Crusdae, p.13
Crusdae, page 13
All that augured well for the future.
It remained to learn how to attack Orph. William called in the Odeous to get some few bits of information from them. Captain Sonz furnished it to him quite gladly.
“The situation on that planet is quite like that of Oddh, except it has no moon. The Baphomet ships are therefore stationed near the governor’s palace. We have to fight in space to eliminate them, then we have to cross an energy screen the —me. as on our world, passing under it by using the quark cannon. As for the forces there, they’re not numerous, not more than a hundred ships.”
“And the Orpheds . . . what will be their attitude toward us?”
"This race has hardly any points in common with us. Once they lived in common in immense pyramids, veritable mazes. Most of the individuals were asexual and only the royal pair engaged in procreation. The warrior castes assured the protection of the city. The workers gathered the necessary food. Altogether, they did not have a very advanced civilization, except in die field of music. The central hall of the pyramids used to contain titanic organs, and all the Orpheds would gather there to perform enchanting symphonies. They played strange instruments only they knew how to make. At present the Baphomets have suppressed the royal couples, and all the individuals are sexual, but the tyrants carefully control their reproduction. Only the best musicians have the right to breed. That way the Baphomets hope to get from their unfortunate slaves more and more refined music. But don’t mistake it, the Orpheds are brave and even cruel. Each fertile female can lay up to thirty eggs a season, which is why their masters saturate them with contraceptives. The young reach maturity quickly. The Orpheds will be valuable allies for us, although they are sometimes difficult to understand and don’t readily form bonds of friendship. One more bit of information. If you trace a circle taking Baphom as the center, Oddh and Orph are just about an equal distance from the Baphomet planet. It's the same for Eth, the homeworld of the Ethir. Only Lyzog is much farther removed. That’s why it was only recently conquered.”
“Well, we are advised. The business will be delicate, at least if we want to spare the natives. So m adopt a different device for our fleet: instead of putting each ship behind the file leader, I'm going to shift them in space, each locating itself in a different plane from the proceeding. Thus, whatever quarter the attack comes from, our firepower will be equal, without our ships risking running into each other. No nebulosity near Orph?”
“None. The planet is isolated in space with its four companions, which are not inhabited, and only infrequently visited by prospectors.”
"Perfect Well arrive above the equatorial plane, so we will have a much greater freedom of movement Let each man go to his post In five hours, we’ll be starting the operation. We can’t let ourselves suffer heavy casualties. Consequently, we’ll have to win a quick victory. Let everyone do his duty for the glory of Our Lord."
The leaders of the various squadrons went then to take the positions assigned them in the new plan. They all watched the screens anxiously to spot the Baphomet ships.
The Baphomets remained invisible, and when the armada came in sight of Orph, the enemy had still not manifested themselves. They discovered no mines at all.
William, worried, feared a trap. His enemies were surely advised of his arrival, so why did they not try to drive him back?
Houen-Lun, questioned on the matter, could not give any answer. He did not perceive any mind touch in space. Must he then conclude that the Baphomets had abandoned their conquest? After all, this planet played but a minor role in their economy, and they knew that they must go into combat for it with a very clear numerical disadvantage.
William sent his Turcopoles in on reconnaissance near the planet They met no opposition. Growing bolder, they descended then into the atmosphere, but no one attacked them.
Kubla made an orbit of the planet at low altitude and then sent this message to his leader: “Noble Lord, there is not a single important city here that is not in flames. Apparently, your adversaries have used a scorched earth policy. They leave you a planet on which all installations have been destroyed to stop you from using it That appears to me a good tactic and we Mongols are accustomed to use it Some hordes of natives are still wandering here and there. They seem to be in the greatest poverty and apparently have no weapons. But the palace section is invisible. A shining dome like that of Oddh is covering it. Your enemies have probably gathered all their troops there, and we will have to use main force to get them out”
The Grand Master was rather discomfited by this news. He would have liked very much to destroy some enemy ships to diminish the Baphomet forces.
These demons had delivered him a planet void of all inter* est, more, they risked having been tricked, drawn off to Orph while the Baphomets destroyed the Odeous factories, which now took on a vital importance.
Without further delay, William ordered blue and red squadrons to go back to Oddh with all possible speed. John of Grailly took command of them with the express order to alert his leader if he met enemies on the way.
But no message had been sent by the Odeous. Maybe the French and the English would arrive there in time to save them from the fate of the Orpheds.
Thus, having taken the risk of dividing his forces, William bore down toward the nest of Baphomet resistance with the intent of finishing it as quickly as possible.
This time his ships were caught by clouds of missiles launched from the ground. They were almost all intercepted, but this defense forced William to abandon his projected air attack.
Furious, the Grand Master had to resort to debarking his troops all around the fort, out of missile range.
Orphed was in no wise similar to smiling Oddh. This world had a luxuriant vegetation more like terrestrial jungles.
The Templars, cursing and swearing, saw themselves faced with the obligation of breaking a road through immense trees, in stinking marsh, infested with insects of all lands, from which the Orpheds were moreover descended.
Only the leaders had mounts, the six-legged elur, whose homy carapace shrugged off spurs and who must be guided with reins fired in their ears.
The squires gritted their teeth and built carts to carry the quark cannon and the firetubes to hurl the thunderballs, an Innovation they owed to the Odeous and which weighed considerably. To that they had to add the victuals, munitions, and to undergo the damp heat which reigned under these thick leaves. The very air was almost unbreathable due to the strong content of carbon gas and its mephitic odor. But the Crusaders must count themselves lucky not to have to suffer the continued fire of enemy missiles. Sometimes one of the projectiles got through to the ships which were patrolling at low altitude and the green hell transformed itself into a volcano, knocking down all the trees within a league about.
Of course, the Tholon brothers were part of the foot contingent who dragged themselves through the mud, having lost all sense of direction in these dense thickets.
But sweating and panting, they drew on the cords linked to the carts, following a narrow road opened by the woodsmen whose axes hacked through the brush, after explosive charges had destroyed the largest trees.
Luckily, they had not so long a road to go, and the column of which the boys from Auxerre were part reached the edge of the forest at nightfall.
In the distance, before them, they saw the shining dome which shielded the enemy fortress.
By way of prudence, William ordered his troops to stay under cover and to fortify the strip along the edge of the forest.
That was hardly business for tired infantry who had had to struggle a good hour with their shovels to dig out individual trees.
Finally, when they were able to take a little rest, it was night An almost total darkness enveloped them, for no moon rose to lighten the shadows. Water seeped into the trenches, legions of big insects like giant mosquitoes gnawed in vain on their spacesuits, but they all slept a leaden sleep, while sentries surveyed the area about them and while patrols walked between the lines, exchanging passwords.
The Terrans thus slept a good part of the night A few hours before dawn, flashes streaked across the jungle. Coming from before and behind, a heavy fire fell on the positions of the Templars, who wakened with a start
In the light of the explosions, they could see their enemy, robots in dark armor who were attacking them from cover, without concern for the losses they suffered.
William learned later that these implacable warriors had used underground passages and come out in the forest to catch his troops from behind.
At the moment the Template had to get themselves out of this one alone, for the melee stopped any intervention from the ships. The training they had undergone on Earth saved them from destruction. In their shelters they could locate their enemies without difficulty by the fires in the brush, while staying under cover themselves.
The robots used a fire that acted as far as arrow range, which pattered down and set aflame the trees it touched.
In this furnace the Terrans’ position very quickly became untenable, while their attackers had no worry about the devouring flames.
For good or for ill, the survivors had to leave their individual holes to reach the plains around the forest
A few carts could be saved, but most had been destroyed by the fire. Yet as a whole the situation turned in favor of the Templars, who had done slaughter at the start of the attack while the robots were attacking on open ground.
When the glow of dawn lighted the woods, they could train their fire on their enemies who were cornered against the fire in the forest These demons could certainly bear passing through the flames, but drey could not stay there long, so that when the emerald star of Orph arose, the battle was won.
But at what cost! Now die Templars had no more heavy armament to attack the dome, for most of the quark cannon had been destroyed.
William, on Sonz’ advice, decided then to drop the necessary machines by parachute, while his fleet opened a concentrated fire on the missiles vomited forth by the fortress.
Toward noon, everything had settled into order.
The Templars, well sheltered in new diggings, had set the flretubes and quark projectors up in a battery.
All of them took a little snack and drank a few gulps of wine, which had become a rare treat
Now it remained to get the enemy out of his lair.
As the message receptors stayed silent the Grand Master decided to participate in the final operation in person.
Accompanied by Conrad von Thierberg, whose height and broad shoulders gave him the carriage of a giant he debarked from a small ship in a forest clearing. William stolidly adjusted the straps of his cuissards and, digging in the spurs, forced his destrier at a gallop through the thickets.
A few moments later he reached the front lines.
Garin Tholon and his brothers, who looked like living statues of filth, for their armor was coated with grease, met him there.
“Well, my dear fellows," their leader said, “how are we doing?
“It’s been a hot time, noble brother," replied Garin the Templar. “But we gave them a good thrashing and they haven't come back from it The attacks of the metal creatures have stopped. Now our weapons are set up in battery and we can open fire against their fortress.”
“Perfect Fire the quark cannon to weaken the soil at the base of the dome. Then wait on new orders before the attack.”
Garin went to pass those instructions and soon the luminous beams were digging at the earth, without reaction from the enemy.
“What does it seem to you, Brother Conrad? Apparently our adversaries haven’t anything left in there but a garrison of robots to slow us down."
That seems likely to me. These cowards don’t dare risk their precious necks, nein. But I wonder if their crews are reduced to nothing. The way I see it, they’re vaiting in the castle enclosure to fight der last battle."
“Maybe. At any rate, I don’t want to take any chances. We have to finish this fast, so much the worse for those inside. Tm going to blow their fortress."
Now a few openings gaped around the dome and Garin came back to receive the Grand Master’s orders.
“My brave friend, I forbid you to go into that hole. There’s no Baphomet there and I fear some trap. Train our cannon on the openings, and use the largest caliber and the most powerful thunderballs. Go.”
Again the Templar went and the servants of the fi retubes charged the guns which opened fire in unison, while all put themselves under cover, including the two Grand Masters who had made their precious destriers lie down on the ground.
Everyone waited for a powerful explosion, but the reality was even worse. A conflagration of titanic force deafened the besiegers; an immense column of smoke like a black, twisting mushroom shot skyward, making the daystar dim, settling its shadow over the battlefield.
The first trees of the forest were laid low to the earth, while the burnings were snuffed out like candles.
When the dust settled, the Templars got up, staggering, shaking off the bits of earth that covered their suits. They saw then that the dome had disappeared, and an enormous smoking crater gaped in place of the fortress.
"My vord,” exclaimed the Teuton. “They must have had a stock of thunder material our spheres exploded.”
William did not answer. He was in shock from the explosion, tottering. He put his hands to his ears, forgetting his helmet
“You’re vounded?” asked Conrad.
“No. Just shaken up. Help me get my helm off.”
The Teuton undid the straps and lifted off the confining headgear, observing that a thin thread of blood trickled from the ear canal, but the hemorrhage stopped very quickly.
“Ah, veil, you got off all right” the German said.
“Yes, our enemies must have had explosives gathered there, or maybe it was a trap meant to blow up our knights if they risked going in. Well never know. But here’s a new proof of the demoniac cleverness of the Baphomets. We must constantly be on our guard.”
William and Conrad climbed back onto their mounts, which had not suffered too much from the shock, and went to review their troops. Thanks to the individual holes there had been only a few deaths, those when blocks of stone bad fallen right on some unfortunate occupant.
The knights and the squires gathered to go back aboard the ships, which had set themselves down nearby. William was in haste to leave this cursed planet, which could no longer be of any use to him now that its installations were destroyed.
“Look, my lord, there’s a column of knights coming down the hill.”
William turned. Truly, a line of gray dust marked the advance of knights arriving at a gallop.
At once the Templars set themselves in battle array in front of the ships.
They all saw quickly that they had little to fear, for the arriving forces were not numerous, not more than fifty.
When they were in firing range, the Temurs were able to identify them. They were Orpheds. These strange green creatures rode on bronze beetles quite like the noble Terran scarab. They differed little except in one important point: being warm-blooded rather than cold-blooded, which meant they could reach the size of small horses.
The aspect of the newcomers created a stir of panic among the soldier-monks. These beings looked irresistibly like grimacing cathedral gargoyles. For these devout souls, no doubt at all, these Orpheds could not but be demons spawned by Lucifer, the fallen angel who had rebelled against his Creator. It needed all the authority of the Commanders and the discipline of the Templars to avoid a massacre.
William himself sketched the sign of the cross and sent for Sonz to ask him if these were really the natives.
When the captain answered in the affirmative, he ordered him to go ask their intentions.
The Odeous, mounting an elur, galloped as far as the strangers, with whom he carried on a moment’s discussion, then came rapidly back to the Templars.
“Well7” asked William. “What did you learn from them?"
“Nothing very disturbing, my lord. They belong to a little community that lives in the mountains and escaped from the Baphomets. They ask medicines and weapons. They don't lack food, being vegetarian. You have nothing to fear from them."
“Do they know whether there are other fortresses on Orph?”
“I questioned them on that subject. They answered in the negative. As we supposed, the Baphomets left some time before our arrival and destroyed all these installations. Only the robot legions had hidden under the fortress that we destroyed. The Orpheds are certain we’ve destroyed die whole planetary garrison."
“Good. Have them given what they want. Oo tell them I don’t want to talk with them. They look too much like demons vomited up out of hell. Even the Baphomets aren’t so hideous.”
“Will you leave troops in this place?” Sonz asked then. “Will you not ask them strategic advice?”
“A company and four ships, useless to leave more. I want nothing more to do with this planet and these people. Go talk to them if your stomach can stand it They turn mine.”
The captain saluted and went back to the insectoids, while William and his officers boarded the flagship.
It took to space at once and was soon joined by the rest of the squadrons, which gathered in battle formation, writing the orders of their leader.
The Grand Master was entirely undecided. Without any news of Oddh, he did not know whether he should go back to that planet or make a rapid raid toward Eth to gain it instead.
A message from Otto of Granson put an end to his hesitation. The giant Swiss reported that blue and red squadrons had reached Oddh without hindrance. The planet had not suffered any attack. Elsewhere, space seemed empty. The Baphomets had apparently retreated to Baphom. He added that the Odeous were working around the clock and that in a few weeks the Templar forces would be doubled. Finally, he concluded, without giving more details, he had to announce the arrival of a legate of the new pope, Gaetano Orsini, elected under the name of Nicholas III.
