"

"

Somehow I thought you would be interested. We're set up in the building immediately south of those assigned to Emilo Bitawel and the others from Chuman State. See you, Commander.

"

Then she hung up.

With some effort, I stood up, holding Calia in my arms. I looked around at all the tired, soot-covered faces. There was no food, water, or latrine here. Their home was gone as were all their possessions. Where were they going to stay? My home was damaged, but the only thing to do for the moment was to take them there.

"All right, troopers," I said. "Get yourselves and your kids together. I can't offer much, and parts of it are open to the night sky right now. But there's room in the gym and... we'll find someplace for you to sit or lay down. We'll load up the cruisers and we'll take you to my home. Also, when you get there, unload the blankets from the cruisers. Even the emergency foil ones. Once the people are unloaded, come back and collect any usable supplies from this shelter and take them to my place. We'll work on finding everyone better quarters tomorrow. When you get there, have Durie report your names and situation to the Watch Commander."

There were many grateful looks with their acknowledgments.

While the first two sets of passengers were loaded, I called Durie and told him what to expect. "Try to get the ChoCac out of the garage and use a blanket or something to block off the missing garage door."

"

Yes, sir

," he replied.

"I have to go to an important meeting. If you really need to get a hold of me, I may or may not have my phone on. If it's something the Watch Commander can't assist with, you can find me at 3800 Ridgeway, Conference Building B. Oh, and if Captain Tlacotli isn't up by ten-hundred hours tomorrow, please get her up and escort her to the Nanotech facility, make sure she gets her injection, and after she recovers, returns safely home."

"

Understood, Commander.

"

The rope was coiled and put away as the other two cruisers drove off into the dark. The third cruiser stayed with us, the headlights and emergency lights comforting those of us who waited in the chaotic, smoke-filled night. It was with a disturbing realization that many of the lights across High Guard this night weren't lights at all, but raging fires, and many of them burning out of control.

Within an hour, we were all back at Cirrus Drive, getting people settled. On the last trip, we even brought Field Corporal Sofana and her daughter Vaela, laying them next to our other honored dead, putting both into the same body bag. Many of the women troopers simply touched them briefly, muttering a heartfelt goodbye before attending to the needs of the living.

Izel roused her cooks and set them to preparing simple hot meals for everyone. Bottles of chilled water were gratefully accepted.

I carried Calia downstairs. As I laid her beside Ixma, Calia roused a little. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring Sofana back. Her baby was gone. I couldn't find her spark, and Sofana refused to come back without her child."