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The Raid:
By Markus Thyme:
Previous episodes are in The Master’s Hand archive.
Aprill 9, 2007:
It was first light when six flyers put down about fifteen miles south of the south cave. It was far enough away that no folk heard them. Six platoons of marines unloaded and set out on a route march toward the southernmost cave. Trained, sharp-eyed scouts ran along on both flanks ahead of the main force. They had an eye out for any humans or other signs of danger. They found none.
By mid afternoon, they arrived at the meadow near the peach grove. Major Kamil set up a base camp and order a perimeter established as before. These were highly disciplined marines. There were no fires and no unnecessary sounds were made. The marines settled down to wait. At dusk, Kamil sent out two squads lead by a captain to check the cave for signs of humans.
“Go in after dark and do not use lights until you are inside,” he ordered. “Then use your lights to quickly sweep the main cavern and the largest of the sub chambers. If you find nothing, return. If you find humans, capture as many as possible. If you cannot capture them, kill them. Make sure they can give no alarm. If you capture five or six, return with them and ignore any others. Our mission is to capture no more than six.”
The marines moved out silently in single file.
In the main cavern were ten of the folk men. They had come to check for the presence of Invaders.
When the flyers had stopped searching, Bruce the Elder sent runners to the folk in their hiding places. The following day, when no Invaders appeared, he called for a council of elders. They came at once.
“I fear we be in a dire spot. The Invaders know we are near. I fear they will return and search us out. We have done them grave harm. I believe we must needs leave this place and not return.”
“These be our homes,” objected Robert of Willets.
“Aye, Robert, and mayhap our deathbeds if we stay. We might become food for the dogs and mountain cats. The Invaders will slay us if the find us.”
“What can we do?” whispered Thomas.
“I believe we must needs leave this place. We must leave and return no more.”
“But to where?” asked Mathew.
“I know not,” replied Bruce simply. “I know not.”
“Mayhap we should just send the women and children away,” suggested Robert. “Mayhap we should stand here and fight.”
“I be for that,” growled Edward the Elder. “Avenge my son. Avenge our folk. Stand and fight.”
A chorus of “ayes” echoed around the room.
“So say you all?” asked Bruce.
Again he heard the chorus.
“Let it be so then,” said Bruce.
So runners were sent to assemble the folk. They were not far away and all arrived before last light. Bruce spoke to them all.
“It has been decided. The men will stay here and fight the cursed Invades if they come. The women and children must leave.”
“No!” shouted Donna. “I will not leave. I know not where my Bruce is and I will not leave ere I know.”
“Bruce is my son,” said Elder Bruce softly. “I know the pain of it as do you. Still, your duty is to your children, that they might live. That is why we stand and fight, that they might live.”
Tears filled Donna’s eyes, but she had nothing to say. She knew Elder Bruce was right.
“The women and all children to 16 summers must needs be safe. You must wait in the hiding places while the men wait here. If the worst happens, you must leave. You must travel at night and go toward the hills and caves beyond the mountains.”
“Ere, we do that, let us be with our men another day,” begged one of the women.
“There be risk in that,” said Bruce.
“Aye, Elder, there be risk in living,” she replied.
“Bruce could only smile, as did Mathew.
“Let it be so then,” said Bruce. “Come first light, the women and children must go to the hiding places.”
“Aye,” said the woman, “come first light.”
So the women and children stayed with their men and left at first light. The men remained assembled at the southern entrance to the tunnel. When last light approached, Bruce consulted Mathew.
“The Invaders come not,” he said. “Mayhap I should go to the southern tunnel and search for what I can find.”
“Mayhap, someone might go,” replied Mathew, “but not you.”
“I fear not,” blustered Bruce. He know full well it was not courage of which Mathew spoke, but the loss of a leader.
“Mathew smiled. “Let us ask the men to see who will go?”
“If you wish,” grumbled Bruce.
So, the men were asked and ten quickly volunteered. That is how they came to be in the cave as the Invader marines approached.
The two squads separated and approached the tunnel entrance from both sides. The came silently into the opening and, when fully inside, switched on their lights. Ten folk men were caught in the beams of light. Though taken by surprise, two of them were able to lose shafts before the marines were upon them. In the scrimmage, four of the folk were slain. One slipped into a shadowed tunnel and escaped. Five were caught and bound. Two marines had died with shafts in their chests.
The marines made an orderly withdrawal carrying their prisoners and their slain comrades.
An hour later, Tim of the House of Newport emerged from the tunnel’s north entrance and raced toward the north tunnel.
The marines returned to the base camp with their prisoners and slain comrades.
“We have five human captives,” reported the captain in charge.
“And I see we have lost two men,” added Kamil. “I deeply regret that. “Turn your prisoners over to me Captain. See to your slain comrades.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The marines broke camp and force marched back to the flyers. When they arrived, the human prisoners were dumped into a flyer. The slain marines were wrapped in their sleeping blankets and carried carefully aboard.
Then, the flyers rose into the air and headed eastward.
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