Chapter 25 – Raid
On A Desert Camp
The first had a
bellows which charged a canister with pressurized air. Above that was a hopper
that contained baridium, a mineral used as a propellant in their weapons. Next
to the hopper was another cylinder. This one contained water, the catalyst that
ignites the baridium. Coming out of the front was a tube with a widened mouth.
When fired, an amount of the baridium powder is blown out of the barrel,
sending a rolling smoke ring down range. Next, a jet of atomized water is
released. This ignites the baridium in a massive fireball.
The second
machine looked more like a weapon. It had a cannon barrel. Atop this, were two
more cylinders. One contained water and the other baridium. Pipes ran from the
front of these to another cylinder mounted on top of the other two. Finally, a
pump handle protruded out the rear. To shoot the gun, a cannonball was put down
the barrel. Lifting the pump handle dropped a quantity of baridium into the
combustion chamber. Finally, depressing the handle injected water into the
chamber, igniting the powder and sending the ball to its target.
The next
morning, the day before our projected arrival at Ceraunius, the ship rose high
above the surface of the planet. This was to survey as much of the area as
possible so as to ascertain if warriors were moving toward the city. As we
searched the horizon, we saw clouds of dust in many directions, that appeared
to be moving toward the city. This was very disconcerting, as it showed trouble
was brewing, if not already started.
Lieutenant
Griffin, Chronto, and I watched the slow progress of the dust clouds as we
cruised through sky.
“We will beat
the lead column to Ceraunius by a full day.” Chronto said.
“I would like
to give them a taste of our firepower.” Griffin said,
“As would I,” I
said “but I fear any delay in supporting our men in the city.”
“If the
situation there is still calm, perhaps we can come back out and head some of
these troops off.” Griffin said.
“I will
consider it.” I replied.
If we defeat
Reytik tomorrow, those columns will melt away before they arrive.” Chronto
said.
“So, do you
think the battle has begun then?” I asked.
“I do.” Chronto
said. “These men are coming from the frontier of his territory, so Reytik has
enough men on hand to wear down our defenses. When these men arrive, he can
finish the job.”
“Then it is
imperative that we make haste and break the siege.” I said.
With that, we
pressed on. As the day progressed, more plumes of dust appeared. Some were
closer to our path. Still, I dared not delay our return. So, we silently
continued. The desert plain made it nearly impossible to judge our progress.
Finally, darkness fell and I could quit trying to judge our speed. I knew that
tomorrow evening would begin a long, sleepless night and a strenuous day to
follow. Therefore, I tried to get the men to rest as much as possible. I too
tried to rest. Though I laid in bed most of the night, sleep evaded me. I got
up before dawn and made my way to the deck.
I walked up to
the bow of the ship where I found Chronto. To my surprise, Jordak was there as
well.
“Good morning,
ma’am, it is a pleasure to see you about.” I said.
“I am feeling
much better,” she said, “and I just had to get some fresh air”
I looked out
over the bow and noted several campfires directly in front.
Chronto said,
“We will be passing over that camp just after sun up. Perhaps, Lieutenant
Griffin can give this group a taste of our firepower.”
“I think that
we can give them a volley as we pass.” I said.
I called the
watch and asked him to rouse the Lieutenant and have the men prepare for
action. Within a few minutes, the men were on deck. All were in a jovial mood.
“Men!” I said
“We are about to embark upon some serious business. One should never go
lightly into battle. While we may have the element of surprise, remember that
we are engaging a dangerous foe. Carelessness on your part could result in
injury or death to you or one of your fellows. We will be engaging an enemy
camp shortly. We will not stop our progress toward Ceraunius, so you must make
your mark upon them in one pass. If we hit them hard, perhaps their support for
Reytik will wane.”
The men gave a
hurrah then manned the bulwarks of our vessel. Three of my men took charge of
the Gatling gun. The rest of the men took up positions, kneeling behind the bulwark on the
starboard side. Chronto’s men took up
positions on the port side and the ship’s crew manned their artillery. I took a
rifle for myself.
I called for
the company bugler. I would have him sound the call to action before we
commenced firing. Lieutenant Griffin asked me why I was going to announce our
presence and spoil our surprise. I explained that I wanted to bring the men out
into the open, in case there were women or other non-combatants in the tents.
At one hundred
yards from the camp, I ordered the bugle sounded. The desert warriors came
rushing from their tents. They looked around bewildered, trying to ascertain
the source of the noise. Then the Gatling gun opened fire. On the ground, all
was confusion and fear. Then my riflemen popped up and with their fire added to
that of the machine gun, the camp was enveloped in utter chaos.
The men on the
ground ran towards what cover they could find as we passed slowly overhead,
raining down death from all sides. I watched as the ship’s gunners trained
their vortex cannon on a group of men hiding in the rocks. The machine made a
loud huffing noise, then a red dust ring rolled quickly towards the rocky
outcropping. As the ring reached the rocks, the trail of dust burst into flame
as a water mist was injected into the cloud from the gun. The flame traveled
down the cloud, igniting the dust ring which engulfed the rocks in a terrific
ball of fire. Burning men came running out of the rocks screaming, then fell
silent to the ground. It was a gruesome sight.
We continued
our pace over the camp with guns blazing. The Martian cannon was firing
grapeshot with devastating effect. The few shots that the tribesmen on the
ground fired were ineffectual. We finally moved out of range of the camp and
the shooting ceased. Looking back at the camp, I saw a scene of utter
destruction. Dead and dying men and animals littered the ground and the smoke
of burning tents filled the air.
Chronto came up
to me and said “That should make the other tribes think twice about throwing in
with Reytik.”
“Indeed,” I
said “but it is a terribly brutal message.”
Jordak
approached us and said “It was brutal, but brutality is the only diplomacy these
tribes understand.”
