Flame Wind

by Tim Niederriter

  The Pillar Universe Book Two Flame Wind

  Copyright © 2019 Tim Niederriter

  http://mentalcellarpublications.com

  https://dwellerofthedeep.wordpress.com/

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written consent of the author. Unauthorized duplication in any media is a violation of international copyright laws and will be prosecuted.

  Published by Mental Cellar Publications

  This is a work of fiction People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any similarity to actual people, places, and events is purely coincidental.

  Also by Tim Niederriter

  The Pillar Universe

  Storm Fleet

  Spells of the Curtain Series

  Court Mage

  Battle Mage

  Winter Mage

  Garden Mage

  Traveling Mage

  Fire Mage

  Tenlyres Series

  Ilsa and Blue

  The Gray Lector

  The Lyre War

  The Root Conspiracy Series

  Memory Lost

  Mind Chase

  Image Storm

  Cell Cycle

  Other Books

  Rem’s Dream

  Find out more at http://mentalcellarpublications.com

  Sign up for a stories at http://www.timniederriter.com/list/

  For everyone who ever put up with me talking about a Pillar Universe.

  Thank you.

  And to the people who helped me reach the high places I needed to see to tell this story.

  And especially to Justin Macumber, Paul Cooley, Scott Roche, and Terry Mixon, cohosts of the Dead Robot Society Podcast.

  Often you were my soundtrack when writing this book.

  Storm winds rose as the team sent to recapture Mosam Coe climbed aboard their tumbler shuttle to leave the settlement. Yajain’s quest to find Mosam was over. She had him.

  The tumbler gained altitude, the little bandojen pilot, Harish, at the controls.

  Her mind raced with questions for their prisoner. Why did you destroy that armory back home? Why give up now? Do you care about me?

  The tumbler, its heavy load swaying, accelerated from the Ditari settlement into a headwind. Yajain hung onto her belts as if the restraints would help her if the storm hurled the little vessel into the pillar’s side. The rest of the team sent to retrieve Mosam rode in nervous quiet, no doubt carrying some of Yajain’s same fear.

  A battering gust rocked the whole tumbler.

  “Harish, steady damn it,” said Boskem, in command thanks to Agent Pansar’s injuries. “We need to get to Solnakite.”

  “I’m doing what I can, Finder. The explorer is closer.”

  They curved toward the long shape of Castenlock, catching a tailwind in the process.

  “Listen to me when I give you an order, Harish.”

  “We won’t make Solnakite in this wind,” Harish said. “Easy. Easy we fly.” The pilot’s soft words echoed in the speechless cabin.

  Gaining altitude, they raced toward Castenlock.

  “Straighten us out, Harish.”

  “Easy we fly, sir.”

  “Abyss, damn it, Harish. Listen to me!”

  The wind kicked them forward like a child’s kite. They accelerated ahead of the storm.

  Boskem unbuckled his belts. He rose, bracing himself on one of the ceiling handrails. He made his way toward the cockpit.

  “Slow down, fool! We’re going to crash.”

  “Let Harish fly,” said Yajain.

  Mosam glanced at her, eyebrows raised.

  Boskem rounded on her.

  “You’ll be quiet. As far as I’m concerned we can’t trust you. Doctor. Pansar will agree, I’m sure.”

  Yajain shook her head.

  “Let Harish do his job. Trust him, not me.”

  Boskem’s lip trembled. The tumbler’s tail jumped. He returned to his seat. As he buckled in, he glared at Yajain.

  Mover fins all over the tumbler extended as they entered the artificial arc field projected from Castenlock’s core. With the fins extended, Harish quickly slowed the vessel. He guided the tumbler into a docking bubble near the front of the ship.

  They settled on a cushion of air as Harish leveled them with the deck’s tilt. Upon touching down, Boskem burst from his seat.

  “Jacsaro, get Coe. You others, help Agent Pansar and the other wounded.” He glared at Yajain. “Aksari, you’re coming with me.”

  Firio met them just outside the docking bay of Castenlock where they’d landed, close to the bridge. He walked with his back stiff and straight, stopping before the Yajain and Mosam with the other the retrieval team members strung out behind them.

  Mosam’s hands were bound by hardened zip cuffs at his back.

  Firio glared into Mosam’s bloody face, then turned to Yajain.

  “Doctor Aksari, explain yourself.”

  She met his eyes.

  “Agent Pansar thought I was working with Mosam. He had information about our past together.” Her voice caught in her throat. “When we encountered Mosam I chose to mislead him into believing I had defected. Then I led him to the core to facilitate his capture.”

  Firio nodded. He turned his back on Yajain and addressed the ratings and officers behind him.

  “Take Pansar, Akon, and Loattun to medical. Jacsaro, Boskem, help me escort Doctor Aksari and Coe to the bridge. The rest of you report to battle stations. Ija’s fleet is approaching at the head of the storm.”

  Between the salutes and murmurs of assent, Yajain got the impression the captain had clamped down on the crew earlier. She and Mosam followed Firio, Jacsaro and Boskem brought up the rear. Sonetta glanced at Yajain as they passed, eyes wide and scared. Yajain didn’t blame her.

  If anything, it’s my fault she’s afraid. I should have been honest about knowing Mosam from the start.

  Yajain and the others followed Firio to the bridge.

  Firio took charge in his customary way, taking reports from his officers. Viewers showed incoming ships. Three banner ships with Ija’s emblems and flags flowing before them approached on storm winds. A wall of black clouds raced behind them.

  Smaller ships flew on the outside of the arrowhead formed by the three larger vessels. None of the banner ships rivaled Castenlock or DiKandar Hall in size, but any of them could out-shoot an explorer vessel with ease.

  Yajain stared out the front window where the attack fleet appeared a bit smaller. Mosam glanced at her. She avoided his gaze.

  If he knows why those ships are attacking, now should be the time he talks. If only I could really trust him.

  Mosam cleared his throat with a cough.

  “Excuse me, captain,” he said.

  Firio turned. His silver brows formed a deadly serious V-shape.

  “What now, Coe?”

  “Ija has an alliance with Dilinia. Is that correct, captain?”

  Firio sighed harshly and walked back along the bridge. He lowered his voice.

  “Nominally, yes.”

  “I thought so. Captain, it’s probable the commander of this fleet is operating under the control of another.”

  “Who?” Firio folded his arms. “Do you know?”

  “A creature, an alien called a tyrant,” Mosam said. “They manipulate other animals. Like us humans.”

  “An alien?”

  “Most likely three or more, at least one on each banner ship.”

  “Let’s say I believe you. What would that change?”

  Mosam met Firio’s eyes.

  “
It would give you a way to win this battle. Board each ship. Kill each tyrant. The enemy will plead for peace.”

  Firio stepped back from Mosam. One hand went to his beard. He turned to Yajain.

  “Do you believe him, doctor?”

  Adrenaline rushed through her with the question. Yajain hesitated, then nodded.

  “These creatures exist. There is one captive on DiKandar Hall.”

  “That could be the cause of this attack,” Mosam said. “Though it appears the captive alien is of a less intelligent strain.”

  “They diverged? Like humans?” Firio frowned.

  “Yes, captain. I’ll explain everything when this danger is past.”

  Boskem clicked his tongue to his teeth behind Mosam.

  “Captain, we cannot trust him!”

  “This ship is already in enough danger, Finder. I’m prepared to gamble one captured outlaw on a way to survive.”

  “That’s not what this gamble is, Captain.” Boskem’s lips curled in a snarl. “It’s the lives of this entire fleet. Agent Pansar would tell you the same if he were here.”

  Firio closed his eyes.

  “Finder, you misunderstand the situation. If we don’t do something those banner ships will reduce Castenlock and all of us to falling debris.”

  Boskem’s fierce expression subsided.

  “Fine,” he said. “But send me with the boarders on the flagship. I want to hedge this bet.”

  “Do it.” Firio turned to Yajain and Boskem. “You two are the only people on this ship who know what these creatures look like. Each of you will go with a different team. If one banner ship comes over to our side we should be able to survive. If we get both we might even avoid being crippled.”

  Yajain swallowed, nervous.

  “Thank you, captain.”

  “Don’t thank me.” Firio shook his head. “Pray you make it back.”

  “I’ll pray we all do,” said Mosam.

  Firio grunted.

  “Jacsaro, Boskem. Assemble teams. And don’t give Coe any weapons.”

  “Understood.” The Finder and the Military Police Officer saluted in unison.

  Arc movers carried every available cabler to the forward launch bays. Yajain and Mosam sat half a meter apart on a bench within the bay. Cablers with rifles stood on either side of them. Mosam’s arms had been bandaged. His hands remained bound. The guards allowed him to set them in his lap, at least. She glanced at him and started to speak, but he started at the same moment.

  They both stopped and turned away.

  “I wish it hadn’t come to this,” Mosam said.

  Yajain sighed.

  “You mean violence? With us, it always seems to, Mosam.”

  “I guess it does.” He looked down at his locked hands and wrists. “Yajain, if I don’t come back—”

  “You’d better,” she said. “You still have a lot to answer for.”

  Mosam shook his head.

  “I can’t ever pay for what I’ve done. There’s not enough gold in the universe.”

  “You mean to Lin.”

  “And to you.”

  Yajain stared at him, wanting to answer. She didn’t know what to say.

  Finder Boskem strode across the launch bay to stand before the bench.

  “Doctor, you’re with my team.”

  Solnakite’s armed tumbler stood behind him. The bulk of an APV with a cylindrical power core so long it stuck out both the front and the back of the ship’s bulbous, semi-spherical hull sat beside the tumbler. The name APV indicated an Arc Projection Vessel. Normally such ships were used to provide support cushions and safe bubbles of air during emergency conditions using their over-sized cores to create arc fields outside their own hulls.

  This certainly qualifies as an emergency.

  Boskem turned to Mosam.

  “Jacsaro and you will take that APV to raid the forward attack ship.”

  “You didn’t say where your team is going,” Mosam said.

  “And I’m not going to say. Not in front of you.” Boskem turned to Yajain. “Move it, doctor.”

  Yajain stood. She forced herself not to look at Mosam as she followed the heavily built finder toward the tumbler. When they were at the ramp she turned to Boskem.

  “Which ship are we boarding?”

  “The command ship,” he said with a grimace. “I’d say it was nice to know you. But I don’t feel like lying.”

  Harish and Tei Officer Sogun took the helm of the tumbler. They shot once more into air wetter with rain than the usual mist. Fierce wind made the little craft shudder. Yajain gripped her seat strap.

  How many times had she ridden in this tumbler in ideal conditions? How many times had she felt the shock of Solnakite catching her? She closed her eyes and imagined the air outside, cold and freezing.

  She put on her transparent cold mask and decided not to ask Boskem for her coil pistol back.

  He wouldn’t return it anyway.

  She shifted and felt the weight of the armored vest over her uniform. Hopefully, it would be enough.

  Is Mosam really sorry for what he did? Does it matter if he is?

  The headwind shoved the tumbler’s nose but Harish maintained trajectory. The more powerful but less aerodynamic APV took the lead, followed by two small interceptors launched from DiKandar Hall. Yajain turned from the front view and looked down at the two earpieces for the hunter’s ear which she held in her lap.

  The reinforced cords of the device coiled like black serpents that reminded Yajain of dark plated scanners that sometimes rivaled solnas in size. She hooked the cords back onto her shoulders and pressed a speaker into her ear just in time to hear Harish curse quietly at the helm.

  Sogun responded with an intake of breath.

  “Keep steady. I’ll line up a shot.”

  “On it.”

  Without the ears, Yajain never would have been able to distinguish their voices over the hum of the engines this far away. She glanced to the front viewer. One of Ija’s corsairs angled to intercept the APV ahead of them. Sogun squeezed the trigger.

  A thunderous crack shattered Yajain’s senses in spite of the ear-piece’s safeguards.

  The enormous shot tore through the corsair’s forward connection corridor and into the core beyond. Fire blossomed in blue and red from the breached batteries. The corsair listed and descended out of the APV’s sharply angling flightpath. For an instant, its angle remained relatively stable. Then it nosed down and streaked into the abyss.

  The APV darted sideways and descended toward the approaching flank banner ship. A beam of energy sliced across its bow. Yajain hands locked together in her seat.

  Mosam, I’m going to need answers. You had better not die.

  The beam only grazed the little ship, blackening, but not piercing the hull.

  Through fire and air, the tumbler ascended toward the bottom of the command banner ship situated high over the battle. The third banner ship angled toward DiKandar Hall. Yajain held on through a wave of turbulence against the tumbler as they approached the command ship at a steep angle.

  “Make an opening,” Harish said.

  “I’ll let them know we’re here.” Sogun pulled the trigger three times in succession. Each shot punched a hole in the bottom level of the command banner ship’s hull.

  Harish whistled.

  “That gun is turning out useful.”

  The tumbler leveled out a few meters below the banner ship and matched pace at the tears in the hull.

  “Get ready,” said Boskem.

  The dozen cablers unbuckled from their seats stood up along with Yajain. Ogidar glanced at her from near the cabin’s rear door. The ramp at the rear slipped open.

  The first pair of cablers climbed out onto it, coils of cord and grappling hooks tucked under their arms. Yajain’s vertigo at the abyss yawning beyond them made her close her eyes for a moment. No. I am not afraid. She forced herself to mo
ve onto the ramp.

  The cablers launched their hooks into the tears left by the cannon shots, then fixed them to hooks on the ramp. Another three cablers stepped onto the ramp with Boskem behind them. The finder’s hood flapped.

  “Keep it stable, Harish.” Then he thumbed off the comm and called, “Start climbing. We can’t stay this close for long.”

  Outside of any arc field, Yajain sensed the bottomless death below.

  Don’t fall.

  Two cablers started up the lines, climbing with the speed and confidence of training that had once earned daring soldiers the title. Their rifles swung on their backs as they climbed.

  She clipped her uniform’s ring to one of the lines and began to climb with sticky gloves, hand over hand, gripping climbing knots as she went. She refused to look down.

  The line swayed as she reached the top. The cablers helped her into the banner ship’s bottom-most engineering corridor. The others joined them moments later. One of the cablers that boarded first turned to Boskem.

  “A rating spotted us. We’ll have to be ready for a fight.”

  “I understand.” Boskem hefted his coil pistol and drew a long knife. “We head for the bridge.” He glanced at Yajain. “Hopefully the doctor will be able to identify the target when we get there. Try not to kill anyone unless they’re armed.”

  Yajain gritted her teeth. The monstrous form of the tyrant she had seen in the garden on DiKandar Hall returned to her memory, huge, four legs and six tentacles sprouting from a muscular central body with those gas-belching stacks along its spine.

  She moved along in the center of the squad as they swept through the ship.

  Boskem is right about that last order. These are Ija’s people. Fighting them won’t solve anything.

  They found a passage leading to a higher corridor, but it was sealed with reinforced steel.

  One of the cablers swam up on her lifts and started cutting through the circular security door with a heat torch.

  Yajain listened for voices with the hunter’s ear. Most on this floor were just warning signals and replies to orders. Red alert warnings blinked in the boarding team’s passage. A siren wailed somewhere on a deck above them.