The sky grew lighter as the Troll’s engines came to life on the field outside of Shepherd McGarrity’s village. Loomie flipped several switches and pulled the handset from the holding bracket. “All right, everybody, here we go. Lizzie, the help set?”

“Waitin’ in the cargo hold”, Wilkins called over the speaker from the engineroom.

“Doc, you good?”

No answer. “Doc?”

Over the speaker Doc bellowed irritably “I’m up, already!”

“Good”, Loomie continued hesitantly, “‘cuz I think you gotta go to work, soon”.

“I’ll be ready”, Doc grumbled a little less groggily.

“Okay”, Loomie put the handset back in its cradle. As she pulled back the stick she murmured sourly “Let’s get done with this”.

The Troll lifted toward the sky, blasting dust and blades of wild grass into the air around its former perch.

- - - - - - - - - -

The first light of dawn peaked over the nearby trees as the battle raged on. The farmers and their new allies had managed to keep the attacking thugs pinned down, despite sporadic losses on both sides, due to injury and sometimes abandonment.

Aldous helped to keep the remaining defenders rallied. “Keep on ‘em”, he shouted from time to time, “we’re wearing ‘em down!” Grabbing his comlink he called “Lewis, are they on their way yet?”

“Wait one”, Lewis cracked back.

“Yeah, take your time”, Aldous rasped to no one in particular as he sighted his rifle and continued firing.

A minute later Lewis buzzed and crackled on the comlink “Aldous?”

Aldous snatched at his link. “What?”

“Loomie says duck!”

“Huh?” Then Aldous heard it: the growing thunder of the Troll’s engines. He barely had time to yell “DUCK!!”