Chapter Twelve of C.S. Lewis's "Tales of Narnia" entitled, "Sorcery and
Sudden Vengeance" adapted to Battletech
Meanwhile Lieutenant Carter lead the two men to the entrance of the Bunker, and two gruff sentinels (their submachine guns and visored faces were all he could see of them) leaped up with their guns drawn and asked in snarling voices, "Who goes there?"
"Allies sent by King Perry himself", Lieutenant Carter replied.
Upon closer inspection, the sentinels discovered they were telling the truth, and after saluting, let them into the bunker.
"Lieutenant, you had better lead," Prince Riley said. "We don't know our way around here."
Carter took the lead and walked into the dull, ugly, ferrocrete tunnel. It was a cold, damp, place with poor lighting, and the most nauseating smell of mildew.
"This place sure has fallen apart since we were last here," Lt. Oliver said.
"Yes, it makes one think about sad state of things doesn't it," said the king.
Carter led the group ahead and then turned to the right, and then the left, after going down some steps they came to an airtight armored door. After going through the door, they came to a hallway with several doors on either side. They heard voices, angry ones, coming through one of the doors; they walked up to it and stopped to listen. Someone was talking so loudly that they had not been heard coming through the creaky armored door.
"Don't like the sound of that," whispered Lt. Carter to the king. "Let's listen for a second."
"You know very well why the beacon was not activated at sunrise this morning. We were fighting for our very lives for the space of four hours or more, we activated it as soon as we had a chance."
"That must be the king," whispered Carter.
"I won't soon forget it," came an angry voice, "when my men bore the brunt of the attack, and one in five of them fell." ("That's General Thompson," Carter whispered.""
"You've got a lot of freakin' gall," came a deep voice (Mike Mcalls'). "We all fought as hard as your men, and none more than the king and his guard!
"You can manipulate the truth to suit your purposes for all I care," answered the general. "But whether it's that the beacon was activated too late or that it did not work, no help has come." "You sorry excuse for a mechwarrior, what do you know about tactics and the deployment of resources? Are you still asking us to put our lives on the line by putting false hope in lord Perry and all his fictional cronies?"
"I must say that this operation has been very dissapointing, almost disgraceful," ("That'll be Doctor Cornwallis," whispered Carter.).
"To put it frankly," said Thompson, "your gun is empty, your promises unfulfilled, and your reinforcements have yet to arrive". "Step aside then and let more capable men do the work". "And because of—"
"I stand by his lordship, I have no doubt that he will come to our defense." "Reinforcements may even now be arriving," Mcall interrupted.
"Like hell they are!" Thompson shouted. "You'd have us wait 'till Colonel Kerensky returns with the entire Star League army and we can all catch larks!." We can't wait I tell you; food and ammunition are running low, our technicians are extremly over worked, as are our soldiers." "We can't wait I tell you, we lose more than we can afford at every engagement!"
"It's strange that you don't that you don't care to tell us why we suffer such unfortunate losses." " If you recall, the last orders given were, if you must activate the beacon do not let the army know why you activate it, nor what you hope to accomplish by doing so." "But that same evening everyone seemed to know what was going on!"
"You had better shot yourself with a gauss riffle rather than suggest that I am the leak!" "Take it back or—"
"Oh cut the crap people!" said King Reilley. "Name calling and threat making will accomplish nothing!" "I would like to know who these two strangers are that the General has brought to our meeting.
"Those strangers are my friends." "And why am I the only one who can't bring his friends?"
"You had better watch your insolent tone, his majesty is the king to which you have sworn allegiance to," said Mcall.
"Oh, like you are so guiltless of that yourself," came the sarcastic reply. "You all know that Victor Cunningham will be feeding to his dogs in a couple weeks if we can't turn the tide of the war."
"Perhaps ," said Doctor Cornwallis, "your friends can speak for themselves."
"Oh beloved master doctor," came a thin winy voice, "I am only a poor old woman you has only money enough to pay the rent." "However I have taken an interest in study technology of the days of ancient Terra; I know not nearly as much as you certainly do Master Doctor of course." "However I have also come upon practices which can control the realm of the supernatural, practices that were common in the days of ancient Terra.
"That is most interesting madam, however there is a difference between a cache of Star League technology and the enlisting of demonic forces." "Perhaps General, your other friend would introduce himself.
"A deep, gruff voice replied, "I am the one who you call when God himself have given up on you, when the enemy is closing in for the kill and the raven flies overhead waiting to devour your flesh when your soul leaves its pitiful body." "I myself have taken down eight mechs, none of their pilots escaped." "When you have no one else to depend on, I will hunt every last one of your enemies down and destroy them like dogs." "All for a reasonable price of course."
"And it is in the company of these two that you wish to reveal your plan," the king asked.
"Yes, and I will use their help to carry it out."
"Well then, we shall hear your plan."
"All said and done, none of us have ever seen lord Perry; we have only heard of him from other people and from records." "We have no proof that he even exists." "Well, when your rifle jams, you draw your pistol." "Our ancient records tell of other powers besides the noble successor lords, how if we could call up them?" "He has not come, either he does not exist, is dead, or is not on our side." "In these desperate times we must look to another source of power for our protection."
There was a very long quiet pause, so quiet that Carter was afraid of being discovered because of his breathing.
"What do you mean?" asked the king.
"I mean a power so great that it held our forefathers spellbound for years and years if the stories are true.
"The Great Wicken!" from the nose, the men on the outside of the door guessed that several people had jumped to their feet.
Meanwhile Lieutenant Carter lead the two men to the entrance of the Bunker, and two gruff sentinels (their submachine guns and visored faces were all he could see of them) leaped up with their guns drawn and asked in snarling voices, "Who goes there?"
"Allies sent by King Perry himself", Lieutenant Carter replied.
Upon closer inspection, the sentinels discovered they were telling the truth, and after saluting, let them into the bunker.
"Lieutenant, you had better lead," Prince Riley said. "We don't know our way around here."
Carter took the lead and walked into the dull, ugly, ferrocrete tunnel. It was a cold, damp, place with poor lighting, and the most nauseating smell of mildew.
"This place sure has fallen apart since we were last here," Lt. Oliver said.
"Yes, it makes one think about sad state of things doesn't it," said the king.
Carter led the group ahead and then turned to the right, and then the left, after going down some steps they came to an airtight armored door. After going through the door, they came to a hallway with several doors on either side. They heard voices, angry ones, coming through one of the doors; they walked up to it and stopped to listen. Someone was talking so loudly that they had not been heard coming through the creaky armored door.
"Don't like the sound of that," whispered Lt. Carter to the king. "Let's listen for a second."
"You know very well why the beacon was not activated at sunrise this morning. We were fighting for our very lives for the space of four hours or more, we activated it as soon as we had a chance."
"That must be the king," whispered Carter.
"I won't soon forget it," came an angry voice, "when my men bore the brunt of the attack, and one in five of them fell." ("That's General Thompson," Carter whispered.""
"You've got a lot of freakin' gall," came a deep voice (Mike Mcalls'). "We all fought as hard as your men, and none more than the king and his guard!
"You can manipulate the truth to suit your purposes for all I care," answered the general. "But whether it's that the beacon was activated too late or that it did not work, no help has come." "You sorry excuse for a mechwarrior, what do you know about tactics and the deployment of resources? Are you still asking us to put our lives on the line by putting false hope in lord Perry and all his fictional cronies?"
"I must say that this operation has been very dissapointing, almost disgraceful," ("That'll be Doctor Cornwallis," whispered Carter.).
"To put it frankly," said Thompson, "your gun is empty, your promises unfulfilled, and your reinforcements have yet to arrive". "Step aside then and let more capable men do the work". "And because of—"
"I stand by his lordship, I have no doubt that he will come to our defense." "Reinforcements may even now be arriving," Mcall interrupted.
"Like hell they are!" Thompson shouted. "You'd have us wait 'till Colonel Kerensky returns with the entire Star League army and we can all catch larks!." We can't wait I tell you; food and ammunition are running low, our technicians are extremly over worked, as are our soldiers." "We can't wait I tell you, we lose more than we can afford at every engagement!"
"It's strange that you don't that you don't care to tell us why we suffer such unfortunate losses." " If you recall, the last orders given were, if you must activate the beacon do not let the army know why you activate it, nor what you hope to accomplish by doing so." "But that same evening everyone seemed to know what was going on!"
"You had better shot yourself with a gauss riffle rather than suggest that I am the leak!" "Take it back or—"
"Oh cut the crap people!" said King Reilley. "Name calling and threat making will accomplish nothing!" "I would like to know who these two strangers are that the General has brought to our meeting.
"Those strangers are my friends." "And why am I the only one who can't bring his friends?"
"You had better watch your insolent tone, his majesty is the king to which you have sworn allegiance to," said Mcall.
"Oh, like you are so guiltless of that yourself," came the sarcastic reply. "You all know that Victor Cunningham will be feeding to his dogs in a couple weeks if we can't turn the tide of the war."
"Perhaps ," said Doctor Cornwallis, "your friends can speak for themselves."
"Oh beloved master doctor," came a thin winy voice, "I am only a poor old woman you has only money enough to pay the rent." "However I have taken an interest in study technology of the days of ancient Terra; I know not nearly as much as you certainly do Master Doctor of course." "However I have also come upon practices which can control the realm of the supernatural, practices that were common in the days of ancient Terra.
"That is most interesting madam, however there is a difference between a cache of Star League technology and the enlisting of demonic forces." "Perhaps General, your other friend would introduce himself.
"A deep, gruff voice replied, "I am the one who you call when God himself have given up on you, when the enemy is closing in for the kill and the raven flies overhead waiting to devour your flesh when your soul leaves its pitiful body." "I myself have taken down eight mechs, none of their pilots escaped." "When you have no one else to depend on, I will hunt every last one of your enemies down and destroy them like dogs." "All for a reasonable price of course."
"And it is in the company of these two that you wish to reveal your plan," the king asked.
"Yes, and I will use their help to carry it out."
"Well then, we shall hear your plan."
"All said and done, none of us have ever seen lord Perry; we have only heard of him from other people and from records." "We have no proof that he even exists." "Well, when your rifle jams, you draw your pistol." "Our ancient records tell of other powers besides the noble successor lords, how if we could call up them?" "He has not come, either he does not exist, is dead, or is not on our side." "In these desperate times we must look to another source of power for our protection."
There was a very long quiet pause, so quiet that Carter was afraid of being discovered because of his breathing.
"What do you mean?" asked the king.
"I mean a power so great that it held our forefathers spellbound for years and years if the stories are true.
"The Great Wicken!" from the nose, the men on the outside of the door guessed that several people had jumped to their feet.