The Fight for Britannia Read online

  “What are you planning to do with me?”

  Grady kept his eyes on the monitor, “I’m going to find a group of survivors and drop you off near them.” Taffy was silent and knew challenging him now was not an option.

  The ship flew in to the planet and Grady quickly flew it toward the mountain. Taffy knew that if she had challenged him earlier, he would have dropped her off before going to the mountain. The huge blast doors opened as the ship approached and Grady lowered the landing wheels. He flew the ship in the cavern and brought it to a stop. He turned the ship around with the bow pointed toward the blast doors in case he needed to make a fast exit. He jumped out of his chair and ran down the corridor. He exited the ship and ran to the computer terminal, where he began entering commands. After a few minutes, he sat back and thought, Good, if anything showed up on the satellite’s feed, it would send an alarm to the computer.

  He stood up and went to a cart that was near the back wall and said, “Bob, Robbie, activate.” Taffy had walked off the ship and saw two large robots rolling across the floor toward the Hermit. He looked at her and said, “I’m going to start transferring food into the ship so don’t ask me any questions; I don’t have time for them!”

  “May I make a suggestion?” Grady’s eyes narrowed, and Taffy quickly stated, “You left the cart I delivered in the room above this one when you left. It was frozen goods and they might still be good.”

  Grady glared at her and then shook his head. He went to the elevator and she followed him in.

  Chapter Three

  They exited the elevator and Grady went quickly to the cart still sitting next to the freezers. He pulled the cover off and saw that there was still a thin layer of ice on the sides of the cart. Taffy raised a shoulder, “These carts are heavily insulated. I thought they would still be good.” Grady pulled it closer to the freezers and put on a pair of insulated gloves. Taffy looked at him and said, “Give me a chance.” Grady’s eyes narrowed, as he turned to her. Taffy started quickly speaking, “If you send me out to join a group of survivors, you know what’s going to happen.” Grady glared at her and she continued, “Our civilization is over and there are no longer any laws protecting people from each other. The only law in effect now is survival. Every survivor out there knows that, and they will be fighting each other to gather the limited resources remaining they’ll need to live. Food is going to be scarce, really scarce, and if I approach any of them, all they’ll see is another mouth to feed. Almost all of the food on this world was destroyed with the cities.”

  “It may not be as bad as you think!” Grady replied harshly.

  Taffy shrugged, “Why did you rush back here in such a hurry? You even put aside the need to get me off your ship.” Grady was silent. “You rushed because you saw the importance of gathering the things necessary for you to survive and get them on the ship. Every survivor on this planet is doing the same thing at this moment and adding anyone to their groups is not high on their list of priorities. I suspect that if I approach any of them for sanctuary, I’ll be physically attacked by the men and then killed by the women.” Grady stared at her and she nodded toward her chest, “I know you detest my face, but I know I have a shape that men will want. I have little or no chance of surviving if you turn me away.”

  Grady stared at her in silence and she continued, “You also mentioned that the aliens will be returning to finish the job. Either way, I’ll die.”

  “I don’t have good odds of surviving, either,” Grady responded.

  “I know that! I’ve seen the alien ships attacking the planet and they destroyed ships in the Coalition fleet that were much larger than this one. I also know they will attack your ship if they see it. But your death will be a fast one. I’d rather die quickly with someone I can trust to not attack me physically and kill me slowly than have it done by a group of survivors.”

  “And just how do you know I won’t attack you?”

  Taffy shrugged and looked down again, “This tee-shirt doesn’t hide anything, and you’ve not forced yourself on me. That leads me to believe that you won’t. Just give me a chance to prove that I can help you.”

  Grady’s eyes narrowed, and he sneered, “You are everything I abhor. You left your parents because they made you do things you didn’t like, and you said you hated them for being so restrictive. That tells me you can’t follow instructions without complaint and will rebel when you are made to do things you don’t agree with. I know that my appearance has been abominable, but I was forced to do it to avoid the Coalition spies. I took no pleasure in making others feel uncomfortable around me. You, on the other hand, make yourself look like some kind of freak so you can make others uncomfortable around you, and you do revel in it. There’s nothing you bring to the table to add anything positive to my chances of surviving!” He paused and asked, “Do you know anything about technology?” Taffy shook her head. “What do you know about computers?”

  “Just basic stuff and social media.”

  “All you’ll be is another mouth for me to feed and I see no benefit in wasting food on someone like you,” Grady added.

  Taffy raised her eyes, “And the survivors will see it the same way. I hope you’ll keep in mind that I am the one that brought you your food. Just give me an opportunity to prove I can help you.”

  “I’m surprised you’re not trying to come on to me.”

  “I’m not that kind of woman, but I also know it wouldn’t work.” Grady’s eyes narrowed. Taffy continued, “You detest me, and I readily see that you have absolutely no attraction for me. I confess I considered it but know that’s a sure way to get kicked out. If I tried on the ship, it would have angered you to the point where you’d have dropped me off before coming here.” Taffy paused and sighed before saying, “I know I must prove to you that I’m worth having on your ship. Just give me the opportunity to prove it! I’ll do whatever you ask without complaint and do whatever I can to make things easier on you. I’ll stay awake and keep an eye on things when you must sleep. I’m a fast learner and I believe I have already learned a lot about how your ship functions. Please, just give me a chance.”

  Grady knew she was right about the survivors probably killing her. She was also probably right about being physically attacked as well. He had decided that he would drop her off and just assume she was accepted and that was fine for him to soothe his conscience. The reality of the situation didn’t lend itself to that happening. Grady blew out a breath and started lifting the still frozen bags out of the cart. Taffy picked up another set of insulated gloves and began taking them out with him. Grady looked at her and said, “All vegetables and leafy foods go in front of the freezer with the number one above it. All fruits and carbohydrates go in front of freezer number two. Proteins in front of freezer number three, and all vitamins and special nutrients go in front of freezer four.”

  Taffy nodded, and Grady saw she didn’t make a mistake in where she put the bags; she evidently knew her food groups from working in the market. It took an hour to separate out the bags and he turned to Taffy, “Open the first freezer and throw the bags into it.”

  “What about the packaging?”

  Grady snorted, “The processors will remove any packaging.” Taffy opened the freezer and saw there were no shelves, only an open hole in the bottom. She began tossing bags in the freezer and went to the third freezer when she finished the first. Grady finished the carbs and went to the fourth freezer. He saw her tee-shirt was showing sweat stains around the collar and arms and he turned to the elevator. He opened it and, for the first time, waited for her to enter. She breathed a small sigh of relieve; he was considering her proposal. They arrived on the lower level and Grady walked out first. He went to the back wall and Taffy saw four large funnels lined up against it that were numbered one through four. Grady pulled a cart over to the first funnel and stared at a gauge on the wall. After a few minutes, a button next to it turned green. He pulled the funnel out of the wall and pressed a button on the wal
l above it. He extended the hose and turned a valve on it. Small green colored balls began shooting out of the funnel into the cart. It took thirty minutes to fill the cart and Grady said, “Bob, pull the cart into the ship’s kitchen.” The robot flashed a white light and took the cart’s handle in one of its claws. It began rolling across the cavern and Taffy followed them into the ship. Grady arrived ahead of them and ordered, “Bob, back the cart up to the number one chute.” The robot flashed again, and Grady went to the wall and pulled on a handle on the wall opening a large chute. He took a shovel off the side of the cart and tore the wrapping off it. Taffy quickly said, “Let me empty the cart. You can get the next one ready.”

  Grady stared at her for a long moment and then handed her the shovel. Taffy began shoveling the balls out of the cart and Grady watched her for a few minutes. He turned and said, “Follow me, Bob.” The robot flashed a white light and they left the kitchen. Taffy quickly determined that a full shovel of the green balls was heavy; the balls were small, but they weighed more than she expected. She filled the shovel halfway and set a rhythm. Grady returned with the next cart wearing a tee-shirt and a pair of soft cotton shorts. He looked in the cart Taffy was working on. There was a thin layer of balls remaining and he waited until she finished emptying the cart. He saw her tee-shirt was soaked with sweat and it was running off her face and dripping off her nose. He pulled the empty cart out of the kitchen and ordered the robot to move the next cart to the chute. Taffy started shoveling again, as he walked out of the kitchen.

  He returned thirty-minutes later and saw the cart was empty. Taffy was taking deep breaths and he was shocked she was still standing. He stared at her and knew she had to be close to her limit. He took another shovel off the cart and unwrapped it. Taffy watched him, and he handed it to the robot, “Bob, move the contents of the cart into the chute designated number-one.”

  The robot took the shovel and began shoving the balls into the chute. Taffy stared at him and said softly, “You didn’t believe I could do it.”

  Grady shrugged, “I thought you’d fall out halfway through the first cart. Those balls are densely packed and weigh a lot.”

  “You were trying to teach me a lesson,” Taffy said slowly. Grady nodded. Taffy lifted her shovel and said, “Two shovels are faster than one.” She began shoveling and Grady stared at her. She said between shovels, “This needs to be done quickly, right?”

  “Yes, it does.”

  She nodded and kept shoveling. Grady rolled the empty cart out and returned thirty minutes later. The second robot rolled the cart in the kitchen. Grady ordered, “Bob, refill the cart from the funnel designated by the number-two and bring it back here.” Bob flashed a white light and left the kitchen with the empty cart. Grady ordered the second robot, “Empty the contents of the cart in the processor designated by the number two.” Grady saw that Taffy had a small pool of sweat under her and she was holding herself up on the shovel. He started Robbie emptying the cart and he went to Taffy and put his hand on the shovel, “Take a break.”

  “I can do this!” Taffy protested.

  “You’ve made your point, now take a break!” Taffy released the shovel, went to a chair, and collapsed on it. Grady took off his tee-shirt and tossed it to her, “Put this on.” He turned and began shoveling the cream-colored balls out of the cart with the robot. Taffy took off the soaked tee-shirt and pulled his tee-shirt on. She saw him watching her but didn’t care; she was too tired for modesty. She leaned back and saw him look away; he was watching her to make sure she didn’t fall out.

  She took long slow breaths gathering her energy and suddenly recognized him. She hadn’t made the connection until this moment. He had a small mark on his upper left chest and she remembered seeing an identical mark on the man Rolf attacked in the circus years ago; he had dropped Rolf like a bad habit. Rolf was all muscles and brawn, but not much else going on in his head but a huge ego. She saw this man was lean and strong. If he had any fat on him, she couldn’t see it. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. She remarked, “You did a number on my boyfriend a few years ago. You were the one that hit him, aren’t you?”

  Grady continued shoveling and the corner of his mouth turned up. She immediately realized he had recognized her during their first meeting in the grocery store. He continued shoveling and said, “You changed the color of your hair since then, it was purple.” Taffy closed her eyes and blew out a breath. Grady continued shoveling and knew that she tried to stop the confrontation but failed. He wanted so much to hate her…she represented everything he despised, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to do it. This woman had heart and a determination that was undeniable. He really didn’t expect her to have any redeeming qualities.

  Grady emptied another cart and Taffy stood up and grabbed the shovel he was holding, “My turn.” Grady’s eyes narrowed, and she kept her hand on the shovel he was holding, “We need to pace ourselves. I can handle it now.” Grady released the shovel and Taffy went to work. His shoulders and arms were aching, and he knew she had to be hurting as well. She had emptied three carts before he started; he suddenly realized this woman had more endurance than him. How was that possible?

  It took four hours to empty the dispensers into the ship’s storage units. Grady sat down and said, “That’s enough for today.”

  “What else is there to do?” Taffy asked as she rubbed her neck.

  “The water needs to be moved to the ship’s storage tanks,” Grady replied.

  Taffy huffed out a breath, “I’ve been thinking that it’s possible the second group of alien ships could be on their way to finish what they started and will pass the first group that left, is that a possibility?”

  Grady raised a shoulder, “I guess.”

  “Then we need to do it now. If they arrive before the water is transferred, all this food will mean nothing if the ship doesn’t have enough water.” Grady stared at Taffy and stood up. He walked off the ship and headed toward the back of the cavern with Taffy right behind him. He went to the back wall and pulled the end of a hose off a spool. He unrolled several feet of it and looked at Taffy, “You need to pull the hose into the kitchen.”

  “Can’t the robots do it?”

  Grady shook his head, “The robots are incredible creations but the precise instructions to make them do this properly would take too long. I’ll keep the hose unrolling and once you arrive in the kitchen, give yourself some slack and stop pulling it.”

  Taffy lifted the end of the hose and pulled it toward the ship. The high-pressure hose had a diameter of three inches and Taffy had to lean into it. Grady saw her leg muscles pushing her forward and shook his head; he was barely able to turn the spool. After ten minutes, the hose stopped moving. Grady took the end of the hose on the spool and attached it to a connector on the wall. The fitting snapped into place and he pushed a button powering up the underground pumps. He saw the pressure building on the wall gauge and he said to Bob, “When the needle on this gauge hits the top, turn this valve horizonal to the hose.”

  Bob flashed, and Grady ran toward the ship. He arrived and took the hose out of Taffy’s hands. He turned the end of the fitting ninety-degrees and opened the valve on the hose. He suddenly felt air being forced out of the hose and turned to the entrance to the kitchen. Suddenly, the hose stiffened, and he slammed the fitting on the connector on the wall. The hose stopped bucking and he heard water flowing through the hose. Taffy had soaked the second tee-shirt and she watched him holding himself against the wall with his arms. He finally went and sat down in a chair beside her. He blew out a breath and stared at the monitor on the wall. It took a little over an hour for the two-huge tanks to fill and he shut off the valve when the needle hit the top. He left the hose attached to the wall and walked out of the ship. He went to the back wall and shutdown the underground pump. He flipped a valve on the wall above the hose connection and headed back to the ship. Taffy had followed him and asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

/>   “No, I don’t believe so. We need to move the hose out of the ship, but it has more than a ton of water pressure in it. The hose has to be evacuated before we can move it.” Grady walked slowly back to the kitchen and shut the valve on the hose. He pulled it off the wall connector and turned to Taffy, “You need to move out of the way.”

  “Why?”

  “You saw how the hose was bucking when the water arrived?” She nodded, “This is going to be worse. Move to the back of the room.” Taffy hesitated and saw his eyes narrow. She moved to the back wall of the kitchen and watched him rotate the end of the connector, opening it. He held the end of the hose in both hands, took a deep breath, spread his legs, and leaned against the wall, before opening the valve on the hose a tiny bit. The hose lifted him off the floor and threw him against the floor cabinets. He stayed on the floor and held on to the end of the hose as it bucked and jumped. It finally slowed down, and he turned the valve another tiny increment. The hose bucked again but not as severely. He waited and then began opening the valve in a smooth motion. Taffy saw the hose start decreasing in size as Grady held the end of the hose close to his ear. The sound of flowing water disappeared, and he closed the valve. He sat up and Taffy rushed over and pulled his arm to help him stand. He stood up and said, “Well! That was a fun ride.” Taffy snickered, and he started dragging the hose out of the kitchen. Taffy grabbed the hose and pulled it behind him helping him move it up the corridor to the port. He arrived outside the ship and continued pulling the hose until all of it was out of the ship. He handed the end of the hose to one of the robots and ordered, “Roll this back up on the spool, Bob.” The Robot rolled back to the spool and began retracting the hose. Grady looked at Taffy and said, “We need to clean up.”