Warlord of the Unraveling by Doc Spears

Author:Doc Spears [Spears, Doc]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-07-20T00:00:00+00:00

12

“Where’s the ROV?”

Karlo had a cloud open and a slate on his lap, monitoring the mule as it advanced through the rail tunnel. “There’s light ahead. We’re near the plaza. If they have any nasty deterrents waiting, you’d think they’d kick in pretty—”

Liquid fire poured from the walls. I called the Serians some choice names.

“Will the mule keep going?” I asked.

Karlo was unconcerned. “A little napalm won’t hurt it much.”

I released the team to move up the tunnel and start clearing the carriage tramway of those fire spigots and any more traps sprung by the mule. And if anyone tried to escape down the railway, they’d be running straight into the waiting arms of our blockers.

But that way in to the seniority’s place of business was plan B.

“Assault elements respond ready,” I ordered.

Three ready checks came back over my wrist.

“Execute.”

Using the chart Trayver Lomal had drawn, we’d made ourselves understood, pointing and pantomiming, him guessing what we tried to communicate. He finally grew exasperated.

“I have explained to you as best I can. At those locations the shafts course nearest the Seat of the Excellency and the seniority. With a dozen of my kin, we could tunnel passages to enter in a manner so rapid, you would marvel. None of you appear capable of assisting me in the task, so by myself, it would require hours. This unused tunnel leads to the least difficult location to do so. It will place us onto the arrival area outside the hall of the seniority.”

Karlo pointed to one of the boundaries again and pantomimed, infuriating Trayver Lomal.

“Cease with the absurd gestures and mouth noises!” He threw his hands apart fingers splayed, his cheeks puffing out a sudden breath to mimic back our same gesture.

“It is no clearer to me however many times this act is repeated! It means nothing to me!”

He didn’t get it then, but he was about to.

The WHUMP and tremor from three distinctly different forces vibrated the rough stone walls around us, arriving in intervals several seconds apart in a one-two-three cadence. Where Trayver Lomal indicated was the thickest barrier of stone between the old tunnel and the space beyond, the Goose got a workout. At another, a shape charge. The last, just around the bend of the roughly excavated passage we huddled in, a purely stone-powered cutting-charge. Though ours was last to detonate in the breaching series, our close standoff distance from the charge meant we’d be first through the breach and onto the objective.

As much as I wanted to be up front, I used restraint and held back. How would I feel if some general pushed his way to the front of the stack? Okay, I wasn’t some paunchy, old guy has-been operator, but I did have the job of one.

There was a time for the Warlord to lead from the front. It was not every time, all the time.

Just as Trayver Lomal had sketched, the tram station floor lay about two meters below the breach. Troops spilled through the rupture onto the grand entrance outside the council room of the seniority.

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